Abi Paterson has been hired as Head of Podcasts at talkSPORT, marking a significant step as the broadcaster prepares for what it describes as its most ambitious year ever.
The newly created role will see Abi oversee all of talkSPORT’s podcast output across audio and visual platforms, as the brand gears up for a year dominated by major sporting moments, including the biggest World Cup tournament ever held.
Abi joins from The Athletic, where she has worked since 2020, bringing extensive experience in broadcasting, podcasting and long-form audio storytelling.
She is an award-winning journalist, named Best Sports Producer at the Audio Production Awards in 2023, and won a Silver Audio Documentary award at the Sports Journalism Awards last year for The Story of the Guinea Stadium Disaster.
She also received a British Comedy Award in 2023 for the BBC Radio 4 history podcast You’re Dead To Me.
Head of talkSPORT Liam Fisher said Abi’s appointment comes at a crucial moment for the network. He said her track record of creating award-winning content made her the ideal choice to lead the podcast division during a landmark year.
Abi says: “Having started my career at talkSPORT2, as part of the launch team, I am looking forward to returning in a new strategic role and driving talkSPORT’s next success story.
“Podcasts, like radio, are such great company when you find the one you like, you just have to tell everyone about it. That is the aim and there is so much talent both on and off air in talkSPORT just waiting for the podcasting potential to be unlocked. That’s what drew me to the role and I am excited to get started.”
Abi’s arrival comes ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America, where talkSPORT will act as a FIFA audio rights holder.
The station will broadcast all one hundred and four matches, alongside visualised shows from the US and full tournament coverage, available on YouTube and podcast platforms.
