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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.

The Sporting Year on talkSPORT in 2005
Added: Thursday 23rd December

2005 is set to be talkSPORT's biggest year with coverage of the top sporting events from Test Cricket and the Champions League to Open Golf and British Lions Rugby.

From New Years Day until December 31st 2005, talkSPORT will be at the biggest sporting events to bring listeners the passion, the colour and the excitement that sport brings to United Kingdom on a daily basis.

In January, talkSPORT will continue their exclusive coverage of England's Tour of South Africa with the remaining Test Matches and One Day games. There will also be live commentary from the Premiership with Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace in London and Manchester City in the North-West as well as national coverage from the Carling Cup Semi-Finals between Liverpool and Watford and Manchester United and Chelsea. In addition, talkSPORT will have coverage of the FA Cup from Round 3 and Round 4 and have detailed updates and reports on Tim Henman's progress in the Australian Open.

In February, March and April, talkSPORT will have live commentary from the Champions League with Manchester United v Milan, Chelsea v Barcelona, Arsenal v Bayern Munich and Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen taking centre stage. The Carling Cup Final will also be live on talkSPORT in February. There will also be coverage from the Formula One Grand Prix, US Masters, UEFA Cup, Rugby Union Six Nations and World Cup Qualifying Matches.

The conclusion of the Premiership, Football League and FA Cup Final will be taking centre stage in May with live commentary from the Champions League Final should a Premiership side make it all the way. The UEFA Cup Final, Heineken Cup Final, USPGA Championship and the French Open from Roland Garros will have extensive coverage on talkSPORT.

In the Summer months on talkSPORT, the British Lions Tour of New Zealand will feature with live commentary from each of the Test Matches. There will also be coverage of the England v Bangladesh and England v Australia in the Npower Ashes Test Series, Wimbledon Championships, US Open Golf, Twenty20 Cup with live commentary from St. Andrews of The Open Championship. From August, talkSPORT will be back with coverage of the Premiership, Football League, Champions League and World Cup Qualifying action.

2005 is a massive year of sport on talkSPORT with live coverage from the top events including the Champions League, Carling Cup, England's Tour of South Africa, the British Lions Tour of New Zealand, The Open Championship and the Premiership.

Manchester City on talkSPORT in North-West
Added: Friday 17th December

talkSPORT will broadcast live commentary of Manchester City's Premiership matches for listeners to the station in the North-West region from January 2005.

On the 1089am frequency for listeners to talkSPORT in Manchester and in the North-West of England will be able to hear live commentary of Manchester City's remaining Premiership games of the season kicking off with their away game on January 4th at Arsenal. Commentary of Arsenal v Manchester City will also be broadcast on talkSPORT's London transmitters with the station holding a similar deal with the Premiership champions as well as Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

EMAP-owned Key 103 FM held the rights to Manchester City's Premiership matches in previous seasons but now broadcast a Saturday afternoon music show with updates from the regions sports fixtures - a format adopted by Virgin Radio, Capital Gold, Century 106 FM and other smaller local commercial radio stations.

talkSPORT are able to provide local and regional commentary matches due a special agreement with the regulatory body for the broadcast industry OFCOM. Under the agreement talkSPORT are able to broadcast live football coverage to listeners in London, the North-West and the Midlands whilst the rest of the UK are able to hear regular programming.

talkSPORT's next live local football commentary match will be broadcast on Sunday 19th December for Portsmouth v Arsenal at 4:00pm with the next national commentary game coming on January 11th for the Carling Cup Semi-Final between Liverpool and Watford.

OFCOM Investigates talkSPORT FA Cup Rights Complaint
Added: Friday 17th December

OFCOM is to launch a formal investigation into BBC's exclusive deal with the Football Association for broadcast rights to FA Cup matches following a complaint from talkSPORT.

The regulatory body for the broadcast industry said that after "initial exploratory discussions" with The Wireless Group, the FA and the BBC, it believes there is sufficient merit in the complaint to launch a full investigation to ascertain whether it breaches European competition law.

"OFCOM has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Article 81 of the EC Treaty and/or Chapter One of the Competition Act 1998 may have been infringed," the regulator said in a statement. "OFCOM therefore believes that it is appropriate for it to investigate the substance of the issues raised."

In September The Wireless Group complained to OFCOM that the agreement between the BBC and the FA regarding the sale of national radio broadcast rights to FA Cup matches was contrary to article 81 of the EC Treaty and also breached the Competition Act. In the 18-page complaint the group said that the BBC is "hoarding" Premiership games and locking talkSPORT out of competition for the next four years.

talkSPORT said that the BBC had paid an "artificially high price" for FA Cup radio rights, "destroying competition" and preventing clubs from selling rights to their own matches. "This deal, which prevents broadcast of most of the FA Cup games, makes a mockery of the FA's claims that it wanted to broaden the appeal of the FA Cup competition and to develop innovative ideas for its broadcast," said Michael Franklin, the Managing Director of talkSPORT at the time it lodged its complaint.

On April 27th, the FA invited tenders for a number of broadcast rights packages for live national radio commentaries for cup matches from the 2004/5 season to the 2007/8 season. Bids could be for either individual packages or for all the rights in a "global" bid, which the BBC duly did, and won. But the Wireless Group complained that the agreement between the FA and individual clubs is anti-competitive because it prevents clubs offering for sale on a national basis the matches they are involved in.

It also complained that as the only supplier: the FA can artificially fix prices; that it is restricts supply; that the exclusive sale to the BBC prevents competition in radio broadcasting rights for four years; and that it unnecessarily ties unrelated matches together.

The BBC said today: "We are aware that there is an OFCOM investigation underway and confident our contract complies with competition law".

MacKenzie Loses High Court Battle with RAJAR
Added: Friday 17th December

Kelvin MacKenzie lost his legal battle against RAJAR yesterday, leaving his loss-making Wireless Group, owners of talkSPORT, facing a legal bill of £700,000.

Mr Justice Lloyd dismissed as "impossible to see" the central plank of The Wireless Group case, that RAJAR's decision was an abuse of its dominant position under competition law that lacked objective justification. He ordered the radio group to pay RAJAR's costs, which amount to more than £400,000, with £225,000 of that due to be paid by January 6th 2005.

During the case in November the court heard how RAJAR measured radio audiences through a panel of 30,000 people who write down which stations they have listened to each day for three months. But talkSPORT believes the system is open to error because it relies on panellists recall and said a system that electronically recorded audiences would have shown the sports station had audiences three times greater than RAJAR figures suggest.

RAJAR has said it will move to a new electronic system in January 2007 and argued it had not breached competition law after refusing to adopt more quickly the electronic measurement system favoured by MacKenzie. The former editor of The Sun did not rule out further legal action, saying: "RAJAR may have won a legal skirmish but the war goes on until technology-based audience measurement is adopted." RAJAR Managing Director Sally de la Bedoyere said the judgment was a vindication of RAJAR's approach.

talkSPORT Awarded Live Twenty20 Cup Rights
Added: Wednesday 15th December

talkSPORT have been awarded the non-exclusive broadcast rights to provide live commentary of cricket’s Twenty20 Cup matches from 2006.

The awarding of the Twenty20 Cup contract means that talkSPORT is the first commercial radio station to be given the broadcast rights to live domestic cricket. talkSPORT currently air a large amount of coverage of England's Winter Tours with the South Africa Tour coverage beginning on Friday 17th December.

Mike Franklin, Managing Director, talkSPORT said: "The Twenty20 Cup competition has caught the public's imagination and brought in a new audience to cricket. talkSPORT's distinctive cricket coverage fits well with the excitement of the Twenty20 format and will appeal to talkSPORT listeners.

"For international cricket talkSPORT will continue to provide a comprehensive update report service for all England games and we remind all cricket lovers that our distinctive ball-by-ball coverage of England's current tour to South Africa starts this Friday."

The ECB also announced that BBC Radio has retained the exclusive radio commentary rights to all home international cricket in a four year deal covering the 2006-2009 seasons. This secures the future of BBC Radio 4's Test Match Special programme after the 2005 season and extends cricket's close relationship with BBC Radio Five Live. BBC Radio has also been awarded the non-exclusive rights to cover domestic cricket and it will provide commentary on the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy and the Twenty20 Cup.

David Morgan, ECB Chairman, said: "I am delighted to have renewed our deal with BBC Radio, which has been such an excellent partner for cricket over the years. BBC Radio has a huge audience reach and, in addition to TMS on Radio Four, is able to promote the game on Radio Five Live, Radio One and local radio.

"We also welcome talkSPORT as a partner for the Twenty20 Cup. They have provided high quality live cricket commentary in the past and we look forward to working with them to promote the Twenty20 Cup to an even wider audience in the future."

OFCOM Agrees talkSPORT Format Change
Added: Thursday 9th December

OFCOM, the regulatory body for the broadcast industry, has agreed for talkSPORT to change the format of the station to permit ‘split’ football coverage around the UK.

talkSPORT, the national commercial sports radio station, have been permitted by OFCOM to ‘split’ limited broadcasting for live football coverage in the North-West via their Moorside Edge Transmitter on 1089am and in the Midlands using their Droitwich Transmitter on 1053am for around 35 matches each season.

The station will therefore be able to bid for Premiership and Football League clubs’ local radio rights in the North-West and West Midlands to air live commentary to that region, whilst the rest of the country will be able to listen to regular talkSPORT programming.

talkSPORT already have a similar agreement in place with OFCOM for London as the station has been broadcasting live Premiership commentary to the London region and South-East for over 3 seasons. Premiership Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Fulham and Crystal Palace had their Premiership commentaries aired on talkSPORT in London in recent years.

In the Midlands, the number of local commercial radio stations broadcasting live football commentaries has dropped in recent years. Last season, Capital Gold, BRMB and Century 106FM dropped their agreements with Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, amongst other clubs, to broadcast commentaries of their league matches.

From the beginning of the 2005/2006 season, talkSPORT could be airing live football commentaries to three different areas of the country at any one time with the remainder of the nation hearing regular programming.

talkSPORT's Alan Brazil Coughs Up Another £5,000
Added: Wednesday 8th December

The Daily Mail has today reported that Alan Brazil has received a soccer-style fine for the latest breach of his talkSPORT contract due to slurring his speech on The Sports Breakfast.

According to Charles Sale in his Sports Agenda column, Brazil’s party lifestyle led to him parting company with the station earlier this year before being brought back by popular demand. But his new agreement stipulates a fine of £5,000 if he fails to complete a show for reasons his bosses regard as unacceptable.

Sale goes onto say that the antics from Brazil has occurred for the third time in four months when he was taken off air after only 12 minutes because talkSPORT executives claim, he was slurring his words. Brazil blamed his enunciation problems on the cough mixture he had been taking which has turned out to be an expensive remedy.

The ‘Alan Brazil is unwell’ announcements at talkSPORT invariably have a horse racing connection and have coincided with the morning after the highly-sociable Brazil, who owns horses, has been busy at Newmarket or Cheltenham Race Courses. The quandary for talkSPORT bosses, who are said to be increasingly irritated by Brazil’s erratic behaviour is that he is a huge broadcasting talent synonymous with the success of talkSPORT as the UK’s only national commercial sports radio station.

Brazil believes his social commitments help promote talkSPORT, while listeners accept his occasional lapses. Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton and Alvin Martin have been filling-in for Brazil alongside Graham Beecroft on The Sports Breakfast in recent weeks.

The Clash of the Titans on talkSPORT
Added: Monday 6th December

The Clash of the Titans makes its annual return to the talkSPORT airwaves and is likely to feature Ian Collins, Mike Parry and James Whale with Alan Brazil chairing the discussion.

The full talkSPORT Christmas Schedule was published on this website last night with the first broadcast of The Clash of the Titans being aired on Christmas Eve between 7:00pm-10:00pm. Additional airings can be heard between 4:00pm-7:00pm on Christmas Day and again between 7:00pm-10:00pm on New Years Eve.

In previous years Mike Dickin has taken part on the show but it is thought that due to his recent illness and the fact that he hosts his shows from Cornwall, he is unlikely to make the journey  to record the show.

The most infamous Clash of the Titans took place in 2001 when Mike Dickin and former talkSPORT presenter Tommy Boyd apparently fought on-air which ended up with a scuffle on the floor of the studio. In 2002, Boyd was replaced by then presenter of The Sports Breakfast Mike Parry with Steve Norris chairing.

Sick Email Shock For Ill Brazil Reports Daily Record
Added: Wednesday 1st December

The Daily Record is reporting that “sick jokers” sparked fury yesterday after a twisted email targeting talkSPORT’s Alan Brazil was read out on-air during The Sports Breakfast.

The former Celtic and Scotland International was missing from The Sports Breakfast yesterday due to illness with Micky Quinn filling-in alongside regular host Graham Beecroft on the four-hour early-morning sports show between 6:00am and 10:00am.

However, a get well message was sent in by a listener to the station using the name of convicted sex attacker Jim Torbett. The former Celtic Boys Club boss Torbett was jailed in 1999 for sexually abusing Brazil, who was 13 years old at the time, and other youngsters over a seven-year period.

Management at talkSPORT yesterday tried to play down the sick prank, with a spokesman saying: “We have nothing to say on the mater. Normally we only read out the first names on the show.”

But insiders at talkSPORT have been left shocked by the stunt. One said: “Nobody realised the significance of the email and it was innocently read out. It wished Alan a quick recovery from illness and hoped he would be back at work soon. But everyone has been outraged by this, and whoever sent the email is obviously a sick individual. It’s hard to believe someone could stoop as slow.”

Saturday Afternoon Cricket Coverage on talkSPORT
Added: Monday 29th November

Commentary of England’s Tour to South Africa is “likely” to be the central focus on Saturday’s when coverage of Cricket and Football will clash, according to a source at talkSPORT.

During talkSPORT’s live coverage of England’s Tour to the West Indies in the Spring of 2004, the station was criticised by some listeners for providing coverage of the West Indies v England on digital services only with listeners of analogue radio unable to hear commentary until 7:00pm, some 5 hours after the play began.

Adrian Durham hosted Football First on 1089/1053am providing reports and updates from the programme of Premiership and Football League fixtures whilst there was live cricket commentary with Chris Cowdrey, Jack Bannister and the rest of the team on Digital Radio, online via the talkSPORT website and Sky Digital 858.

However, for talkSPORT’s exclusive coverage of England’s Tour to South Africa in December, January and February, the station will be providing commentary of South Africa v England but will also be crossing to reports and updates from the Premiership and Football League during breaks in play in the cricket.

Following the climax and conclusion of the play, coverage of the Premiership and Football League action will get underway with a full round-up of news, reports and discussion on Football First & Final Whistle.

From Saturday, check out this website for schedule information on talkSPORT's live and exclusive cricket coverage of England's Tour to South Africa. Check out the special section of the website by clicking here.

Geoff Peters Makes talkSPORT Return
Added: Saturday 27th November

Geoff Peters made a return to the talkSPORT fold as reporter for the clash at the Walkers Stadium between Leicester and Plymouth on Saturday 27th November.

The Leicester City supporting journalist, broadcaster and DJ was last heard on talkSPORT in 2003 as reporter for the station. Before that, Geoff was a talkSPORT presenter on Call the Doc with former Manchester United and Chelsea manager Tommy Docherty and a keen contributor to Hawksbee and Jacobs, Evening Kick-Off and Football First. with Adrian Durham.

Meanwhile, Chris Cooper will be hosting Evening Kick-Off alongside Alvin Martin on Friday 3rd December and on The Final Whistle with Gabriele Marcotti and Gary Stevens on Sunday 5th December between 4:00pm-8:00pm. Drivetime host Patrick Kinghorn will be filling-in for Graham Beecroft on The Final Whistle on Saturday 4th December between 5:00pm-8:00pm on talkSPORT.

From Saturday, check out this website for schedule information on talkSPORT's live and exclusive cricket coverage of England's Tour to South Africa. Check out the special section of the website by clicking here.

talkSPORT TV Launches on Sky Digital Channel 235
Added: Tuesday 23rd November

talkSPORT TV launched last week on Sky Digital Channel 235 airing between 4:00pm-10:00pm each day, with a full-scale launch expected in January.

The output is a simultaneous broadcast of the radio output, with cameras in the newly constructed talkSPORT studio providing the visuals. The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino will be the first programme to air each day between 4:00pm-10:00pm and then Evening Kick-Off with Adrian Durham, with highlights of The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft being broadcast instead of advertising.

Although there is no advertising being shown at present, the channel is described as "a work in progress" by talkSPORT’s Bill Ridley. "There is a huge potential for the TV channel, and we will be developing it from now until the full-scale launch in January, after which we will continue development," he said.

Agencies welcomed the launch but questioned what the audience the channel would attract. Kirsty Hutton, buying director at Total Media said: "talkSPORT has been very successful, the brand is well thought of in the marketplace and they have a good track record. But is there a gap in the television market for this style? What size of audience can they attract?"

Kevin West, TV buying director at Starcom Mediavest said: "Sport as a genre is already well served. It's quite an unusual EPG slot for sport, they won't get people who are interested in sports grazing, and if they are serious they will eventually need to be among the sports channels. The audience is different to the sports genre audience advertisers want."

Mike Dickin on Weekend Slot on talkSPORT
Added: 23rd November

Mike Dickin will be replacing Ian Collins on the Weekend Evening Show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights between 10:00pm-1:00am on talkSPORT.

Dickin, who has been absent from talkSPORT in recent weeks due to illness, has been replaced on his mid-morning show by Ian Collins and Alan Brazil's former sparring partner on The Sports Breakfast Mike Parry tackling the big current affairs and news issues of the day.

On Friday and Sunday evening, Dickin will host his phone-in show between 10:00pm-1:00am, however on Saturday evening, he will get underway from 11:00pm because of Howard Hughes and The Unexplained show at 8:00pm.-11:00pm

Meanwhile, Chris Cooper will be in for Graham Beecroft on The Final Whistle on Saturday 4th December between 5:00pm-8:00pm and Jason Cundy will be on Sunday's Final Whistle on Sunday 28th November alongside Adrian Durham and Gabriele Marcotti.

Ian Collins Leaves Weekend Show on talkSPORT
Added: Saturday 20th November

Ian Collins has announced that he is leaving his weekend show to join Mike Parry for a new-look weekday mid-morning news and current-affairs show on talkSPORT.

Mike Dickin, who has been talkSPORT's mid-morning mainstay since Derek Hatton left the station in early 2000, is currently absent from the station following a "medical procedure" and is likely to be away from the station for a number of weeks and possibly months.

Collins leaves the evening weekend show two and a half years after taking over from sacked Tommy Boyd in May 2002. He will be joined by Alan Brazil's former sparring partner on The Sports Breakfast, Mike Parry, who himself has been away from the station for a number of months following a heart condition. Parry is currently on the heart transplant register.

There is no news as to who will be replacing Ian Collins on a permanent basis, who hosts his last weekend show on Sunday 21st November. However, former LBC and Capital FM presenter and newsreader Howard Hughes is favourite to fill the gap left by Collins.

The new-look weekday schedule on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Ian Collins and Mike Parry 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Evening Kick-Off with Adrian Durham 10:00pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

Live Carling Cup Football on talkSPORT
Added: Thursday 18th November

The Carling Cup Quarter-Final clashes at Vicarage Road and Old Trafford will be live on talkSPORT on Tuesday 30th November and Wednesday 1st December respectively.

Jim Proudfoot and Ray Houghton will be at Vicarage Road, on Tuesday 30th November, for live commentary of the Carling Cup Quarter-Final clash between Watford and Portsmouth. Andy Clarke will be at Craven Cottage for updates and reports from the other Quarter-Final of the night between Fulham and Chelsea.

The full schedule for Tuesday 30th November is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawskbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Carling Cup Live: Watford v Portsmouth with Jim Proudfoot and Ray Houghton 10:00pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

On Wednesday 1st December, Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin will be at Old Trafford for Manchester United v Arsenal in the Carling Cup Quarter-Final. There will also be reports and updates from White Hart Lane for Tottenham v Liverpool in the other of the nights Carling Cup Quarter-Final clashes.

The full schedule for Wednesday 1st December is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawskbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Carling Cup Live: Manchester United v Arsenal with Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin 10:00pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

talkSPORT TV Returns Soon
Added: Saturday 13th November

talkSPORT TV will be returning to the screens of Sky Digital viewers very soon after it was axed back in October following a number of technical problems.

Originally, the service shared Sky Digital Channel 235 with Get Lucky TV between the hours of 4:00pm-10:00pm broadcasting nothing more than a tele-visual version of talkSPORT's Drivetime and Evening Shows showing Patrick Kinghorn, Tony Cascarino and Adrian Durham hosting their programmes.

There is no such confirmation as to the exact date for the return of talkSPORT TV but is set to be in the coming weeks with Patrick Kinghorn confirming that the service "would be returning to our screens soon".

New studios have been built to broadcast talkSPORT TV with recordings from The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft being used to fill time during adverts and trails on the various shows. talkSPORT Chief Executive Kelvin MacKenzie hopes to catch listeners who have been listening to talkSPORT in their cars and will turn on their TV when they got home in the evening to watch the presenters at work.

MacKenzie said: "What people do is listen to talkSPORT in their cars and when they get home they turn the TV on. If they have got the TV on, maybe they'll watch talkSPORT."

He said he was not planning to turn talkSPORT into a fully-fledged TV channel, but would keep it as a radio operation with a platform on TV. "We are radio - we wouldn't like people to be confused. It's more of a marketing exercise than anything else. We might look at other ideas later."

Live Champions League Football on talkSPORT
Added: Thursday 11th November

Monaco v Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal in the Champions League will be live on talkSPORT on Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th November respectively.

talkSPORT’s commentary team of Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin will be at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday 23rd November for the penultimate Champions League clash of the Group Stage between Didier Deschamps' AS Monaco and Rafael Benitez's Liverpool. Eamonn Watson will be at Old Trafford to provide updates and reports from Manchester United v Lyon.

The full schedule for Tuesday 23rd November on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil & Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawksbee & Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn & Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Champions League Live: Monaco v Liverpool 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale

On Wednesday 24th November, Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin will be at the Phillips Stadium for Arsenal at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. There will also be reports from the Phillips Stadium for the Eerstedivisie's PSV v Arsenal and the Nou Camp for La Liga's Barcelona v Celtic with Graham Courtney.

The full schedule for Wednesday 24th November on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Champions League Live: PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal with Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin 10:00pm-1:00am James Whale

talkSPORT's next commentary game will be on Wednesday 17th November for the International Friendly Match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for Spain v England with Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin.

Andy McNab in for Ian Collins on talkSPORT
Added: Monday 8th November

Former SAS Solder, turned author, Andy McNab will be filling in for Ian Collins on Friday 12th November between 10:00pm-1:00am on talkSPORT, according to the official website.

McNab pledged to join the Army and, later, the SAS following an early life of minor crimes in South London. During the Gulf War, he commanded the Bravo Two Zero. Four of the eight- man team, including McNab, were taken prisoner and held for six weeks. He was savagely tortured, suffering serious injuries, but was eventually released and returned to the United Kingdom.

His book about the mission, Bravo Two Zero, became a bestseller and was turned into a film starring Sean Bean. It was followed by an autobiographical account of his life - Immediate Action.

Meanwhile, James Whale will be standing-in for Mike Dickin on the mid-morning show between 10:00am-1:00pm from Monday 8th November until Thursday 11th November. On Friday 12th November, Ian Collins will standing in for Mike Dickin between 10:00am-1:00am on talkSPORT.

The full schedule for Friday 12th November is as follows:

1:00am Charlie Wolf 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Ian Collins 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Evening Kick-Off with Adrian Durham and Alvin Martin 10:00pm-1:00am Andy McNab.

New Show for Howard Hughes on talkSPORT
Added: Sunday 7th November

Is it understood that former LBC presenter Howard Hughes will present a new Saturday evening show between 8:00pm and 10:00pm on talkSPORT.

Before leaving LBC 97.3 FM a few months ago, Hughes was presenter of the London based talk station's early morning news output anchoring the 6:00am-7:00am show whilst providing the news agenda on Nick Ferrari's Breakfast Show each weekday morning.

Howard Hughes' new 8:00pm-10:00pm Saturday slot will trim Ian Collins' show by two hours meaning that he will now present between 10-1am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening.

The full schedule for Saturday 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, Micky Quinn and Mike Parry 12:00pm Football First with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens 5:00pm The Final Whistle with Graham Beecroft 8:00pm Howard Hughes 10:00pm-1:00am Ian Collins: Unbranded.

Live Carling Cup Football on talkSPORT
Added: Saturday 6th November

Arsenal v Everton and Liverpool v Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup Fourth Round will be live on talkSPORT on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th November respectively.

On Tuesday 9th November, Chris Cooper and Ray Houghton will be at Highbury for the visit of Everton as the take on Premiership Champions Arsenal. Everton go into the tie on the back of a win over Preston in the Third Round whilst Arsenal played out a 3-1 win at Manchester City.

The full schedule for Tuesday 9th November on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Carling Cup Live: Arsenal v Everton with Chris Cooper and Ray Houghton 10:00pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

The following night on Wednesday 10th November, Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin will be at Anfield for the Carling Cup Fourth Round clash between Liverpool and Middlesbrough.

The full schedule for Wednesday 10th November on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Carling Cup Live: Liverpool v Middlesbrough with Chris Cooper and Alvin Martin 10:00pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

Live International Football on talkSPORT
Added: Thursday 4th November

International Friendly match between Spain and England will be live on talkSPORT with commentary from Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin.

From Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Jim Proudfoot and former England international defender Alvin Martin will provide live commentary from 8:45pm on the nation that Sven Goran Eriksson faced in his first game as manager of the England side. Adrian Durham and Gary Stevens will be anchoring coverage of the night's International Football on Football First International Special from 7:00pm.

Graham Courtney will be on hand from Hampden Park for reports and updates on Scotland’s first game without Berti Vogts as they take on the Scandinavians from Sweden.

The full schedule for Wednesday 17th November on talkSPORT is as follows:

1:00am Mike Mendoza 6:00am The Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft 10:00am Mike Dickin 1:00pm Hawksbee and Jacobs 4:00pm The Game with Patrick Kinghorn and Tony Cascarino 7:00pm Football First International Special: Spain v England with Adrian Durham, Chris Cooper, Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin 10:30pm-1:00am The James Whale Show.

MacKenzie Awaits Judges Decision in RAJAR Battle
Added: Thursday 4th November

The High Court judge deciding whether Kelvin MacKenzie can take his legal battle with RAJAR to trial will take a month to make up his mind.

After listening to six hours of submissions from lawyers representing both sides in the dispute, Mr Justice Lloyd said he would reserve his judgement until December. "I shall take some time to consider your respective submissions," the judge said. "I shall be out of London for three weeks, so I will not be in a position to make a judgment until December.

RAJAR is trying to strike out the case that has been brought by MacKenzie's Wireless Group, the owner talkSPORT. TWG is arguing that RAJAR abused its market dominance by failing to adopt a new electronic measurement system to replace pen and paper diaries in June last year.

Today in court the group's barrister, Mark Brealey QC, said there too many contested aspects of the case for it not to proceed to trial. But RAJAR's barrister, Nick Green QC, said the case advanced by TWG was not strong enough to warrant a trial, pointing out alleged discrepancies between the case the group had pleaded and arguments it made in court. "The pleading does not come close to addressing the right issues, never mind come close to advancing a credible case," Mr Green said.

The case revolves around the Wireless Group's contention that RAJAR’s decision not to adopt electronic measurement immediately last year was "incapable of objective justification". RAJAR argues that it had a number of good reasons for holding back on the new system and waiting for the technology to improve.

It has since determined a timetable for adopting one of three potential electronic devices, which is likely to see the diary system replaced by 2007. Mr MacKenzie has long argued that the current system is inaccurate and discriminates against his station, which he believes has many more listeners than RAJAR records.

That in turn affects the company's revenues from advertising and its ability to take on its rivals in the highly competitive commercial radio market, he says. His patience snapped earlier this year, when he launched legal action against RAJAR, claiming his company had lost £66m in revenues since it had first raised the issue with the radio measurement body in August 2000.

MacKenzie Squares Up to RAJAR in High Court
Added: Tuesday 2nd November

RAJAR will today attempt to persuade a judge to strike out a lawsuit from Kelvin MacKenzie's Wireless Group that argues its audience has been undervalued in audience surveys.

Legal teams for the two sides will square up over two days in the high court in London to decide whether the claim can be brought to trial next year. RAJAR is aiming to show it has not breached competition law after refusing to adopt more quickly the electronic measurement system favoured by Mr MacKenzie.

TWG will argue it has lost business because its audience has been inaccurately measured by RAJAR's diary system, in which 30,000 people write down which radio stations they have listened to each day for three months. The company claims the number of people who tune in to its flagship talkSPORT station is more than three times greater than RAJAR figures suggest, and that it is losing out on advertising as a result.

For the past year and a half TWG has been publishing statistics based on figures from research group Gfk. These figures, based on Gfk's electronic wristwatch measurement system, record higher audience numbers for speech-based stations such as talkSPORT. MacKenzie has promised "shocking revelations" about the way RAJAR conducted tests that led to its decision last year not to adopt the new technology.

RAJAR has since announced plans to go electronic by 2007 and is conducting trials later this month on three potential devices, including the GfK wristwatch. It believes it should not rush to adopt a new system that would cost the radio industry more money and might not be reliable.

The row has been brewing for more than four years, and came to a head in March when MacKenzie acted on his longstanding threat to take RAJAR to court. His company is claiming to have lost £66m in revenues since it first raised the issue of measurement with RAJAR in August 2000, although no formal claim for such an amount has been submitted. This week's hearing is expected to last until tomorrow, though the judge may reserve his judgment for a week. If he decides to let the case go to trial, it is to be heard early 2006.