The television channel is under one roof for the first time, with Morgan’s show moving over from his expensively-assembled temporary studio in the suburbs of west London. Morgan’s show now opens with the words, “Live from The News Building in London,” alongside a sweeping panorama of the skyscraper that houses TalkTV alongside brands like The Times of London. “We’ve helped put TalkTV on the map,” Morgan tells Deadline with his trademark zeal for modesty.Įither way, Wallace’s vision to megaphone Murdoch’s clout was made a reality in a very literal sense as part of TalkTV’s quietly-introduced birthday facelift last week. The presenter points to global headlines for his launch interview with Donald Trump and says TalkTV avoided the pitfalls of arch-rival GB News, which was so plagued by technical disasters that Andrew Neil, its main presenter, stormed out after just two weeks. Morgan, perhaps unsurprisingly, has a slightly different perspective on TalkTV’s opening year. “This is a proper piece of work, from a proper media organization, with a long and successful history.” “It’s not just some tinpot thing that’s been set up overnight,” says a source familiar with his thinking.

Less Morgan, more noise about TalkTV’s provenance as a news network from one of the most powerful media companies in the world. Wallace told Brooks that he would have marketed and scheduled the channel differently at launch. This is the story of how TalkTV’s first year on air will shape its future, as told by the channel’s top team, presenters, and employees. Insiders will tell you that it is a long game that Murdoch, and his son Lachlan, are prepared to be as patient as they were when building the Fox News juggernaut or transforming the fortunes of UK newspaper The Sun. Sources say Murdoch wants to transform TalkTV from a loss leader to a cash cow, capable of influencing the agenda and shaping voting behavior from within UK impartiality rules. TalkTV was notching up dreaded “zero” ratings, splashy launch shows like The News Desk were struggling to find an identity, and it had failed to mesh legacy radio output with its new screen presence. “Nobody’s pretending mistakes haven’t been made,” an insider reflects.

Murdoch had flirted with the idea of a Fox-style news opinion channel in the UK for years, but had seen GB News steal a march and occupy similar territory. Morgan’s big-name interviews on his Uncensored show (which also streams on Fox Nation in the U.S.) have been a bright spot of TalkTV’s first year, but Wallace’s arrival was a sign that not everything was going to plan.

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