Pulling together ?

Just four days away from Times Radio's launch, and the tensions at The News Building are mounting.

Stig Abell, the man sent as Childcatcher into the welcoming and ample bosom of Radio 4 by Rebekah Brooks, has come back with the goodies and has been rewarded with the joint role of Breakfast Presenter and Executive Editor of the Wireless Group, bought by News UK in 2016. This puts him in editorial control of Times Radio, TalkSport, Talksport 2 and TalkRadio, reporting to Scott Taunton.

It also puts two noses out of joint - the hooters belonging to Liam Fisher, who bills himself as National Controller of TalkSport, TalkSport 2, TalkRadio and Times Radio, and Lee Clayton, Head of TalkSport.

Insiders think TalkSport2 is not long for this world in its present form, and might soon only appear when TalkSport proper has more commentary rights than it can use. TalkRadio and TalkSport have already moved to share overnight programming.  Mr Clayton has moved breakfast presenter Alan Brazil slightly sideways, after twenty years, to make space for Laura Woods. A week into Laura's tenure she's now joined by Ally McCoist and Freddie Flintoff, for a more traditional TalkSport gender balance. A number of his format ideas (from years with the Daily Mail) have come - and gone. Figures are not noticeably improving.

It's taken TalkRadio four years to move from a weekly reach of 300k to its current 433k; over the same period, LBC has moved from 1.6m to 2.7m.