Zac Goldsmith backs new sports radio station plans

A new sports radio station backed by former Conservative minister Zac Goldsmith is preparing to launch ahead of the men’s football World Cup this summer.

The Guardian is reporting that Zac and his brother Ben Goldsmith are the main investors behind a new service called trkradio.

Track Radio Corporation is understood to have been granted a licence by Ofcom last week, with the station expected to begin broadcasting next month.

Ofcom’s website says the company has been granted a DSP, for use on local DAB multiplexes.

The day to day running of the station will be led by Iain Macintosh, previously head of UK audio at The Athletic, alongside former LBC commercial director Jonathan Arendt.

According to the report, the service will feature a mix of discussion across different sports rather than focusing only on traditional football phone in formats, alongside music programming.

Sources involved in the project told the newspaper the aim is to provide “a mix of reflective conversation about all sports with ambitions to offer broader content than staple football phone ins”.

Further details about presenters and additional financial backers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

If confirmed, trkradio will enter a competitive market for sports audio which already includes BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and talkSPORT.

Zac Goldsmith stepped down as a Foreign Office minister in June 2023, citing what he described as a lack of action on environmental issues by the government at the time.