TalkTV Chief’s Leaked Memo Instructs Hosts To ‘Make A Fuss’ About Immigrant Deaths Amid Low Ratings
TalkTV’s Kevin O’Sullivan Alex Phillips appeared to heed the chief’s memo in their choice of topics for their Monday show. (Screengrab via TalkTV/YouTube)
TalkTV chief Richard Wallace instructed staff to aggressively cover the recent migrant deaths in France in leaked email sent on Sunday, purportedly aiming to stir controversy and use political agitation to boost viewership.
The directive, part of a leaked internal email obtained exclusively by Byline Times, appears to encourage sensationalism and political agitation.
Wallace, a former Daily Mirror editor, allegedly urged his team at the Rupert Murdoch-owned station to focus on “domestic hits” like the migrant crisis, while instructing hosts to “move away” from topics like the Post Office scandal, “US politics” and Gaza.
He encouraged hosts to “think more about what the audience wants” and suggested: “Let’s make a fuss of immigrant deaths in France.” He makes a further list of ideas for talking points, including a Daily Mail report on Jihadi terror cell leaders.
The leaked email published in Byline Times from TalkTV chief Richard Wallace to staff on Sunday. (Screengrab via Byline Times/bylinetimes.com)
Byline Times’ investigation looks at Monday’s TalkTV show, hosted by Kevin O’Sullivan and Alex Phillips, as it exemplified following Wallace’s instructions. During the show, O’Sullivan openly criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s policies on illegal immigration, while Phillips called for more measures against small boat crossings. The tone aligns with the email’s directives, which push for a confrontational, viewer-driven editorial stance.
A News UK insider told the newspaper: “Everyone in the building knows TalkTV only has a limited time left to prove its worth and audience figures are still tiny compared even to the likes of GB News. There is an obsession with stories about migrants because management feels it plays to the core right-wing target market. But for the boss of the channel to try to deliberately incite anger is downright irresponsible.”
Billionaire media mogul Murdoch’s News UK launched TalkTV last year as the UK’s answer to Fox, hoping to capitalise on interest in right-leaning opinion-led network GB News and draw viewers from Sky and the BBC.
