TalkSport pulls out of Rainey/Y&R

Kelvin MacKenzie’s TalkSport radio station is reviewing its advertising account out of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.

The decision comes just a week after the station claimed the latest radio listening figures showed the reinvention of Talk Radio as a sports and news station had been a success.

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R was appointed by The Wireless Group-owned station in January to create a £2m TV, press and poster advertising campaign to relaunch the station. MacKenzie has said he would plough £6m in to marketing the station this year.

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R won the account from TBWA GGT Simons Palmer, which had been appointed by MacKenzie when he took over as chairman and chief executive of the station at the end of 1998.

Six agencies are believed to be pitching for the business, but Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R will not repitch for the account. Carat handles the media.

The latest Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar) figures for the first quarter of this year show that TalkSport attracted a weekly reach of 2.4 million listeners. Six months earlier, Talk Radio recorded a 1.8 million reach for the quarter ending September 19 1999.

A TalkSport spokeswoman says: “Rainey Kelly were employed to help relaunch the station. We are now reviewing our creative options.”