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The Latest talkSPORT News
From the talkSPORT1089.co.uk News Centre

This website endeavours to bring its readers the very latest news regarding the UK's national commercial sports radio station. In bringing you news on talkSPORT, we will be using a number of sources including the Media Guardian, Media Week, Radio Times and UK Radio.

talkSPORT News Archive: January & February 2005 I March & April 2005 I May 2005

A Keen Replacement for talkSPORT's Golf Show
Added: Friday 29th July

talkSPORT have axed The Golf Show hosted by Ray Houghton and Andy Brookes on Sunday between 8:00pm-10:00pm and been replaced with Mark Keen.

The Golf Show was initially introduced following the conclusion of Euro 2004 in July last year on a Thursday evening between 7:00pm-10:00pm. Rhodri Williams anchored the programme alongside PGA Professional Andy Brookes to build up to talkSPORT's coverage of the Ryder Cup in September where Europe triumphed over the United States of America.

Following the conclusion of the Ryder Cup and the beginning of the new football season, The Golf Show was moved to Sunday evening between 8:00pm-10:00pm. Rhodri Williams continued to anchor the programme alongside Andy Brookes for a number of weeks before Ray Houghton accepted the role as host of the show. Recently, as part of talkSPORT's live coverage of the 134th Open Championship from St. Andrews, Houghton and Brookes hosted a special edition of The Golf Show following the end of each day's play reviewing and analysing the action which saw Tiger Woods win the Championship.

However, the programme has now been axed "partly because of audience figures" and partly because management "wanting to try something different in that timeslot." Mark Keen will now be hosting talkSPORT's 8:00pm-10:00pm slot on a Sunday evening discussing subjects involving current affairs but can cover sporting subjects if required to do so. Former Conservative MP Steve Norris previously hosted a current affairs programme in the same timeslot a couple of years ago but was axed due to poor listening figures.

Let us know what you think about the axing of talkSPORT's Golf Show via email or on our guestbook which you can view by clicking the link on the left-hand side.

Chelsea Sign Deal with Smooth FM to Broadcast Matches
Added: Monday 25th July

Smooth FM, the easy listening station formerly known as Jazz FM, has signed a deal with Chelsea to bring live coverage of all their Premiership matches to listeners in London, reports the Media Guardian.

102.2 Smooth FM will follow every single game, home and away, providing uninterrupted coverage across London on Chelsea's matches in the Premiership, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League. talkSPORT had broadcast selected Chelsea matches in the London region for the past four season but it is not known whether Smooth FM have any exclusivity over Chelsea's matches in the Premiership.

The Chelsea Chief Executive, Peter Kenyon, said the club had been looking for a place where fans could go and listen to the club's games in their entirety: "Our club is going through an exciting phase and it's important to us that our fans can listen to each and every game on FM across the capital. For the first time we are able to point people to one outlet that is guaranteed to carry coverage of the Blues."

London-based will be able to start listening to games from the start of the season, when Chelsea meet newly promoted Wigan on Sunday 13th August at the JJB Stadium in the Premiership at 4:00pm.

John Myers, the Head of Radio at Smooth FM owner the Guardian Media Group, said the deal would "enhance" the stations appeal to listeners and advertisers. Jazz FM re-launched as 102.2 Smooth FM last month, in a bid to counter competition in the competitive London market, especially from the BBC. The re-branded station carries up to 50% less adverts an hour than commercial rivals, in a gamble that it will increase the audience beyond its 2.8% share of the London market and boost the cost of its ad slots.

Meanwhile, Martin Kelner will now be filling-in for Andy Jacobs alongside Paul Hawksbee between Monday 8th August until Friday 12th August. Kelner is also filling-in for Paul Hawksbee alongside Andy Jacobs the week before between 1:00pm-4:00pm on talkSPORT. Also, Micky Quinn will be in for Graham Beecroft on The Sports Breakfast alongside Alan Brazil between Monday 8th August until Friday 12th August.

Opening Day of Football League Season on talkSPORT
Added: Sunday 24th July

talkSPORT have released their schedule for the opening day of the 2005-2006 Football League season on Saturday 6th August.

Andy Townsend & Mike Parry begin the day on The Sports Breakfast between 8:00am-12:00pm with previews of the day's sporting action including the opening day of the new Football League season including the 12:45pm kick-off at Brammal Lane for Sheffield United v Leicester City in the Championship. Updates and reports will be on Football First with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens from 12:00pm-5:00pm.

From 3:00pm, talkSPORT will be around the grounds in the Championship for updates and reports with of each game including Crewe v Burnley, Crystal Palace v Luton, Derby v Brighton, Hull v QPR, Ipswich v Cardiff, Norwich v Coventry, Reading v Plymouth, Southampton v Wolves, Stoke v Sheffield Wednesday and Watford v Preston. talkSPORT willl have goal flashes and score updates from the matches in League One, League Two and the Scottish Premier League.

Patrick Kinghorn will be on The Final Whistle between 5:00pm-8:00pm with a full round-up of the action in the Championship with full-time reports and results. From 5:30pm, talkSPORT give you the chance to have your say on the game you have been to with analysis from ex-Newcastle and Portsmouth striker Micky Quinn.

The full schedule for Saturday 6th August on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Charlie Wolf 6:00am Fisherman's Blues with Keith Arthur 8:00am The Sports Breakfast with Andy Townsend & Mike Parry 12:00pm Football First with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin & Gary Stevens 5:00pm The Final Whistle with Patrick Kinghorn & Micky Quinn 8:00pm The Unexplained with Howard Hughes 11:00pm-2:00am Mike Dickin.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Metro Radio have ended live commentary of local football with immediate effect. Metro will no longer carry the same high level coverage of Sunderland and Newcastle United that it has in the past, reporting that it is no longer financially viable. It is also reported that Radio Aire have dropped full coverage of Leeds United games due to the price being too high. Both Metro and Aire are owned by EMAP, who also own Magic 105.4 and Kerrang! 105.2 in London and the West Midlands respectively.

The Return of the Football on talkSPORT
Added: Friday 22nd July

talkSPORT have released details of their coverage of the 2005-2006 football season, including the Premiership, Champions League and the World Cup.

The 2005-2006 season begins on Saturday 6th August with the new Championship and Football League season as Southampton, Norwich and Crystal Palace battle it out to claim instant promotion back to the Premiership after one season away. The Premiership begins a week later on Saturday 13th August.

From Saturday 6th August between 12:00pm-5:00pm, Adrian Durham will be joined by Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens on Football First with a comprehensive goal service with live reports and updates from around the grounds in the Premiership and Football League with talkSPORT's team of reporters. Patrick Kinghorn is the new host of The Final Whistle, sponsored by Gillette, on talkSPORT broadcasting every Saturday between 5:00pm-8:00pm and Sunday between 4:00pm-8:00pm. Micky Quinn will co-host Saturday's Final Whistle.

The Weekend Sports Breakfast, from Saturday 13th August, with Andy Townsend and Mike Parry between 8:00am-12:00pm every Saturday and Sunday morning will be the ultimate in early-morning sports news, debate, interviews, previews and reviews from the Premiership and beyond as talkSPORT gear up for the biggest season in living memory before the 2006 World Cup in Germany next summer.

Evening Kick-Off will return with a daily dose of football discussion, phone-in debate, interviews and analysis every weekday between 7:00pm-10:00pm on talkSPORT. Adrian Durham will be joined by pundits Gabriele Marcotti, Alvin Martin, Ray Houghton, Gary Stevens, Nigel Spackman and Jason Cundy on a regular basis.

The UEFA Champions League will also be making a welcome return to talkSPORT for the 2005-2006 season. Total Network Solutions v Liverpool was the first Champions League match on talkSPORT this season in the First Qualifying Round 2nd Leg. talkSPORT will be following Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea with live commentary in their quest for European glory throughout the season.

talkSPORT will also have full coverage from the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, Carling Cup, World Cup Qualifiers and the Scottish Premier League with commentary rights being discussed and negotiated with the separate organisations in the coming weeks to reach a possible decision.

Channel 9 Object to Greig on talkSPORT
Added: Friday 22nd July

Tony Greig's participation in talkSPORT's Ashes coverage was in doubt yesterday following a contract dispute with his employers in Australia, according to the Daily Mail.

Charles Sale, Sports Agenda columnist in the Daily Mail, has today reported that Australian television network Channel 9 have no objections to Tony Greig appearing on Channel 4's Ashes coverage, but are raising "baffling" objections to his radio commitments on talkSPORT's Ashes coverage. Greig was scheduled to appear alongside Chris Cowdrey and Jack Bannister on The Cricket Show which broadcasts the latest cricket news, discussion and previews of the Ashes series between England and Australia.

Greig was a key member of talkSPORT's team covering the Ashes Series in 2001 alongside Mike Bovill and Jack Bannister in Australia. He was also part of the commentary team for England's Tour of the West Indies in March 2004 alongside Mark Nicholas, Jack Bannister, Chris Cowdrey and Andrew McKenna.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT have secured the rights to broadcast Denmark v England in an International Friendly at the Parken Stadion in Copenhagen on Wednesday 17th August at 7:00pm. Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin will be talkSPORT's commentary team from 6:30pm with full build up to the match plus post-match reaction and phone-in discussion until 10:00pm.

talkSPORT are currently in negotiations and discussions over the appointment of new hosts for The Game. Paul Breen-Turner and Mike Parry were "short-term" replacements for Patrick Kinghorn and Jason Cundy who were placed elsewhere in the schedule. Kinghorn hosted G'Day Sport during the summer and will host The Final Whistle when the new season gets underway. Cundy has become a pundit on The Final Whistle and Evening Kick-Off with Adrian Durham and Chris Cooper.

Virgin Radio have employed the services of Soccer AM presenter Tim Lovejoy for a new show beginning in August. The Sky Sports host has experienced radio before on London's XFM but will present a Sunday afternoon show between 4:00pm-6:00pm to rival the chart shows on other radio stations.

The Sports Breakfast with Graham Beecroft & Rodney Marsh
Added: Friday 22nd July

Rodney Marsh will be in for Alan Brazil on The Sports Breakfast alongside Graham Beecroft between 6:00am-10:00am from Monday 1st August until Friday 5th August.

The former Soccer Saturday and Your on Sky Sports pundit is making a return to talkSPORT for the start of the 2005-2006 season filling-in for Alan Brazil on The Sports Breakfast. Marsh previously co-hosted The Sports Breakfast alongside Paul Breen-Turner and Graham Beecroft when Brazil was attending The Cheltenham Festival in March. Marsh and Breen-Turner also stood-in for Hawksbee & Jacobs earlier this year when the lads took a two week break.

Evening Kick-Off replaces Monday Night Racing from Windsor with Rhodri Williams and Gabriele Marcotti between 7:00pm-10:00pm from Monday 1st August on talkSPORT. Derek Thompson and the racing from Windsor is expected to return after the 2006 World Cup in Germany next year with the beginning of talkSPORT's live coverage of the Twenty20 Cup.

Patrick Kinghorn will be in for Adrian Durham alongside Ray Houghton on Evening Kick-Off on Tuesday 2nd August and The Cricket Show with Chris Cowdrey and Jack Bannister is schedule on Wednesday 3rd August between 7:00pm-10:00pm on talkSPORT. Adrian Durham returns from his pre-season break on Thursday 4th August alongside Ray Houghton on Evening Kick-Off between 7:00pm-10:00pm.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT are set to release details of their coverage for the forthcoming season to this website in the coming days. Be sure to keep checking back to this website for all the latest talkSPORT news and 2005-2006 season coverage details.

Martin Kelner in for Paul Hawksbee on talkSPORT
Added: Monday 18th July

Martin Kelner, columnist for The Guardian and presenter on BBC Radio Leeds, will be standing in for Paul Hawksbee and will join Andy Jacobs to present the afternoon show on talkSPORT.

The Hawksbee & Jacobs Squad Number 9 will be filling-in for Paul Hawksbee alongside Andy Jacobs between 1:00pm-4:00pm from Monday 1st August until Friday 5th August. As a regular guest to the studio on the show, Martin Kelner is no stranger to talkSPORT having appeared on many other shows including a role reviewing the front pages of the Sunday tabloids and broadsheets on The Sports Breakfast.

Kelner is currently behind the microphone for BBC Radio Leeds on a weekday evening hosting Kick-Off with Kelner, an irreverent look at the football world with the latest news, discussion and phone-in debate. He also hosts a Friday night programme across the BBC Yorkshire network called The Late Thing between 10:00pm-1:00am with some of his favourite music and quirky discussions. BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM are also stations which Martin has experience hosting with many members of the BBC Radio 2 messageboards yearning for his return to the station. He told this website last year: "I am aware of the postings on the messageboard and am very flattered about them. As for returning to Radio 2, never say never, but I think it's unlikely at present."

In his column in The Guardian today, Martin had kind words for talkSPORT's coverage of the 134th Open Championship from St. Andrews: "I got in the car, both talkSPORT and Five Live had blanket coverage. The radio commentaries, surprisingly, complemented each other, with the commercial station providing more for the hardcore enthusiast, using a lot of golf terms which may as well have been Sanskrit for all they meant to me, while the BBC was stronger on atmosphere, talking about things even I could understand, like "little fluffy fingers of white cloud" scudding across a clear blue sky."

Meanwhile Football First, The Final Whistle and Evening Kick-Off are set to return to talkSPORT on the weekend beginning Saturday July 30th at 12:00pm with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin and Jason Cundy hosting Football First until 6:00pm. This website will have full details of talkSPORT's coverage and scheduling for the forthcoming football season in due course so stick around and keep checking the site.

Ulster TV, which recently bought talkSPORT owners The Wireless Group, is once again being linked with a move for the London talk station LBC according to a report in the Sunday Times. LBC's presenters include former Talk Radio hosts Nick Ferrari on Breakfast, Peter Deeley and former BBC Radio Five Live presenter Caroline Feraday. LBC's audience figures are at 537,000, almost 15% audience share in London.

Champions League Live: Total Network Solutions v Liverpool
Added: Saturday 9th July

Total Network Solutions v Liverpool in the Champions League First Qualifying Round Second Leg will be broadcast live on talkSPORT on Tuesday 19th July.

From the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, talkSPORT's commentary team of Chris Cooper and former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder Ray Houghton will host live coverage of the Champions League First Qualifying Round Second Leg match between Welsh Champions Total Network Solutions and Champions League Winners Liverpool for an 8:10pm kick-off.

On Wednesday 13th July, talkSPORT will have full updates and reports from Anfield for Liverpool v Total Network Solutions in the First Leg of the Champions League First Qualifying Round during The Golf Show: Open Championship Preview with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Mark Roe, Richard Boxall and Robert Lee between 7:00pm-10:00pm on talkSPORT.

The full schedule for Tuesday 19th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 10:00am Ian Collins 1:00pm Sportswatch with Andrew McKenna 1:10pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Mike Parry 7:00pm Champions League Live: Total Network Solutions v Liverpool 10:30pm-1:00am James Whale.

Meanwhile, Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft will be hosting The Sports Breakfast from Lords on Wednesday 20th July and Thursday 21st July to preview the Ashes Series between England and Australia between 6:00am-10:00am. Rhodri Williams will be hosting Evening Kick-Off alongside Gary Stevens and Gabriele Marcotti on Friday 22nd July between 7:00pm-10:00pm.

Chris Evans: I Almost Bought Daily Star & talkSPORT
Added: Wednesday 6th July

Chris Evans has revealed in the Media Guardian that he came close to buying both the Daily Star & talkSPORT in the late 1990s, before admitting he was a "terrible businessman".

In a candid interview at the Radio Festival in Edinburgh, the enfant terrible of UK broadcasting admitted that his £13m defeat in a high court confrontation with Virgin Radio was a "huge mistake" and said he had bought the station for a "laugh" in an £87m deal in 1998. And he revealed that he might have become the owner of talkSPORT rather than Virgin Radio seven years ago.

The DJ Evans, who today signed a deal to return to the BBC as host of a Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, said he bid for Virgin Radio after listening to Irish breakfast show host Gerry Ryan while on a fishing holiday in Ireland following his tempestuous departure from BBC Radio 1 in 1997: "I phoned my agent Michael Foster and I said you have to get me back on the radio."

Offers came in from Talk Radio, now known as talkSPORT, and Virgin Radio. His response to Talk Radio interest was an attempt to acquire it: "I talked to Talk Radio and I think the first thing I did was try to buy Talk Radio so I could get on."

He accepted an offer from Virgin to host the breakfast show and then bought the whole company for £87m when he learned that a period of exclusivity granted to Capital, which was then bidding for Virgin, had lapsed: "I don't know why I bought the station. I bought it because it could be bought. I thought it would be a laugh,"

Evans added that his company, Ginger Media Group, then tried to buy the Daily Star from Lord Hollick's United News & Media and had a £25m deal in place: "It was there for the taking." The broadcaster-turned-entrepreneur said he offered the former Daily Mirror editor, Piers Morgan, editorship of the tabloid, such was his confidence that the acquisition would go through.

However, Ginger's venture capital backer, Apax Partners, vetoed the deal because the then roaring success of Virgin under Evans's leadership had given the firm a substantial return on its investment already: "Apax came in an said you cannot buy the Star, because the station is so successful we don't need to risk any more money, because our three-year exit plan has already been achieved."

Evans' relationship with Virgin soured after he sold the station to Scottish Media Group three years later, and his acrimonious departure from the station in 2001 was followed up by a writ against his Glasgow-based former employer. Evans said bringing the high court case in 2003 was an error: he lost and the judge labelled him a "petulant prima donna".

The Times Extend Deal with The Game on talkSPORT
Added: Wednesday 6th July

talkSPORT has signed a £1.1m 18-month sponsorship contract with The Times, extending a partnership that began in May last year with Patrick Kinghorn & Tony Cascarino on Drive.

The Game, currently hosted by broadcaster Paul Breen-Turner and ex-Fleet Street journalist Mike Parry, is named after The Times Newspaper's Monday sports supplement and features sports comment, discussion, debate and analysis from The Times sports journalists on a regular basis between 4:00pm-7:00pm.

Additional promotions during major sporting events will be designed to promote special event guides in The Times, including The Open Championship, Wimbledon Championships, Premiership, Champions League and US Open Golf and Tennis Championships.

Matt Wilson, Account Director of Sponsorship for talkSPORT, said: "This renewal is testament to the fact that talkSPORT sponsorships work. talkSPORT get a drivetime sponsor who adds depth and value to the editorial; The Times gets to showcase their quality in front of a captivated audience of men who love sport; and our listeners get a better product and now know where to find the best sports coverage available in print."

Meanwhile, Chris Evans today revealed to the Media Guardian that he came close to buying both the Daily Star and talkSPORT in the late 1990's, before admitting he was a "terrible businessman".

talkSPORT's Michael Franklin & Ashley MacKenzie Depart
Added: Monday 4th July

Scott Taunton, the new Chief Executive of talkSPORT, has relieved Managing Director Michael Franklin and Sales Director Ashley MacKenzie.

Australian born Taunton replaced former talkSPORT Chief Executive Kelvin MacKenzie following Ulster TV's takeover of station owners The Wireless Group recently and has made his mark by making some changes to the management structure. On his appointment a couple of weeks ago Taunton said: "I am delighted to take one of the most exciting jobs in British media. Kelvin has done a great job at building awareness of the talkSPORT brand. I will now focus on growing our audience nationally and locally to provide a compelling commercial offering to advertisers, and ensuring the highest quality output for our listeners."

Michael Franklin has been relieved from his position as Managing Director of talkSPORT. Franklin, who joined talkSPORT in 2000, initially in another role for the station was appointed Managing Director of the company shortly afterwards. Trained as an accountant, Franklin was the man who was part of the cost-cutting exercise at the station and controlling the amount the spending on sports broadcasting rights for talkSPORT.

Kelvin MacKenzie's son Ashley, who is talkSPORT's Sales Director, will also be leaving the station following the takeover by Ulster TV and the appointment of Taunton. Ashley MacKenzie has been a key success in recent years for bringing in major sponsorship and advertising revenues for talkSPORT's programming including the recent agreement with The Times and their sponsorship of Drivetime between 4:00pm-7:00pm. He was also an integeral part in negotiating talkSPORT's deal with Nivea for Men and their sponsorship of talkSPORT's live coverage of Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Taunton's new appointment also brings speculation in the programming department at talkSPORT with The Game, currently hosted by Paul Breen-Turner and Mike Parry, being the main target of that speculation. This website was told when Patrick Kinghorn and Jason Cundy were replaced on The Game that their replacements would be "short-term" and trails for the programme mention the presenters as "stand-ins". It is thought that their replacements will be announced in time for the beginning of the new season in August.

The 134th Open Championship: Live from St. Andrews on talkSPORT
Added: Sunday 3rd July

The 134th Open Championship will be broadcast live from the Royal & Ancient Course of St. Andrews on talkSPORT from Wednesday 13th July until Sunday 17th July.

Rupert Bell presents talkSPORT's live coverage from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland beginning on Wednesday 13th July with The Golf Show: Open Championship Preview between 7:00pm-10:00pm. Bell will be joined by talkSPORT's commentary team of Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee with a full preview of the biggest golf tournament of the year, featuring interviews with the leading contenders, a guide to the outsiders to look for and all the latest gossip and news from the course.

The full schedule for Wednesday 13th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 10:00am Ian Collins 1:00pm Sportswatch with Andrew McKenna 1:10pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Mike Parry 7:00pm The Golf Show: Open Championship Preview from St. Andrews with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale.

Throughout The 134th Open Championship from St. Andrews, listeners will be able to hear live commentary on the entire day's play, each day on talkSPORT. There will be live coverage from 9:00am-7:00pm on Thursday 14th July and Friday 15th July and from 10:00am-7:00pm on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July.

Rupert Bell presents coverage live from St. Andrews each day, whilst commentary comes from Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee, who will be familiar to talkSPORT's listeners having provided commentary from previous Open Championships and Ryder Cups on the station. Following the conclusion of talkSPORT's live coverage, a Golf Show: Open Championship Special with Ray Houghton and PGA Professional Andy Brookes will be broadcast to review the day's action until 10:00pm.

Pete Abbott, Andrew McKenna, Ian Abrahams, James Haddock and Lisa O'Sullivan will be providing the latest sports news and updates from the rest of the sporting world throughout the course of the tournament from talkSPORT's studios in London.

The full schedule on Thursday 14th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 9:00am The Open Championship from St. Andrews with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee 7:00pm The Golf Show: Open Special with Ray Houghton & Andy Brookes 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale.

The full schedule on Friday 15th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 9:00am The Open Championship from St. Andrews with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee 7:00pm The Golf Show: Open Special with Ray Houghton & Andy Brookes 10:00pm-1:00am Mike Dickin.

The full schedule on Saturday 16th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Charlie Wolf 6:00am Fisherman's Blues with Keith Arthur 8:00am The Sports Breakfast with Paul Breen-Turner & Micky Quinn 10:00am The Open Championship from St. Andrews with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee 6:00pm The Golf Show: Open Special with Ray Houghton & Andy Brookes 8:00pm The Unexplained with Duncan Barkes 11:00pm-2:00am Mike Dickin.

The full schedule on Sunday 17th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

2:00am Charlie Wolf 6:00am Fisherman's Blues with Keith Arthur 8:00am The Sports Breakfast with Paul Breen-Turner & Micky Quinn 10:00am The Open Championship from St. Andrews with Rupert Bell, Bob Bubka, Richard Boxall, Mark Roe and Robert Lee 7:00pm The Golf Show: Open Championship Special with Ray Houghton & Andy Brookes 10:00pm-1:00am Mike Dickin.

Mackenzie Ready for New Dawn at The Sun
Added: Friday 1st July

Kelvin Mackenzie, the best-known tabloid editor of his generation, is to return to his alma mater as a star columnist in The Sun following his departure from talkSPORT.

At 58 and with an estimated £7m fortune from last month's sale of his radio business, Mackenzie is likely to replace his protege, Richard Littlejohn, as Fleet Street's highest-paid columnist. Rebekah Wade, the current editor of Britain's best-selling daily newspaper, is understood to have approached Mackenzie following the purchase of the stock market listed The Wireless group by Ulster TV.

Looking for a belligerent voice, she turned to the man behind headlines such as Gotcha! and Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster. Littlejohn, who earned about £800,000 for his bi-weekly opinionated columns on subjects such as illegal immigrants, the monarchy and the Guardian, defected to the DailyMail, his "spiritual home".

The description could more aptly apply to Mackenzie and the Sun, a fact which has not escaped the attention of Wapping-based executives. Mr Mackenzie refused to confirm the appointment last night but said: "I am out of work and there have been a lot of opportunities offered to me. Obviously, the Sun is my alma mater."

Since leaving talkSPORT and The Wireless group, a company he bought for £25m in 1998, there have been rumours that he could return to a management role. He has made it clear that, while he has no intentions of retiring to his Cote d'Azur villa, he is no longer interesting in a senior editorial role.

talkSPORT Pay £135,000 to Eastwood in Libel Action
Added: Thursday 30th June

Millionaire Bookmaker and Boxing Promoter Barney Eastwood was awarded around £135,000 yesterday in settlement of a libel action against talkSPORT, reports Irish News.

Eastwood's action in Belfast's High Court followed a broadcast last August on The Sports Breakfast, regularly hosted by Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft, on talkSPORT about the Barry McGuigan v Steve Cruz World Title Fight in Las Vegas in 1986. The settlement was announced by Ben Stephens QC, who appeared for Eastwood along with Bernard Fitzpatrick BL, instructed by Johnson's solicitors.

An agreed statement read in court by Ronnie Robinson, of Johns Elliott solicitors for talkSPORT, said they wished to apologise for the untrue allegations made during the broadcast and accepted there was no truth whatsoever in allegations referring to Eastwood's role and involvement as McGuigan's manager.

"The defendants very much regret the considerable embarrassment that their broadcast has caused Eastwood and they have absolutely no hesitation in acknowledging Eastwood's significant contribution to boxing over the years and his well-earned reputation in the sport. talkSPORT are happy to set the record straight and apologise sincerely to Eastwood for the distress and embarrassment caused to him and his family. They have made a substantial payment by way of compensation and have paid his legal costs."

Paul Tweed of Johnson's Solicitors, representing Barney Eastwood, said: "This very substantial financial settlement, which is costing talkSPORT approximately £135,000, reflects the extremely serious nature of the totally unfounded and outrageous allegations broadcast by talkSPORT, who have recognised their inexcusable error in broadcasting these allegations by also offering the full and categoric retraction and apology read out in court."

Meanwhile, The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft will be broadcast live from Singapore all next week in preparation for the announcement of which city and country has run the right to stage the 2012 Olympic Games. Adrian Durham, Tony Banks and Derek Redmond will be hosting a special 2012 Olympic Bid Special on 5th July between 7:00pm-10:00pm and 6th July between 10:00am-1:00pm on talkSPORT.

Ulster TV Name Taunton as Replacement for MacKenzie
Added: Sunday 26th June

Ulster TV will be announcing Australian Scott Taunton as successor to Kelvin MacKenzie, Chief Executive of the recently acquired Wireless Group and owners of talkSPORT.

Taunton, currently Business Development Director at UTV, is expected to assume control shortly of all The Wireless Group's interests, including talkSPORT and AllTalk FM in Edinburgh. Following his appointment, Taunton said: "My priority is to maximise listenership and revenues by operating as a cohesive set of operations, each working to the benefit of the group as a whole. With the creativity and drive that exists in The Wireless Group, I am confident that we will achieve considerable growth in the months and years ahead."

Taunton has been in Belfast for 10 years and joined Ulster TV after it bought his DNA Internet company for £4.25m. He has played a key role in growing the business by looking out for opportunities. Apart from its expansion into the internet, UTV bought Bocom, a Dublin in-store advertising business. Its interest in radio started with the acquisition of Cork's 96FM and 103FM. Next came Limerick's Live 95FM and a Dublin presence through its acquisition of Lite FM in 2002. Its acquisition of The Wireless Group brought the company into Britain and apart from talkSPORT it acquired 16 local stations which include Q96 in Paisley.

MacKenzie branded the takeover "both upsetting and irritating" in an interview with the Guardian. However, he hands over talkSPORT in excellent health and despite his ongoing spat with the industry's audience research body, RAJAR, about the accuracy of its results, talkSPORT recently unveiled a record 2.5 million listeners per week, overtaking Virgin Radio to become the UK's second largest commercial radio station.

Some media observers wonder how it will cope without its charismatic leader. talkSPORT is a well-known brand, in part attributable to the media's interest in MacKenzie. Even so, its share of the national market was only 1.9%, according to the most recent RAJAR figures.

The former Sun editor's foray into radio began in 1998 with the £24.7m purchase of Talk Radio from CLT.
The following year he added a network of local stations to his portfolio, with the acquisition of The Radio Partnership and the Independent Radio Group. The latter included Glasgow's Q96 and Edinburgh's Scot FM, which was sold on to Guardian Media Group in 2001. Talk Radio's repositioning as talkSPIORT in 2000 marked the beginning of a battle with the BBC for rights to radio sports commentaries.

Along with EMAP, which purchased SRH last week, Ulster TV is seen as potential big player in the current wave of consolidation sweeping the industry.

Will Radio Mourn the Loss of Kelvin MacKenzie?
Added: Sunday 19th June

Who will miss Kelvin MacKenzie after he leaves talkSPORT, asks Alasdair Reid from advertising, marketing, media and public relations magazine Campaign.

So, farewell then Kelvin. It has not exactly been dull. Our favourite episode during Kelvin MacKenzie's tenure as the radio industry's official cheeky chappie in residence was when he accused a Campaign writer of being drunk or incompetent or thick. Or actually, come to think of it, all three. If only we could have denied even a bit of it. But we got off lightly. At least we didn't end up in court.

His most notorious act during a five-year tenure as the chief executive of the radio station now known as talkSPORT was to try to sue RAJAR, the medium's audience research body, in the High Court. His case was hung on an argument that RAJAR's decision in 2003 not to upgrade to electronic metering was an abuse of its dominant radio industry status. He lost.

No, it has not been dull. So the news that he is leaving talkSPORT's owner, The Wireless Group, this month, following its acquisition by Ulster Television, arguably marks the end of a rich and strange era for the radio medium. Even stranger is the notion that MacKenzie will soon be unemployed Don't expect him to accost you in your favourite underpass demanding the price of a cup of tea, though. He has trousered (or will soon trouser) an estimated £7 million from the sale of his shares and other related departure emoluments. And actually there's been speculation that he might use some of this war chest to buy himself back into the medium. LBC has been touted as a possible target, should Chrysalis want to sell.

Meantime, should the radio industry mourn his departure? Douglas McArthur, the chief executive of the Radio Advertising Bureau, is slightly less than fulsome in his tribute. "There's been too much said about Kelvin already. People should be talking about the real issues," he says.

Phil Riley, the Chief Executive of Chrysalis Radio, would echo that sentiment - and while he's at it he can lay to rest the LBC rumour. "Yet more Kelvin hype," he says. And he adds: "On a personal level, I got on well with him and it's true he could be entertaining to be around but we shouldn't forget that this is an industry that employs thousands of people and the way he went about his business was damaging to the medium as a whole. There are a lot of people in this business who are passionate about moving research forward and it's undeniable that a move to electronic measurement will benefit the medium but the truth is that he has hindered rather than helped this process. He backed a technology that struggled to get to the starting line and he did this because he thought the technology suited his purposes rather than the industry as a whole. He went ahead without properly considering all the other available technologies."

Bernard Balderston, the Associate Director of Media at Procter & Gamble, isn't so sure. He says that, on balance, MacKenzie's presence has been a positive factor for radio. He says: "He helped give it an even greater profile than it had before and, although you can criticise his methods at times, his intervention in the debate about research methods for radio was significant."

Howard Bareham, the Head of Radio at MindShare, agrees. "I think he contributed to real progress on the measurement issue. And, yes, you can talk about the manner in which he went about promoting his interests but I don't think you can take away from the fact that he made a success of talkSPORT. People forget what it was like before he came along and it was a brave move changing it (from a general speech-based station) to a sports station. Now talkSPORT is an established player with official (sports events) rights. He also built it as a group with the acquisition of ILR stations and brought blue-chip advertisers on board."

But Kathryn Jacob, the Managing Director of SMG Access, says she's in two minds about MacKenzie's legacy which is somewhat appropriate given that she thinks he had a rather schizophrenic approach. She explains: "I think people would have taken him a lot more seriously if it wasn't for the fact that he'd crow if his RAJAR figures were good but if the numbers didn't suit him then RAJAR was pants and he'd head for the High Court. He was fantastic at attracting publicity for himself but I'm not at all sure he can really claim responsibility for pushing RAJAR forward."

2012 Olympic Bid Special with Adrian Durham on talkSPORT
Added: Saturday 18th June

Adrian Durham, Tony Banks and Derek Redmond will host a 2012 Olympic Bid Special between 7:00pm-10:00pm on Tuesday 5th July and 10:00am-1:00pm on Wednesday 6th July on talkSPORT.

talkSPORT's coverage of the announcement of the winning bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games begins at 6:00am on The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft. The programme will be brought to you live from Singapore in readiness for the announcement to be made by The International Olympic Committee to find out the winner between London, favourites Paris, Moscow, New York and Madrid.

Further coverage will be on talkSPORT between 10:00am-2:00pm with Adrian Durham, former Sports Minister Tony Banks and former Great Britain Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete Derek Redmond on a 2012 Olympic Bid Special. Adrian Durham will have all the latest news and reaction following the announcement of the winning city, plus analysis of what the Olympic Games will mean for the city of London should they be successful with their bid and beat the other cities involved.

London's 2012 bid leader Lord Sebastian Coe said his team were satisfied at the commission's conclusions on factors previously questioned, including the location of venues, the ability to handle transport demands, and levels of public and government support. He said: "I think that we are in a position now to continue to build on the momentum that this bid has enjoyed. We are in good shape to take the battle even harder and further towards our goal of bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012."

The full schedule on Tuesday 5th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft from Singapore 10:00am Ian Collins 1:00pm Sportswatch with Andrew McKenna 1:10pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Mike Parry 7:00pm 2012 Olympic Special with Adrian Durham, Tony Banks & Derek Redmond 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale.

The full schedule on Wednesday 6th July on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft from Singapore 10:00am 2012 Olympic Bid Special with Adrian Durham, Tony Baks & Derek Redmond 2:00pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Mike Parry 7:00pm The Cricket Show with Chris Cowdrey, Jack Bannister & Allan Lamb 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale.

Ulster TV's talkSPORT Acquisition Given Green Light
Added: Thursday 16th June

Ulster TV's £98.2m purchase of talkSPORT owners The Wireless Group has been declared "unconditional" after satisfying two outstanding conditions.

Last week, an Extraordinary General Meeting of UTV shareholders approved the deal, and this week the Irish Government decided not to refer the buyout to the Irish Competition Authority. A copy of the document setting out UTV's resolution approving the offer at the EGM had been submitted to the financial services authority and the offer remained open but the decision means UTV have sealed their takeover of The Wireless Group.

John McCann, Chief Executive of Belfast-based UTV, is said to be delighted by the acquisition and said: "This brings with it a wealth of opportunities. I am confident that the combination of the The Wireless Group's local radio stations, an emergent talkSPORT, our market leading position in Irish radio and the strength of our UK and Irish sales operations through Impact and BMS, will deliver strong growth in the months & years ahead."

The acquisition of The Wireless Group by UTV followed a failed management buyout attempt by Chairman and Chief Executive of The Wireless Group, Kelvin MacKenzie. Frustrated by the City's lack of enthusiasm for talk radio, MacKenzie tried to secure private equity backing to take the group private but talks failed.

McCann praised the departing MacKenzie for the work he has done at talkSPORT: "I would like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to Kelvin MacKenzie and his team for their vision and hard work in making The Wireless Group a successful independent radio company in the UK. I wish Kelvin every success in the future and appreciate his assistance in ensuring a smooth transition."

Scott Taunton who has been responsible for UTV's Radio and New Media Operations in Ireland will take over from MacKenzie following his departure. Following his appointment, Taunton said: "My priority is to maximise listenership and revenues by operating as a cohesive set of radio operations, each working to the benefit of the group as a whole. With the creativity and drive that exists in The Wireless Group, I am confident that we will achieve considerable growth in the months and years ahead."

talkSPORT News Round-Up: Carling Cup Coverage
Added: Thursday 16th June

The Football League have told this website that talkSPORT currently do not have the rights to broadcast live commentary from matches in the 2005-2006 Carling Cup competition.

The Football League informed this website that talkSPORT currently do not have the rights to broadcast live commentary from matches in the 2005-2006 Carling Cup competition and that matches are, at the moment, exclusive to BBC Radio Five Live. talkSPORT broadcast extensive live coverage from each round of the competition from Round Three until the Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as Chelsea beat Liverpool.

On Friday 24th June, Micky Quinn will be filling-in for Alan Brazil on The Sports Breakfast with Graham Beecroft between 6:00am-10:00am. From 1:00pm, Hawksbee & Jacobs will be live from Alconbury Cricket Club for The Bunbury's v Lashings in aid of the Mencap charity. Ray Houghton will alongside Graham Beecroft on Monday 27th June on The Sports Breakfast.

Duncan Barkes will be in for Charlie Wolf between 1:00am-6:00am and Nigel Botherway will be in for Keith Arthur on Fisherman's Blues between 6:00am-8:00am on Saturday 25th June and Sunday 26th June. Paul Breen-Turner will be in for Andy Townsend alongside Mike Parry on The Sports Breakfast between 8:00am-12:00pm on Sunday 26th June on talkSPORT.

talkSPORT's newsreader and sports reporter Ian Abrahams will be making an appearance at the world famous Comedy Store in London on Monday 27th June. The station is asking for listeners to send jokes to Abrahams in attempt to beef up his arsenal of humour which is quite sadly lacking when on the air!

A talkSPORT XI will face The Bunbury's on Sunday 28th August at the Recreation Ground, Chevening Road in Chipstead near Sevenoaks in Kent. A team involving Hawksbee & Jacobs, Adrian Durham, Chris Cowdrey and Mike Dickin took part in a match against the Bunbury's at the same venue last year.

DHL Lions Tour Live: New Zealand v British & Irish Lions
Added: Saturday 11th June

talkSPORT will be broadcasting live commentary of the First Test between the New Zealand All Blacks and the British & Irish Lions on Saturday 25th June.

Rhodri Williams, John Taylor, Mike Bovill, Gavin Hastings, Dick Best and Jeff Probyn will be talkSPORT's team for the British & Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand. Coverage begins on Friday 24th June from 7:00pm-10:00pm with a full preview, including news and analysis of the First Test between the All Blacks and Lions.

On Saturday 25th June from 7:00am-11:00am, the talkSPORT commentary team will be led by ex-British & Irish Lions Captain and legendary rugby commentator John Taylor. John, previously the voice of ITV, won his first cap for Wales at the age of 21 and played 26 Tests during a distinguished career which also included two British Lions tours. He's also been voted Wales' Greatest Ever Number 7. Kick-Off is at 8:10am.

Richard Park will be on air between 11:00am-2:00pm on talkSPORT discussing the latest sports news and headlines including a full review of the New Zealand All Blacks v British & Irish Lions First Test match in Christchurch. Adrian Durham's Saturday Scoreboard will be on air betweeen 2:00pm-6:00pm.

The full schedule for Saturday 25th June on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Duncan Barkes 6:00am Fisherman's Blues with Nigel Botherway 7:00am DHL Lions Tour Live: New Zealand v British & Irish Lions 11:00am Richard Park 2:00pm Adrian Durham's Saturday Scoreboard 6:00pm G'Day Sport with Patrick Kinghorn & Tony Schibecci from SEN 1116 8:00pm The Unexplained with Howard Hughes 11:00pm-2:00am Mike Dickin.

Xfm Wins FM Licence for Manchester
Added: Thursday 9th June

GCap Media's alternative and indie music station Xfm has beaten a record number of 18 rival bids, including allTALK FM from The Wireless Group, to run a new FM radio station in Manchester.

Manchester, whose musical alumni include Joy Division, Doves, Morrisey, The Smiths and Oasis, will now get its own radio station dedicated to the ground-breaking music that the city has so greatly influenced. Speculation had soared in recent weeks that the licence would be awarded to a rock music based station, but the win for Xfm will see the likes of The Arrow (Chrysalis), The Storm (GWR), Kerrang 97.7 (EMAP) and Virgin Classic Rock all miss out on the lucrative licence for Manchester.

It is the first time that either Capital Radio or GWR, who have merged to form GCap Media, have won a new licence, having both built up their radio empires through acquisition: "What we found in Manchester was that people were saying this city is the natural home of Xfm and clearly OFCOM agreed. We're already starting to think about the programming elements of the station and looking at the talent behind," said  GCap Media.

Xfm Manchester promises "guitar-led quality modern and classic music with attitude" for 15- to 34-year olds, much as Xfm London does, but will have a dedicated schedule for the northern city. The licence win provides a welcome boost for GCap, coming a month to the day after Capital and GWR began trading as one company - and not least because it is worth at least £20m in advertising revenue.

Xfm London is critically acclaimed but audiences have decline by 7.5% over the past year to just over 500,000 regular listeners. Its biggest star, breakfast show host Christian O'Connell, recently announced he was quitting to move to rival Virgin Radio to replace Pete & Geoff on the Virgin Radio Breakfast Show,

However, Capital has invested heavily in the station as one of the key brands marked out for expansion. The new licence will go some way toward its ambition to build Xfm into a national brand, through digital broadcasts via local radio multiplexes and digital television equipment as well as through analogue signals.

Other bids losing out include AllTalk FM (The Wireless Group), Kismat Radio (Sunrise Radio), Manchester 97.7 (Scottish Radio Holdings), 97.7 The City (Celedaor) and Alice 97.7FM (Atlantic Radio).

MacKenzie Targets London Talk Rivals LBC
Added: Thursday 9th June

Kelvin MacKenzie has set his sights on LBC and has openly admitted he would "jostle and fight" to buy the London talk radio station if Chrysalis wanted to sell, reports the Media Guardian.

The Wireless Group's declaration of interest will surprise many as LBC is a notorious cash drain and has proved an almost impossible commercial challenge for its succession of owners, including ITN and Associated Newspapers. But MacKenzie, even after seven years as a radio proprietor at talkSPORT, is a journalist at heart and once Ulster TV's acquisition of The Wireless Group goes through, he will have the cash to start the ball rolling again: "I'm very, very interested in radio and very, very interested in speech radio."

"LBC is not for sale, but if it were I would be jostling, fighting and knifing my way to the sale document," he added. With £7m burning a hole in his pocket from the £6.1m proceeds of his 6.4% stake in The Wireless Group and an £800,000 payoff, MacKenzie has dashed the hopes of some in the radio industry who thought they might have seen the back of him. He said he had not yet made any approach to Chrysalis or any other company whose radio assets he might be interested in, but added: "There's plenty of time yet."

Ulster TV's acquisition of The Wireless Group followed MacKenzie's failed management buyout attempt. Frustrated by the City's lack of enthusiasm for the talk radio genre, he tried to secure private equity backing to take the group out of public hands, but talks failed, allowing UTV to pounce. But MacKenzie has enjoyed recent success in the notoriously expensive speech radio sector by winning a lucrative and much sought-after new analogue radio licence for Edinburgh.

It is understood that Chrysalis would consider a sale if a tempting offer came in. However, the Chrysalis Radio Chief Executive, Phil Riley, said that in any case MacKenzie would not be able to raise the money required to buy LBC, if it were for sale:"It isn't for sale, although it would be ridiculous to say that nothing's for sale at the right price and at the right time. We only bought LBC three years ago and we are two-thirds of a way through turning it around. Whatever Kelvin could raise would not be enough. He'd have to stick a zero on the end of his £6m for us to even look at it."

Chrysalis bought LBC and News Direct, from GWR in a £23.5m deal in 2002 and has undertaken a wholesale renovation of the stations, with new schedules, presenters and marketing. However, listeners have been slow to respond and both stations have suffered declining audiences and share of the market.

Ulster TV Shareholders Approve talkSPORT Takeover
Added: Tuesday 7th June

Ulster TV has cleared the first of two hurdles in its acquisition of talkSPORT owner The Wireless Group, with the passing of a extraordinary general meeting resolution approving the £98.2m deal.

The deal remains conditional on the approval of the Irish minister for enterprise, trade and employment, Michael Martin, who has until 12th June to decide whether to ask the Irish competition authority to investigate the acquisition. A copy of the document setting out UTV's resolution approving the offer at yesterday's EGM has been submitted to the financial services authority and the offer remains open until further notice.

The acquisition of Wireless Group by UTV, holder of ITV's Northern Ireland franchise, followed a failed management buyout attempt by Chairman and Chief Executive of The Wireless Group, Kelvin MacKenzie. Frustrated by the City's lack of enthusiasm for talk radio, MacKenzie tried to secure private equity backing to take the group private but talks failed, allowing UTV to pounce.

MacKenzie will be leaving the company but is believed to be eager to stay in the media sector. MacKenzie's disappointment at leaving the group he took over in 1998 will doubtless be eased by the £6m-plus in stock and options he will take with him, along with a severance payment of about £1m.

"I'm looking for businesses, in television, radio or print, which need a new direction," he told the London Evening Standard in a n interview last week. "If things were going well, I'd be entirely the wrong person to hire because within 18 months all kinds of things would have gone rather badly and I'd be joining the P45 brigade. But if things needed changing, I would be very interested in investing and also running the businesses. It just doesn't suit me not being in charge."

John McCann, Chief Executive of UTV, has said the company will remain a diverse media group. UTV will own a national station, 21 local and regional radio stations, plus the upcoming licenses in Belfast and Edinburgh. It will also own the Northern Ireland ITV franchise and internet and communications businesses.

talkSPORT Sign B&Q for Summer Sponsor Deal
Added: Monday 6th June

talkSPORT have secured a summer deal with DIY retailer B&Q Warehouse for a sponsorship package for the Hawksbee & Jacobs show between 1:00pm-4:00pm weekdays.

The deal will see B&Q branding and promotion associated with talkSPORT's afternoon sports show hosted by Paul Hawksbee & Andy Jacobs. B&Q also recently took part in a week-long promotion with The Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT, hosted by Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft, called Janitor Gilo's Warehouse Trolley Dash where there was the chance to win up to £1000 worth of goods from a local B&Q Warehouse.

Anna Hancock at JWT, who negotiated the deal with The Wireless Group-owned national commercial sports station, said: "The breadth of B&Q products and services can be brought to life through a powerful combination of outside broadcasts, promotions and sponsorship. This campaign will allow B&Q to really engage with their audience in a dynamic and interactive way."

Faye Lovenbury, B&Q's Assistant Marketing Manager, said: "There are strong synergies between the B&Q and talkSPORT brands and we are looking forward to building an effective strategic partnership."

Meanwhile, this website has received information regarding UTV's takeover of talkSPORT. It is understood that the takover will be finalised within the next few days and that Chief Executive Kelvin MacKenzie and Programme Director Bill Ridley have left their positions at the station. Check back to this website for all the latest news regarding the talkSPORT takeover.

talkSPORT Seals DHL British Lions Sponsorship Package
Added: Friday 3rd June

talkSPORT has signed up global delivery company DHL in a six-figure deal for it to sponsor the station coverage of the British & Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand.

The sponsorship comprises all of talkSPORT's coverage, including bulletins, promotions, interviews, and the three test matches against the New Zealand All Blacks on 25th June and the 2nd and 9th July. The deal is part of an integrated public relations and marketing campaign to support DHL's status as an event sponsor. DHL's involvement with talkSPORT will be in addition to its event sponsorship of the series.

Matt Wilson, Account Director for talkSPORT's Sponsorship and Promotions team, said: "Together with talkSPORT, DHL will be delivering UK sports fans all the excitement from the DHL New Zealand Lions Series. talkSPORT now has a proven track record of enabling brands to leverage their official status whilst enjoying a greater interaction with sports-loving men."

talkSPORT's coverage of the British & Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand begins on Saturday 4th June as they face the Bay of Plenty with Mike Bovill reporting from the Rotorua International Stadium from 8:00am during The Sports Breakfast with Andy Townsend & Mike Parry. Rhodri Williams, Dick Best and John Taylor will be leading talkSPORT's coverage for the matches against the New Zealand All Blacks.

Meanwhile, Patrick Kinghorn will be making his return to talkSPORT on Saturday 4th June from 5:00pm-8:00pm following his removal as presenter of The Game a number of weeks ago. Kinghorn will be hosting the last Final Whistle of the season alongside Ray Houghton before starting a new series of programmes on a Saturday evening between 6:00pm-8:00pm called G'Day Sport.

MacKenzie Has No Intention of Retiring Just Yet
Added: Thursday 2nd June

Kelvin MacKenzie has made a small fortune from the sale of The Wireless Group, but the former editor of The Sun has no intention of retiring just yet, he told the London Evening Standard.

Having lost out on the battle to buy talkSPORT and its parent company The Wireless Group to Ulster TV, Kelvin MacKenzie is looking for a media opportunity big enough to accommodate his massive and legendary ego. The deal has made him around £7m richer, but MacKenzie at 58 an mischievously opinionated as ever, has no intention of retiring quietly. The man behind Live TV and the Freddy Starr Hamster headline on the front page of The Sun is currently on the lookout for the next media venture to dig his claws into.

"I'm looking for businesses, in television, radio or print, which need a new direction," he says in the office, just down from talkSPORT's studios, which he will be leaving any week now. "If things were going well, I'd be entirely the wrong person to hire because within 18 months all kinds of things would have gone rather badly and I'd be joining the P45 brigade. But if things needed changing, I would be very interested in investing and also running the businesses. It just doesn't suit me not being in charge."

MacKenzie has certainly done extremely well out of talkSPORT and The Wireless Group. A consortium, which he headed, bought the loss-making national commercial talk radio station Talk Radio for £25m in 1998, before rebranding it as talkSPORT and watching the value of the business quadruple over seven years. The Wireless Group was bought by Belfast-based Ulster TV for £98.2m, subject to approval by shareholders in the coming weeks. And Although he failed to attract City backing for a management buyout, he has not given up on running another radio venture. His only condition is that this time he has outright control and with only 7% of The Wireless Group, it was "painful", he says, being unable to steer the company on.

MacKenzie's invitation to appear on ITV's I'm a Celebrit, he fears, has been withdraw after he mocked the shows researcher in print ("Celebrity Fat Island's more my thing, or, given my current shape, maybe sumo wrestling," he says now). He is equally flippant when pressed about his entrepreneurial plans. "I'd love to own the Telegraph, but I'm just short of £800m," he begins, less than helpfully. "Actually," he continues, more calmly, "I'm slightly more interested in pay-TV, to be honest."

Would this consist of babes-and-gambling formats? He is reluctant to be drawn, in case his interest boosts any acquisition costs. But he does roar at the suggestion that there might be a role for Live TV's News Bunny. "You know, if Trinity Mirror hadn't made a shocking decision in shutting down Live TV which MacKenzie launched alongside Janet Street-Porter, it would be number six or seven on the electronic programme guide by now. Its audience would be bloody huge. The News Bunny, the bouncing weather dwarf, topless darts - they'd all be major television personalities. I worked out that Trinity Mirror would be making £8-£10 million a year. But the management were just too po-faced."

Still, MacKenzie doesn't seem to have done too badly out of the sale of talkSPORT and The Wireless Group. "Yeah, I have multiplied my investment by a factor of four, but I have put a lot of bloody work in," he replies. "Talk Radio was totally clapped out, and me and my colleagues worked hard to reposition it, make it a brand. I wish I could have been the one to grow the business. But Ulster are good guys, and I have no doubt they will continue to make it successful."

Kelvin MacKenzie, Chief Executive of The Wireless Group, was speaking to David Rowan for the London Evening Standard on Tuesday 1st June 2005.

US Open Preview with Rhodri Williams on talkSPORT
Added: Wednesday 1st June

Rhodri Williams, Bob Bubka and Andy Brookes will be hosting a special US Open Preview Golf Show on Wednesday 15th June between 7:00pm-10:00pm on talkSPORT.

The US Open is one of the four major championships alongside The Open Championship, The Masters and the PGA Championship. The 105th US Open will be staged at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina from Thursday 16th June until Sunday 19th June with regular reports and updates from talkSPORT's team of Bob Bubka and Rupert Bell for the full four days.

In 2004, South African Retief Goosen won the 104th US Open at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton New York beating Phil Mickelson by two shots at -4. Other winners in the last ten years include Jim Furyk in 2003, Tiger Woods in 2002 and 2002. Retief Goosen picked up the title before in 2001 at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Payne Stewart, who died in a plane crash, took the title of US Open Championship only months before his death in June 1999 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

talkSPORT will also have full coverage of The Open Championship from St. Andrews in Scotland in July with talkSPORT's regular team of Rupert Bell, Richard Boxall, Robert Lee, Bob Bubka and other commentators from Wednesday 13th July with the Open Preview until Sunday 17th July with live stroke-by-stroke commentary of all the action from the three days.

The full schedule for Wednesday 15th June on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 10:00am Ian Collins 1:00pm Sportswatch with Andrew McKenna 1:10pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Mike Parry 7:00pm US Open Preview with Rhodri Williams, Bob Bubka & Andy Brookes 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale.

Meanwhile, Chris Ashley has retired from the world of broadcasting and will be moving to Spain with his wife in due course. Ashley has presented many shows over the last ten years on Talk Radio and talkSPORT and hosted his final show on BBC Radio Shropshire on Friday 27th May.