Keys and Gray quit talkSPORT for TV deal?

An online source has reported that one of talkSPORT’s biggest assets Keys and Gray have quit the station and are returning to TV.

twentyfour7football.com says the pair are moving to Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera.

They’ll apparently host a once a week show covering the Premier League and the Champions League for the Middle East and for America.

All references to Keys and Gray have been removed from the talkSPORT website (UPDATE: They have now re-appeared), along with presenter profiles and twitter account. The weekday schedule now shows Kelly & Quinn from 10am till 1pm.

talkSPORT press office told RadioToday they wouldn’t comment on speculation but UTV Media (GB) Chief tweeted saying “Reports today that Andy Gray and Richard Keys have presented their last @talkSPORT show aren’t true. Watch this space for details in time.”

Keys and Gray joined talkSPORT in February 2011 to host the daily morning show.

They were hired by the UTV station after leaving Sky a month earlier after off-air sexist remarks they made were broadcast.

Gray was fired by Sky Sports following comments the pair made about a female assistant referee. They weren’t broadcast during the match she was officiating in, but were later somehow leaked into the public domain. After the release of another previously un-broadcast incident featuring Gray, the former Scottish international player was sacked. Keys resigned later the same week after footage of him referring to a woman as ‘it’ were aired.

Keys began his career in radio as a sports editor on Piccadilly Radio in Manchester. Since 1992 he has been presenting on Sky Sports and fronted well over a 1000 games for the broadcaster.

During the last couple of years whilst they’ve been at the station, talkSPORT has seen record audience figures, rising over the 3m listener mark.