Launch TalkTV

[Mr Q]

Andrew Neil speaks to Spectator TV (from 14 minutes in) about TalkTV, as well as GB News, the BBC and ITN.  Suggests the move for Murdoch is to poach Nigel Farage to both weaken GB News and build up a lead for Piers Morgan.

I doubt Pier Morgan would appreciate other shows "propping up" his own show, by more successful rival presenters.  Piers' show needs to dominate in its own right and I don't think this is the best way of doing it, but what do I know?

I doubt any new signings would be promoted by TalkTV as "propping up" Morgan's show. And I doubt Morgan would have any (in-principle) objections to new signings that help lift the channel's overall profile - a rising tide lifts all boats. Indeed, without wanting to get inside his head, I can only imagine that Morgan would expect more talent to be recruited if the channel is to grow and be a lasting success.

[Juicy Joe]

Andrew Neil speaks to Spectator TV (from 14 minutes in) about TalkTV, as well as GB News, the BBC and ITN.  Suggests the move for Murdoch is to poach Nigel Farage to both weaken GB News and build up a lead for Piers Morgan.

I doubt Pier Morgan would appreciate other shows "propping up" his own show, by more successful rival presenters.  Piers' show needs to dominate in its own right and I don't think this is the best way of doing it, but what do I know?

I doubt any new signings would be promoted by TalkTV as "propping up" Morgan's show. And I doubt Morgan would have any (in-principle) objections to new signings that help lift the channel's overall profile - a rising tide lifts all boats. Indeed, without wanting to get inside his head, I can only imagine that Morgan would expect more talent to be recruited if the channel is to grow and be a lasting success.

I understand TalkTV wouldn't promote it in this way, but that's how it would come across to the viewing public.  And it always seems to me when bosses schedule big programmes before other non performing shows, it always seems a bit of a shady way of gaining ratings. The fact that the TV may be on in the background but the viewers aren't actually watching, or in an entirely different room etc.  Piers wouldn't like this tactic putting Farage on immediately before him.  I think the primetime slot isn't right for his show, a later slot would be better when it isn't against all the mainstream well established shows and soaps, something you would tune into before going to bed.

[Ash101]

Only problem with that is, I'd expect a company the size of NewsUK would be expected to up the quality/output of local content?

[eyeTV]

Piers recovered a bit yesterday, so he's back to talking about ratings.

[Jon]

Only problem with that is, I'd expect a company the size of NewsUK would be expected to up the quality/output of local content?

That’s not how Ofcom works. Any licence commitments are only ever likely to be reduced. 

It more depends whether News UK think it would be worth the cost.

---

Andrew Neil speaks to Spectator TV (from 14 minutes in) about TalkTV, as well as GB News, the BBC and ITN.  Suggests the move for Murdoch is to poach Nigel Farage to both weaken GB News and build up a lead for Piers Morgan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzZ11ucO4v8&t=886s

I doubt Pier Morgan would appreciate other shows "propping up" his own show, by more successful rival presenters.  Piers' show needs to dominate in its own right and I don't think this is the best way of doing it, but what do I know?

Adding more popular shows is a perfectly legitimate way of lifting up the entire schedule and considering Piers usually uses any spin to talk up his ratings I don’t think he’d have a problem with it from that respect. His ego might not like the idea of being overshadowed by Farage though.

[Inspector Sands]

Well judging by Anne Robinsons performance tonight, she really should get a weekly show. Absolutely fantastic to see her say whatever she wants with zero fear. 

Yes because her views have always been so repressed in the past. 

[cityprod]

Talk TV has some major problems, that's clear, but I don't think it's clear yet how to resolve those problems.

It does need more separation from Talk Radio, the simulcast part barely works in a televisual sense. So, seperating Talk Radio and Talk TV needs to be a priority, or at the very least, make the radio stuff more visually interesting.

I would suggest that The News Desk is the best show on Talk TV right now, but it does needa proper lead in rather than the radio suimulcast, so a new programme at 6pm, rather like what LBC are doing with Andrew Marr, which is a much more visual version of a radio show, is a necessity for them.

I would also suggest moving The Talk to 5pm, as that is a more suitable slot for that. Fox News launched The Five at 5pm, moved it to 9pm for a while, but it didn't work there, so moved it back to 5pm. I would suggest that Talk TV do the same, and move The Talk to 5pm, cos it really is a daytime show that is currently in Prime Time and either have Jeremy Kyle at 9pm, or someone else at 9pm and Jeremy Kyle at 10pm. Lose the Piers Morgan repeat at 11, and replace it with something akin to the Fox News @ Night programme that Fox currently airs at Midnight ET.

They really need to build the schedule out more. Firstly around their current primetime block. Then sort out weekend primetime which is basically non-existant right now. Then make changes to their breakfast slot across the week, then weekday daytime, then the weekends. Overnight, you could probably leave the radio simulcast intact, as that actually makes the most sense, but they need to move quickly to separate Talk Radio and Talk TV, and expand Talk TV's own output.

[Steve Williams]

I would also suggest moving The Talk to 5pm, as that is a more suitable slot for that.  Fox News launched The Five at 5pm, moved it to 9pm for a while, but it didn't work there, so moved it back to 5pm.  I would suggest that Talk TV do the same, and move The Talk to 5pm, cos it really is a daytime show that is currently in Prime Time and either have Jeremy Kyle at 9pm, or someone else at 9pm and Jeremy Kyle at 10pm.  Lose the Piers Morgan repeat at 11, and replace it with something akin to the Fox News @ Night programme that Fox currently airs at Midnight ET.

The Talk would probably be better at 5pm, but the problem is that all the personnel on Talk TV have enormous egos and they all want to be in primetime. Unfortunately for them primetime is an absolutely dead slot for news channels.

There's a tiny audience for news talk in this country, it's a genre that is by and large of no interest to most viewers. There are some shows in daytime that do alright - though things like Jeremy Vine and Loose Women don't win their slot, the latter being beaten every day by Bargain Hunt - but there's no market for it in primetime. And why would there be, people want to watch proper programmes in the evening.

So Piers would do better at 5pm, probably, because people might put it in their schedules and it would be the kind of show you could dip in and out of, and it wouldn't have to compete with proper programmes. But Piers absolutely wouldn't go for that, because he's got an enormous ego and wants to be on in primetime because he wants all his mates to see him. Unfortunately for him, nobody wants to watch that kind of show in primetime, and nobody ever will.

[Jon]

The Spectator TV segment on it is very interesting and there are a lot of good points about the boom in this kind of service. But they all ignore the fact non of them are likely or really exist to make a profit. LBC can probably only spend the big money thanks to the success of Global’s other brands, likewise Talk TV with News UK. And we know GB News was set up for largely ideological reasons, by rich backers getting money out of their back pockets. They can all continue to exist if their owners are prepared to take the hits, but I largely agree with Steve’s post and the audience alone probably won’t sustain most of these.

[Brekkie]

Looking like GB News getting in first, even with an inferior product, has somewhat monopolised an already small audience. In addition TalkTV focusing on three hours just doesn't leave room for success stories outside of primetime or much room to move things around.

I think sometimes with News though it is better to compete with existing services rather than try and schedule around them because there is a limit on how much news people will watch - so The News Desk for example is better scheduled as an alternative to C4 News than airing it later. Similarly a show like Piers which is seemingly built more around his own agenda rather than the news of the day is always going to struggle.

[London Lite]

The Spectator TV segment on it is very interesting and there are a lot of good points about the boom in this kind of service. But they all ignore the fact non of them are likely or really exist to make a profit. LBC can probably only spend the big money thanks to the success of Global’s other brands, likewise Talk TV with News UK. And we know GB News was set up for largely ideological reasons, by rich backers getting money out of their back pockets. They can all continue to exist if their owners are prepared to take the hits, but I largely agree with Steve’s post and the audience alone probably won’t sustain most of these.

LBC Radio Limited made a profit of £3m in 2021.

[Torpido]

Talk tv need to get plank of the week in the schedule as gb news tomorrow has its comedy panel game show in the schedule is it new tomorrow btw so will be offering something very different and talk radio had its plank so needs it to be translated to a tv programme

[lepeterrr]

Talk tv need to get plank of the week in the schedule as gb news tomorrow has its comedy panel game show in the schedule is it new tomorrow btw so will be offering something very different and talk radio had its plank so needs it to be translated to a tv programme

Confusion Level = Maximum

[derek500j]

Talk tv need to get plank of the week in the schedule as gb news tomorrow has its comedy panel game show in the schedule is it new tomorrow btw so will be offering something very different and talk radio had its plank so needs it to be translated to a tv programme

Must be about its fourth episode tomorrow.   Have seen a bit, but comedy panel shows aren't my thing.  It does have a studio audience (despite one of the regular bores on another forum saying it doesn't).

[telebox2001]

The Spectator TV segment on it is very interesting and there are a lot of good points about the boom in this kind of service. But they all ignore the fact non of them are likely or really exist to make a profit. LBC can probably only spend the big money thanks to the success of Global’s other brands, likewise Talk TV with News UK. And we know GB News was set up for largely ideological reasons, by rich backers getting money out of their back pockets. They can all continue to exist if their owners are prepared to take the hits, but I largely agree with Steve’s post and the audience alone probably won’t sustain most of these.

LBC works for Global politically - they've been able to lobby for major dereg on the Capital, Heart and Smooth networks but can say "Look, we're giving you a national news and talk station!"

Talk have owners who can afford to play the long game.

GB News is probably the most vulnerable here.