Sets have been built, rehearsals are under way and the countdown has begun. Everything is in place for the April 25 launch of the Rupert Murdoch-owned TalkTV. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. Ask GB News.
Rewind to last June when GB News went live, promising to break the mould of British broadcasting. The first face peering through the gloom was Andrew Neil. Everything that could go wrong promptly did. Critics called the channel a British Fox News. Advertisers left. Within months Neil had walked, too. It was an omnishambles.
Given this history, you won’t find anyone at TalkTV taking a smooth launch night for granted. One executive told The Drum marketing magazine and website: “I lay awake every minute of every night worrying about what might go wrong.”
In TalkTV’s favour is a technical line-up that in television terms is almost as starry as the presenter roster. The set for the flagship show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, is by 11-times Emmy-winning production designer Jim Fenhagen, who fashioned the look of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
At least half a dozen staff have been poached from Morgan’s former show, Good Morning Britain. He quit GMB in March last year after saying he would not believe Meghan Markle if she read him a weather report, never mind her claims about the royal family. Among the signings is Winnie Dunbar Nelson, executive editor, who also worked with Morgan at CNN, and floor manager Tim Carr, 25 years with This Morning.
Morgan is the channel’s main face but barring a last minute change he won’t be the first person seen when TalkTV goes live at 7pm a week today. That accolade goes to Tom Newton Dunn and his show, The News Desk.
In an hour-long programme the Sun’s former political editor will be joined by panellists to discuss the day’s news, sports and business. Among the pool of commentators is Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
At 8pm it is Piers Morgan Uncensored. In an interview with the Times on Saturday, Morgan said the plan was to have pundits go “toe to toe” with him. “I don’t want to have shouting matches, but I want to have good arguments. Smart, opinionated guests. The basic rules are: I don’t want any stupid people. There’s enough stupid debate going on.”
In what is a global first, Morgan’s show will also air in America on Fox, and in Australia on Sky News.
At 9pm Morgan hands over to Sharon Osbourne for The Talk, another debate show with five “opinionated famous faces”.
Outwith prime time, the hours will be filled by a simulcast of TalkRADIO shows presented by Julia Hartley-Brewer, Jeremy Kyle and others.
The first thing that strikes you is about the new channel is that it will need a lot of big name guests. There will always be plenty of politicians and journalists willing to go on, but are there enough internationally recognised names to fill Morgan’s show four days a week, or Osbourne’s panel of pundits?
The next concern is whether there is enough advertising to go around in what is already a crowded marketplace for news and current affairs.
Previous plans for a new channel were withdrawn after fears it would not be commercially viable. It is not clear what has changed since then. GB News is still on the scene, and picking up viewers, though it remains a long way behind BBC News and Sky News.
While TalkTV will save money by simulcasting the radio output, it is costing News UK a packet to get the show on the road. No-one outside a highly select few knows what Morgan is being paid. One newspaper reckoned $95 million (£73 million) over three years.
Then there is the question of how much more news and views the public wants. TalkTV’s main shows will clash with the extended nightly bulletins from ITV News, Channel 4 News, BBC Scotland’s The Nine, plus regular coverage on the BBC’s news channel and Sky News.
So far, apart from Anas Sarwar’s appointment as a commentator, plans to cater for viewers in Scotland have been notable by their absence.
One of Morgan’s favourite sayings is, “One day you’re cock of the walk ... the next, a feather duster.” Not long now till executives find out which Morgan they have signed.
TalkTV is on Sky channel 526, Virgin Media channel 627, Freeview channel 237, Freesat channel 217. Streamed via Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube. Also website talk.tv
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