Radio Sport

Radio Sport is a New Zealand sports radio network and the talkback sister network of Newstalk ZB. It has commentary rights for most cricket matches, international and domestic rugby union games, some NRL rugby league games, trans-Tasman basketball and New Zealand tennis tournaments. The network also updates developments at golfing events, bowls tournaments and other sporting events. At other times Radio Sport plays talkback and hourly news and sports updates.

Radio Sport has been targeted at male sports fans - its tagline is "The Ultimate Fan". Programming includes breakfast announcer Tony Veitch, Morning Sport announcer Brendan Telfer and afternoon host Miles Davis, drive time host D'Arcy Waldegrave and weekend and night time hosts Mark Watson, Murray Deaker, Willie Losé, Kent Johns, Phil Gifford and Doug Golightly. Most programming is broadcast live from the Radio Sport studio on the corner of Cook and Nelson Streets in Auckland City.

As Newstalk ZB's sister network, Radio Sport provides all sports news coverage for the Newstalk ZB news service carried by Newstalk ZB, Classic Hits FM, ZMFM, Radio Rhema, Easy Mix, Radio Hauraki, Southern Star, Coast and Life FM. Between 19:00 and 20:00 weekdays and between 12:00 and 18:00 weekends and public holidays Radio Sport simulcasts Newstalk ZB sports programming from Murray Deaker and Willy Losé, unless the network is taking live commentary from a sporting event.

Programming

Radio Sport consists of nationally broadcast domestic and international sports programming. Local opt-outs are limited to ad breaks and a choice between Miles Davis and The Farming Show at 12:00.

Weekday Schedule

Saturday Schedule

Sports talkback has been the main focus of the station, along with sports commentaries since it began in 1998. There are no opt outs, apart from ads, with the entire country taking the same programming, except for one hour between 12pm and 1pm where regional areas receive the Farming Show on the Radio Sport frequency.

Radio Sport also provides a sports-based news service, produced in house, and updated at regular intervals .

Breakfast

Radio Sport's programming is led by its breakfast programme. Until July 17, 2008 the programme was presented by ONE News sports presenter Tony Veitch, but Veitch resigned from his roles with Radio Sport and ONE News after allegations that Veitch assaulted his girlfriend in 2006. Veitch confessed on July 8, 2008 that such allegations were true, at a press conference and resigned on July 17. The vacancy was filled by former drive-time presenter D'arcy Waldegrave, with former New Zealand cricketer Mark Richardson as his co-host. As of 2011, Tony Veitch is again the host of the breakfast show called: "Smacking Chix with Veitchy."

Morning

The 9-12 slot is filled by veteran sports broadcaster Brendan Telfer. The show features regular correspondents, interviews and talkback.

Afternoon

The afternoon talkback programme between Midday and 3pm on the station is hosted by Miles Davis. Between 12-1, the show only airs on Auckland and Wellington frequencies, due to other networks airing a rural The Farming Show. After 1pm though, the show airs nationwide. The show primarily features calls from its listeners and predicts the weekend's sports on Friday afternoons.

Drive Show

D'Arcy Buildagrave is the Radio Sport Drive host between 3pm-6pm. The show features regular guests, interviews and sums up the days top sporting stories.

Sport Reloaded

At 6pm each weeknight, highlights from the days shows are aired for an hour. This generally features interviews from the breakfast, morning and drive shows.

Sportstalk

At 7pm, Radio Sport simulcasts Newstalk ZB's sports talkback programme, hosted by Murray Deaker or Willie Losé.

Evenings

There are 4 permanent hosts on Radio Sport's 8pm-midnight shift. On Monday nights, weekend host Kent Johns hosts an edition of Inside Sport with co-host Lee Radovanovich. Kent Johns also hosts a weekend edition of "Inside Sport" on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

On all other nights of the week, evenings are presented by either Mark Watson or Andrew Dewhurst, in a programme named Sport Lately.

Between 8-9pm, the focus is on happenings in particular sports, and between 9pm-midnight, talkback is the main feature of the evening programme. But when Mark Watson is on air its usually dedicated to bashing NZ Cricket, finding a way to bring EVERYTHING back to triathlon, and abusing everyone who rings up.

Overnights

Overnight, Radio Sport airs FOX Sports Radio from America, through a live internet feed.

Weekends

At the beginning of 2009, the Radio Sport weekend line-up was altered, which included the axing of The Fishing Show with Geoff Thomas(replaced by Fishing with Graeme Sinclair from April 2009), and former New Zealand cricketer John Morrison's talkback show. These made way for a new programme, Inside Sport, presented by former Night Sport host Kent Johns, which airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The current weekend line-up is:

Saturday:

• 6am-10am: Inside Sport with Kent Johns, featuring Fishing with Graeme 'Skippy' Sinclair 6-7, Rugby with Phil 'I'm an aloholic' Gifford 8-10.
• 10am-12pm: The Saturday Dugout with Don't Go Lightly
• 12pm-6pm: Simulcast of Newstalk ZB's Saturday Scoreboard programme, hosted by Willie Loose, which updates live sport from around the country. However, at times Radio Sport opts out of this programme, and broadcasts commentaries from other sporting events.
• 6pm-midnight: Saturday Night Sport Live, covering all live sport from the evening.

Sunday:

• 6am-8am: The Country Sport Breakfast with Kevin Hart
• 8am-9am: Simulcast of Newstalk ZB's Sportsuniverse show, hosted by Peter Montgomery.
• 9am-12pm: Inside Sport with Kent Johns.
• 12pm-6pm: Simulcast of Newstalk ZB's Scoreboard programme, hosted by Murray Dicker, which updates live sport from around the country. However, at times Radio Sport opts out of this programme, and broadcasts commentaries from other sporting events, including NRL coverage from ABC's Grandstand Network in Australia from 4-8pm during the Australian NRL Rugby league season (Mid March to early October).
• Sunday Nights: Lee Vich hosts "The Sunday Quack" from 6-8pm, The Soccer Show from 8pm-9pm, and then talkback from 9pm until midnight.

References

External links

• Radio Sport Official website
• Page at Radio Network
• Description at Radio Bureau