TalkSport’s raison d'etre

When trying to think of a raison d’etre for talkSport the first thing that sprang to mind for me was not the question of what or why talkSport exists but rather who it exists for. Every radio station in the UK has a target audience with a mission statement focused at specific demographics. Rather than go into a long explanation with various facts and figures I tried imagining what it would be like if talkSport was actually a person.

For a start he would be a man, probably in his late 20’s to early 40’s. I picture him being someone who drives a white van, goes to the pub at the weekends with his mates, enjoys a good discussion and ultimately loves sport, especially football! He occasionally nips down to the bookies to do an accumulator on the Premiership, has a copy of The Sun under his arm and he always stands by what he says. Overall talkSport is a good bloke to have around; he knows his facts and has an opinion on almost everything.

I believe it is the down to earth no nonsense approach to broadcasting is why talkSport is the most popular commercial station in the UK today. When I tune into the station it gives me that sense of camaraderie that you get when you’re heading down to the match with your mates or sitting in work on your break discussing what you read in the paper. The morning and afternoon call in shows (particularly at the weekends pre and post game) seem to tap into that energy and passion that your average middle aged British male has. TalkSport’s format of total sports coverage and open forum discussions make it the perfect place for the nation to get things off their chest.

When it comes to sport, the station has virtually everything covered though it may come across as a tad football obsessed. This is probably due to the fact more people tune in for coverage of lower league games and fixtures. I enjoy talkSports cheeky bring ‘em on attitude it has to the BBC. Since 1995 it has been ebbing into the Beeb’s dominant coverage of major events by snapping up the rights and proving it can be a leader in sports coverage. Topical and current affairs issues are also fairly dealt with both sides of the political spectrum being represented with George Galloway in one corner and Steve Norris in the other. However the question remains on whether there will be more initiative for the station to tap into other demographic areas such as the female listening market or will this dog be too old to teach new tricks. With the exception of the newsreaders I have noticed a serious lack in female presenters at the station.

Overall I feel that talkSport has gone from strength to strength in terms of gaining listeners from all round the country. It is the safety in the numbers of listeners tuning in that will keep it going for many years to come and keep it top of its class in commercial and talk based radio in the UK.