 | |
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Frequency | DAB: 11ASound Digital |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | News, talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| TalkRadio Talksport Talksport 2 Virgin Radio UK Virgin Radio Anthems Virgin Radio Chilled Virgin Radio 80s Plus | |
| History | |
First air date | 29 June 2020 |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | Ofcom |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Radio player |
| Website | times |
Times Radio is a British digitalradio station owned byNews UK, part of theMurdoch media empire. It is jointly operated byNews Broadcasting (which News UK acquired in 2016, when it was known asWireless Group),The Times andThe Sunday Times.[1][2]
As of June 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 478,000, according toRAJAR.[3]
The launch of Times Radio was first announced on 28 January 2020.[4] Unusually for a commercial radio station, it was conceived with the specific purpose of increasing take-up of the digital subscription package forThe Times andThe Sunday Times newspapers. The focus of the station was outlined in a webcast on 18 May 2020, where the tone was described as "measured, well-informed and non-adversarial".[5] The station announced its full schedule on 2 June, and launched at 6 am on 29 June.[6]
On its first day on air, the station broadcast interviews with Prime MinisterBoris Johnson, former ChancellorsGeorge Osborne andAlistair Darling, actressRose McGowan and the authorMargaret Atwood.
On 15 October 2020, the first TV advertisement for the station was launched in the UK; it featured presentersJohn Pienaar,Giles Coren,Aasmah Mir,Matt Chorley,Michael Portillo,Mariella Frostrup andStig Abell.[7]
Gloria De Piero left the station in May 2021 to present a weekday afternoon show onGB News.[8] Her Friday morning slot was replaced by Matt Chorley's programme, which became a Monday to Friday show.[9]
In May 2024 it was announced that Matt Chorley would be leaving Times Radio to take up a new job atBBC Radio 5 Live presenting a daily politics show.[10] Following the calling of the2024 United Kingdom general election, it was announced thatAndrew Neil's hiring would be brought forward in order to provide daily election coverage, analysis, commentary, interviews and debates. Neil's first Times Radio show was broadcast on 3 June.[11]
Times Radio consists mostly of live three-hour blocks fronted by a single presenter, except for the four-hour breakfast show with two presenters, and (on weekdays) a one-hour "early breakfast" at 5 am.[12] With the exception of early breakfast and Matt Chorley's programme, the presenting line-up on Fridays is entirely separate from the Monday-Thursday schedule, with the weekend schedule also being distinct in its programming. Overnight hours are filled with a combination of highlights from the day's output andThe Times's own podcasts. At weekends at 7 pm there are also original pre-recorded features.[13]
There are news bulletins on the hour and summaries on the half-hour. The half-hourly summary is followed by a sports bulletin provided by Times Radio's sister stationTalksport. The format accommodates live coverage of major political statements or statements from theHouse of Commons when required.
The content of the station builds to a large extent on the content ofThe Times andThe Sunday Times newspapers. Discussion is mainly studio-based, although there are occasional outside reports when resources allow. The station does not generally use pre-recorded "packages" as heard on the BBC and elsewhere. Nor does it carry phone-ins, though listeners are invited to submit comments via text message, email and social media.[14]
The station was originally free of spot advertising, which was introduced in February 2022. Certain programmes are sponsored; the first programme to gain a sponsorship deal was Giles Coren's Friday lunchtime show, which was sponsored byFortnum and Mason. The station also raises revenue by generating subscriptions toThe Times andThe Sunday Times online.[15] There are frequent announcements encouraging listeners to take out a subscription, especially after items directly related to a newspaper article.
Presenters are at times changed when a major news story breaks, as when the death ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was announced, which happened shortly before Giles Coren's programme was due to air and led to the show being cancelled in favour of a live programme covering the death, initially hosted byCathy Newman and Stig Abell.[16]
Times Radio is available in the UK onDAB digital radio and worldwide via a free app oniOS orAndroid or via an internet stream,[17] via the newspaper's own website, and on somesmart speakers. Programmes are available for seven days after broadcast either via the app or via the website.[18]
Times Radio primarily broadcasts from a dedicated studio complex withinThe News Building inCentral London, which is the headquarters of its ultimate ownerNews UK. It broadcasts from the 14th floor.[19]
The station gained some unexpected publicity on its launch day when some listeners onsmart speakers were directed to a similarly named radio network inMalawi operated byThe Daily Times.[20] A phone call to the Malawian network was featured on the following morning's breakfast programme. On the station's launch day,Mark Lawson wrote inThe Guardian that "on the early evidence, Times Radio most resembled a good-quality karaoke BBC Radio 5 Live."[21]
Writing inThe Observer after the first week's broadcasting,Miranda Sawyer said: "Pre-launch, there was much speculation that Times Radio would be a rival toRadio 4. But aside from news shows, Radio 4 is structured around many non-live 'built' programmes: documentaries, drama, panel shows with audiences. For the moment, Times Radio doesn't have the resources to create these, and aside from a couple of pre-recorded phone interviews, everything on air is going out live. It's less Radio 4, more a light version of Radio 5 Live. 5 Lite."[22]
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