Kelvin MacKenzie raises £3.5 million so his Love Sport Radio can take on rival Talksport

FORMER Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie is raising £3.5 million to expand Love Sport Radio, talking on arch rival Talksport which he founded and then sold.

He also said he’d like to buy The Sun from News Corp, partly to promote his other business interests but also because he still believes in the power of the tabloid’s brand.

Love Sport Radio presently covers London’s football clubs, as well as some cricket and rugby.

He wants to grow the station across the South of England, a target market of 25 million. He will list the business on NEX, giving it a currency to make acquisitions.

MacKenzie, the founder and CEO of Love Sport Radio, said: “In little over a year, Love Sport Radio has established itself as a distinct, fun station aimed at giving London sports fans a voice. Compared to the US, where there are over 200 dedicated sports stations, sport is relatively underserved in the UK radio market. According to Rajar, more than eight million adults are tuning into sport every week across just two stations, BBC Radio 5 live and Talksport.”

Love Sport Radio was launched in March 2018 and has more than 350,000 website users.

Along with Kelvin Mackenzie, current investors in the company include Jim Mellon, Stephen Landsown, co-founder of Hargreaves Landsdown, and Nigel Wray, owner of Saracens RFC.

Sport stars that have appeared on Love Sport include Luther Blissett and John Salako, Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger DBE, and England cricket captain, Joe Root.