Real Radio’s football phone-in axed

A FOOTBALL phone-in show on the radio station, Real Radio Scotland, has been axed

Shut with immediate effect, the Real Radio Football Phone-in is, says its owners, a casualty of online football forums and other burgeoning forms of media.

And in both The Scottish Sun and Daily Record today, it is being claimed that the presenters were only 30 minutes away from going on air, when they were told of the decision.

Says the statement by Real Radio – which is now under new ownership following a recent purchase (subject to a regulatory review) of GMG Radio by Global Radio: “The changes we’ve introduced form part of our on-going strategy to provide consistent music programming which appeals to the majority of our audience throughout the day. When the show started more than a decade ago it was among only a handful of debate shows available to fans. Now, this type of content is widely available whenever people want it on many different platforms, such as internet forums, fan sites, specialist TV channels, other radio stations and social media.

“We are replacing our evening sports show with music programming mixed with travel, news, and weather, key to the drive-time audience. Our news service will continue to deliver relevant sports news throughout the day.

“The decision to revise the schedule is no reflection on the talent and commitment of the team who worked on the evening sports show and we wish them well for the future.”