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+--- Thread: Murdoch Cancels his New Channel (/showthread.php?tid=243)
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Matthew - 27-04-2021
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/exclusive-news-uk-kills-long-awaited-tv-channel
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Roger Darthwell - 27-04-2021
Matthew post_id=9273 time=1619523204 user_id=938 Wrote:https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/exclusive-news-uk-kills-long-awaited-tv-channelI am not surprised.....Murdoch has realised that with the upcoming launch of GB News it has become impossible to launch another news channel
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - London Lite - 27-04-2021
From the email Brooks sent out to employees, it looks like a more sensible proposition to deliver video content using the existing newspaper brands while talkRADIO continues to be a hybrid streaming channel and radio station.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - House - 27-04-2021
Given that News Corp’s proposed channel was planned (at least at one time?) to be online-only, I’m not sure why launching a new catch-all brand and attempting to stream it ever made sense. I’m doubtful that many people at all watch live television on online streams outside of event television and breaking news, whether that’s on a connected TV or other device.
News Corp has such diverse audiences (e.g. The Sun vs The Times) that putting proper investment into bolstering the digital video presence of those brands might make more sense instead.
Given the much smaller UK population compared to the US, and the small percentage who actually regularly engage with TV news and current affairs shows, I’d be very interested to see GB News’ business plan to see how they believe it will become profitable in a live format. I think it’s telling that the guy News UK hired to oversee this - David Rhodes - comes from a very traditional broadcast background in a country where essentially only morning shows and Fox News generate meaningful profits, and both models are threatened. None of the networks have, to my knowledge, found a way to meaningfully monetise their digital output or (low-budget) online channels. Yet without a doubt speech-based content has the potential to generate big profits.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - johnnyboy - 27-04-2021
I must admit that, when I read that it was going to be online only, I thought it might be a turkey which struggles to compete against GB News.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Ash101 - 27-04-2021
Agree with the comments here so far, it was difficult to see how 2 new news channels would make an impact. All eyes on GB News now though to see if they can make it success...
The only real hire, I seem to remember, for News UK TV (or whatever they'd have called it) was Gordon Smart for a nightly show? I wonder if this will still go ahead, but connected into one of the existing brands.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Mouseboy33 - 27-04-2021
This part of the Guardian article says to me that the plug was pulled at the last minute......sounds like some bad planning and loads of wasted money. Goodness.
Quote:The decision also leaves the future of a large number of established television producers who were hired by Rhodes asking questions about their future at the company if its focus switches to a handful of streaming shows. Studios have already been built and rehearsals for some programmes are already under way.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Roger Darthwell - 27-04-2021
Ash101 post_id=9288 time=1619529863 user_id=936 Wrote:Agree with the comments here so far, it was difficult to see how 2 new news channels would make an impact. All eyes on GB News now though to see if they can make it success...Indeed, as I said various times, the last new news channel to be launched was the ITV News Channel, and we all know how that ended up. So really there are no guarantees for GB News
The only real hire, I seem to remember, for News UK TV (or whatever they'd have called it) was Gordon Smart for a nightly show? I wonder if this will still go ahead, but connected into one of the existing brands.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - JK1985 - 27-04-2021
I never understood why News UK planned this new channel in the first place. Even Andrew Neil felt it was not right when he spoke about it comparing it to his GB News Channel.
talkRADIO should be strengthened by News UK. It continues to pull in minute figures, and is acting as if it is a 24 hour television news channel anyway. They really do need to boost that station, as it just continues on its path of demise as the figures are so low, I am surprised it still is on air.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Ash101 - 27-04-2021
JK1985 post_id=9315 time=1619540417 user_id=1347 Wrote:talkRADIO should be strengthened by News UK. It continues to pull in minute figures, and is acting as if it is a 24 hour television news channel anyway. They really do need to boost that station, as it just continues on its path of demise as the figures are so low, I am surprised it still is on air.
It was ear marked to be closed and replaced by Times Radio, but something changed at the eleventh hour & they decided to let it co-exist. (Of course it would never be a direct replacement as talkRADIO is very much The Sun Radio in all but name.) I believe they are quite invested in the YouTube streaming of shows for the station.
Plus, like you say, it's a 24 hour news operation show. When it first launched you had 'different' shows in the form of Iain Lee in the evenings & Jon Holmes on afternoons. Last weeks Pop Bitch suggested that both Robert Rinder & Jeremy Kyle were in talks for slots.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Inspector Sands - 27-04-2021
I thought their plans changed from a channel to online video content a long time ago, and that seemed pretty pointless considering the video content that TalkRadio and Times Radio are already doing. I also find it strange that it would be Rupert Murdoch's idea... he built up a news channel, made it a success and then it was sold.... why would he want to try and do it again from scratch?
The first programme announced was a vehicle for Gordon Smart, which is presumably what was being rehearsed
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/news-uk-gives-first-hints-on-tv-plans-gordon-smart-rival-gb-news/
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Inspector Sands - 27-04-2021
Ash101 post_id=9319 time=1619541166 user_id=936 Wrote:Yes, it was a very different station when it first launched, a lot of entertaining speech* rather than all newstalk phone ins.... albeit on a meague budget and even fewer listeners than now.JK1985 post_id=9315 time=1619540417 user_id=1347 Wrote:talkRADIO should be strengthened by News UK. It continues to pull in minute figures, and is acting as if it is a 24 hour television news channel anyway. They really do need to boost that station, as it just continues on its path of demise as the figures are so low, I am surprised it still is on air.
It was ear marked to be closed and replaced by Times Radio, but something changed at the eleventh hour & they decided to let it co-exist. (Of course it would never be a direct replacement as talkRADIO is very much The Sun Radio in all but name.) I believe they are quite invested in the YouTube streaming of shows for the station.
Plus, like you say, it's a 24 hour news operation show. When it first launched you had 'different' shows in the form of Iain Lee in the evenings & Jon Holmes on afternoons. Last weeks Pop Bitch suggested that both Robert Rinder & Jeremy Kyle were in talks for slots.
It's got a much smaller audience then they make out (not that there's been any audience figures for a year) particular their mid morning host who always brags about his ratings online, but only how much they've increased by not how many he actually has
*it's just a shame that that never seems to work on radio, or at least station management never give it enough time, and it won't happen because of podcasts who do just that
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - London Lite - 27-04-2021
Inspector Sands post_id=9323 time=1619541856 user_id=1003 Wrote:Ash101 post_id=9319 time=1619541166 user_id=936 Wrote:Yes, it was a very different station when it first launched, a lot of entertaining speech* rather than all newstalk phone ins.... albeit on a meague budget and even fewer listeners than now.JK1985 post_id=9315 time=1619540417 user_id=1347 Wrote:talkRADIO should be strengthened by News UK. It continues to pull in minute figures, and is acting as if it is a 24 hour television news channel anyway. They really do need to boost that station, as it just continues on its path of demise as the figures are so low, I am surprised it still is on air.
It was ear marked to be closed and replaced by Times Radio, but something changed at the eleventh hour & they decided to let it co-exist. (Of course it would never be a direct replacement as talkRADIO is very much The Sun Radio in all but name.) I believe they are quite invested in the YouTube streaming of shows for the station.
Plus, like you say, it's a 24 hour news operation show. When it first launched you had 'different' shows in the form of Iain Lee in the evenings & Jon Holmes on afternoons. Last weeks Pop Bitch suggested that both Robert Rinder & Jeremy Kyle were in talks for slots.
It's got a much smaller audience then they make out (not that there's been any audience figures for a year) particular their mid morning host who always brags about his ratings online, but only how much they've increased by not how many he actually has
*it's just a shame that that never seems to work on radio, or at least station management never give it enough time, and it won't happen because of podcasts who do just that
talkRADIO emulated LBC under David Lloyd when he took the station down the freeform speech route where current affairs was given only a breakfast slot, while the rest of the station output was basically pub ammo speech or off wall comedy content with Iain Lee.
Unlike LBC who have a FM slot in London, talkRADIO from the start was built in a hurry as it was part of the SDL winning bid on DAB to provide a national speech station. A lot of it was appointment to listen stuff, so you had Jon Holmes and Iain Lee on one side of the spectrum, to Giles Coren and Penny Smith targeting ABC1 listeners, so wasn't a coherent sounding station.
While I can't stand what talkRADIO has become editorially, it does finally have a niche in the market for those who find LBC too liberal, despite having some conservative skewed presenters on the schedule as a bubble for those who believe in right-wing values or sceptics.
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - Inspector Sands - 27-04-2021
In a way the launch format of Talk Radio was similar to the original Talk Radio UK in that it was 'talk based entertainment' rather than newstalk.
As you say, LBC hasn't always been news based either, for example in the early Chrysalis days Sandi Toksvig had a lunchtime round table chat show type programme which was excellent. And of course traditionally it had lots of features and specialist shows and hours.
At least Times Radio is doing something different, it's a bit too serious for me but it's not the cheap and easy news based phone in format.
But yeah I'd just like some entertaining speech but not news based radio, and this is a bit off topic
Murdoch Cancels his New Channel - AllWillBeWell - 27-04-2021
All the focus has been on GBN I am not surprised in this.