Radio staff face axe as bosses look to revamp ailing station

Published on Friday 14 March 2008 13:28

STAFF at the Capital's only all-talk radio station have been told their jobs are at risk as bosses look to mount a major overhaul of its output.

Talk 107 yesterday parted company with breakfast show co-presenter Susan Morrison after her contract expired.

Her departure follows that of controversial DJ Mike Graham who presented his final show last Friday, and means all the day-time presenters from when the station launched two years ago have left.

Today the station admitted it was in difficulty and said it had put six further members of staff on notice that their jobs were under threat – around a fifth of the station's total staff. The affected employees are all off-air staff.

Asked if the station was struggling, a spokesman for UTV Radio, which owns Talk 107, said: "In its present incarnation, yes. Six members of staff were told that their positions are at risk.

"The station is now entering a period of review."

Yesterday, during a series of meetings, station director Matt Allitt made it clear that Talk 107 is to have a new sound and feel to it. In future, the news and sport department will be required to contribute across programmes – including producing interview packages – not just provide bulletins at set times.

It is also expected there will be less reliance on phone-ins and more emphasis on discussions, including on lighter-hearted topics, such as entertainment.

A spokesman added the station would now move away from the confrontational phone-in style show to a more "Jeremy Vine" style.

Ms Morrison, who had been at the station since its launch in February 2006, yesterday told the Evening News she had left her presenting role.

She said: "There has been a parting of the ways. On the bright side, though, at least I will no longer have to get up at 4am to go to work."

Ms Morrison, a stand-up comedienne at Edinburgh's Stand club and occasional Evening News columnist, was one of the first presenters to join Talk 107 – which was launched as the Capital's first all-talk station two years ago.

In January, Talk 107 reported an increase in the number of listeners tuning in for at least five minutes during an average week.

The station scored Scotland's biggest percentage increase between summer and the final three months of 2007.

However, the rise of 20.7 per cent accounted for just 6000 more listeners – a total of 35,000 – as the available audience is only 1.2 per cent of the overall market. In contrast, Edinburgh station Forth One was listened to by 14.2 per cent of its available audience – up from 13 per cent.

A spokesman that the station hopes to announce a new programme schedule, plus presenter line-ups and schedules over the next fortnight.