Talk

About Talk

Talk — broadcasting as talk.tv and on national radio — is Britain's provocative home of opinion-led talk radio. Relaunched as talkRADIO on 21 March 2016 and now part of News UK's broadcasting division, it is a national speech station built on strong views, lively debate and presenters who are never afraid of a row. From its studios at London Bridge, it simulcasts across radio and online video, reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners who tune in for its unapologetically outspoken take on politics, culture and the issues of the day.

The station's short history has been eventful: launched by UTV Media, acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp within months, expanded onto television with the launch of TalkTV in 2022, and then reshaped again when TalkTV moved from linear broadcasting to an online-only format in 2024. Through it all, Talk has carved out a distinctive position as the home of the "shock jock" tradition in British radio — and as a lightning rod in debates about the boundaries of broadcast opinion.

History and Launch

talkRADIO launched on Monday 21 March 2016, unveiled by UTV Media as a new national digital station promising to "shake up" radio with a line-up of renowned presenters. The launch schedule featured Paul Ross, Sam Delaney, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Iain Lee and George Galloway — a mix of broadcasters, journalists and controversialists designed to make noise from day one. The name revived a famous brand: the original Talk Radio UK of the 1990s had become talkSPORT in 2000, and the 2016 launch reclaimed the "Talk" name for speech radio.

Within months the station changed hands. In September 2016 News Corp acquired the Wireless Group — UTV's radio division — bringing talkRADIO under the same ownership as The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, and making it the sister station of talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and Virgin Radio UK. Under News UK ownership the station invested in its digital and video output, and in September 2021 it soft-launched a video feed on connected TVs, with Mike Graham, Trisha Goddard, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Jeremy Kyle and Robert Rinder among the presenters.

In 2022 the brand expanded onto linear television with the launch of TalkTV, simulcasting radio programmes with a television presentation and adding new shows, including Piers Morgan's high-profile nightly programme. Then in March 2024 News UK announced that TalkTV would cease linear broadcasts from summer 2024 and move to an online-only format, with Piers Morgan's show having already left linear television in February. The radio station continued, with the "Talk" brand and talk.tv identity spanning its audio and online video output.

Ownership

Talk is owned by the Wireless Group, a subsidiary of News UK, which is itself part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. News UK's broadcasting division, led from the News Building at London Bridge, oversees the company's radio and television interests. The station is advertising-funded and regulated by Ofcom like all UK broadcasters.

Being part of News UK gives Talk access to the journalism of some of Britain's biggest newspapers and to significant investment in studios and technology — the company built new TV studios at London Bridge for the TalkTV launch. But the ownership has also made the station a focus of scrutiny, with critics questioning the concentration of Murdoch-owned media voices in British public life.

Format and Programming

Talk's format is opinion-led talk radio: presenter-driven shows built around the day's news, with heavy listener interaction by phone, text and social media. The station's presenters are encouraged to take strong positions — a number have been described as "shock jocks" — and the schedule is designed for confrontation and debate rather than neutral news delivery.

Weekday programming runs from breakfast through late night, with each presenter bringing a distinct perspective: news and politics in the morning, culture and current affairs through the day, and looser, more entertainment-led shows in the evening. The simulcast era added a visual dimension, with studio cameras making the station's output as much a video product as a radio one.

Flagship Shows and Presenters

The station's best-known voices include Julia Hartley-Brewer, whose morning show has been a fixture since launch and whose forthright interviewing style has made her one of the most recognisable broadcasters in Britain; Jeremy Kyle, who brought his confrontational television persona to radio; Ian Collins; Vanessa Feltz; James Whale, a veteran of the original talk radio era; and Trisha Goddard. Mike Graham was a central figure for years with his weekday show, simulcast on TalkTV from 2022, until his departure in late 2025. Piers Morgan became the television face of the brand with his TalkTV show.

The launch line-up also featured figures who have since moved on, including Paul Ross, Sam Delaney, Iain Lee, Jon Holmes and George Galloway — whose departure in 2019, after a controversial social media post, led to one of the station's most high-profile regulatory clashes.

Broadcast Area and Frequencies

Talk broadcasts nationally across the United Kingdom on DAB+ digital radio (on the Sound Digital multiplex, 11A), and is available online through talk.tv, the station's apps, smart speakers and connected TV platforms. During the TalkTV era it was also available as a linear television channel; since summer 2024 the television output has been online-only, streamed through the Talk platforms and social channels.

The station's national DAB+ carriage gives it a UK-wide footprint on digital radio, while its online and social video distribution — including YouTube, where its clips attract large audiences — extends its reach well beyond traditional broadcast.

Audience and Ratings

As of June 2023, the station had a weekly audience of 727,000 listeners according to RAJAR. Its audience is drawn to its opinionated format and its presenters' strong personalities, and the station has built a loyal following among listeners who want talk radio with attitude rather than neutrality.

The station's influence extends beyond its measured audience: its presenters' monologues and interviews are widely clipped and shared on social media, giving Talk a cultural footprint larger than its RAJAR figures alone would suggest. Its competition includes LBC, the market leader in commercial speech radio, and Times Radio, its own News UK stablemate.

Digital and Streaming

Talk has been a digital-first brand for much of its life. Its programmes stream live through talk.tv and its apps, are available on demand and as podcasts, and are distributed aggressively through YouTube and social media. The station's early investment in studio video — soft-launching a TV feed in 2021 before the full TalkTV launch in 2022 — anticipated the convergence of radio and online video that now defines the medium.

The move of TalkTV to an online-only format in 2024 reflected the economics of linear television for a news-talk brand, but the station's digital output — live streams, clips, podcasts and social video — continues to grow, reaching audiences who consume talk content primarily through phones and connected devices.

Controversies and Regulation

Talk's outspoken format has repeatedly brought it into conflict with regulators and platforms. In 2019 Ofcom ruled that three episodes of George Galloway's show had breached impartiality rules, and after Galloway was dismissed by the station over a controversial social media post, Ofcom fined TalkRadio £75,000. In January 2021 the station's YouTube channel was briefly suspended for allegedly breaching the platform's community guidelines over Covid-19 content, before being reinstated the same day after review — an episode that made international headlines and drew in ministers debating big tech "censorship".

The station's presenters have also faced Ofcom scrutiny over impartiality, reflecting the tension between its opinion-led format and the UK's broadcast standards. Supporters argue the station provides a necessary outlet for views underrepresented elsewhere; critics argue its style blurs the line between news and commentary.

Cultural Impact

In less than a decade, Talk has established itself as a distinctive voice in British media — the commercial rival to the BBC's speech stations and to LBC, and the broadcast embodiment of a more combative, personality-driven style of talk radio. Its presenters are fixtures of the national conversation, its clips circulate widely online, and its willingness to court controversy has made it one of the most talked-about brands in British broadcasting.

The station's journey — from UTV start-up to Murdoch-owned national brand, from radio to television and back to online — also tells a larger story about the economics of speech broadcasting in the digital age, and about the search for sustainable models for opinion-led media.

Sister Stations

Talk's sister stations within the Wireless Group are talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2, the UK's leading sports radio stations; Virgin Radio UK, the national music station; and Times Radio, News UK's speech station launched in 2020. Together they give News UK a formidable position in British audio, spanning sport, music, news and opinion.

Recent Developments

The defining recent development was the 2024 restructuring of TalkTV: in March 2024 News UK announced the channel would cease linear broadcasts from summer 2024 and move to an online platform format, following the departure of Piers Morgan Uncensored from linear television in February. Broadcasting president Scott Taunton described it as "business as usual" for staff, with opportunities for restructuring around digital output.

On radio, the station continues to broadcast nationally on DAB+ and online as Talk, with its presenter-led, opinion-driven format intact. Late 2025 saw the departure of long-serving presenter Mike Graham, who announced plans for an independent online show. As a digital-first talk brand under News UK ownership, Talk remains one of the most distinctive — and most debated — stations in British radio.