After months of anticipation, Talk TV finally launched on 25th April 2022. The station is owned by Rupert Murdoch and is simulcast on talkRadio across the UK. Three programmes are produced specifically for television. For the rest of the output, a camera broadcasts live from the Talk Radio studios in central London.
The station promises to promote free speech, calling out those who set out to “cancel” others. With so much hype, expectation and serious money invested, how will TalkTV fare? And, more importantly, why should we be interested?
TalkTV PR campaign
You must have been in a world of your own these past few months not to have heard that Talk TV was coming. An impressive and extensive advertising and PR campaign was fronted by former Good Morning Britain anchor, Piers Morgan.
Other big names
Other high level signings also publicly announced their move to the new station. Off-screen they include Erron Gordon, ex-series director of Good Morning Britain. On screen the presenter line-up boasts heavy weights Sharon Osbourne, Jeremy Kyle, and Tom Newton-Dunn (ex The Sun, BBC and Times Radio). If ever there was a news broadcaster capable of taking on the competition it’s TalkTV.
TalkTV launch
One of the biggest things that stood out to me was the attention to detail. TalkTV sounds and looks slick. Its bold on-screen graphics remind me of FOX in America. The station’s first show was the News Desk, where viewers were kept up to date on the biggest national news stories of the day.
The strategy
Unlike some station launches, TalkTV decided to get straight into the news, rather than spending hours self-promoting.
In my opinion, this was a good strategy. After all, the average viewer probably doesn’t care what goes on behind the scenes. Cleverly rehearsed routines and well thought out strategies meant that opening night went smoothly.
Piers Morgan on TalkTV
Piers Morgan is the most high profile host on TalkTV and he attracts big guest names. His first interview was with former USA President, Donald Trump.
Big ambitions
The power behind the station has big ambitions for Morgan’s show. The programme is also syndicated on Murdoch outlets in America and Australia.
Ever since he walked off set on Good Morning Britain last year, Morgan has been teasing his audience about his new show. His opening slot, which was pre-recorded, attracted an average audience of 317,000 on TV alone.
Big name guests
The big guests continued later in the week with Boris Johnson and Sharon Osbourne. There was also an exclusive interview with boxing champion Tyson Fury ,during which he announced he was retiring.
Print follow-on
All stand out moments on air were followed up by print and online coverage in the likes of The Sun and The Times. That’s an easy route, of course, when they’re all owned by the same company.
The challenge for the Piers Morgan’s team will be to maintain the calibre of guests, post launch.
What can Talk TV offer your Broadcast PR campaign?
Well, firstly, another platform for quality PR stories can only be a good thing. Yes, you heard that right, Talk TV will be taking broadcast PR stories. But some shows, like Piers Morgan’s Uncensored, only take huge household names.
That means knowing where in the schedule to pitch has never been more important. We can help you with this, as well as advise on what your broadcast PR story needs to make the cut.
Simulcast with talkRadio
Now that talkRadio and TalkTV are simulcast, it means that landing an opportunity on the radio will automatically give you added audience on TV too. Fantastic for reach, but radio and TV are very different animals.
Therefore, if your spokesperson hasn’t been on television before, we recommend having them media trained. Again this is something we can help with. Click here for more information.
How can Shout Communications help with your Broadcast PR campaign?
We are a team of broadcast PR professionals. We have decades of experience creating and leading broadcast content for national radio and TV. As well as being broadcast PR experts, we think like the broadcast producers we used to be.
Ask the experts
We know what broadcasters want. More importantly we understand what they don’t want. Contact us today, to find out more about how we can help you at hello@shoutcommunications.co.uk. Or look at our What We Do pages here.
