ABC Radio
Encyclopedia
Cumulus Media Networks is an American
radio network
owned and operated by Cumulus Media
. it controlled many of the assets of the former ABC
Radio Networks, which Citadel Broadcasting
purchased in June 2007. Prominent national talent syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks includes Mark Levin
, Don Imus
, Mike Huckabee
, Michael Baisden
and American Country Countdown
.
The network adopted its current name in September 2011, following the merger of Cumulus and Citadel; prior to this, it had been known as Citadel Media Networks since April 2009, after licensing the "ABC Radio Networks" name from The Walt Disney Company
for nearly two years.
in New York which provided programs to other stations over Western Union
lines.
, Newark, (originally owned by Westinghouse) and its informal network were absorbed into the National Broadcasting Company
in 1927. To the new owner Radio Corporation of America, WJZ and affiliates were known as the Blue Network
while New York station WEAF
and affiliates (also absorbed into NBC) were known as the "Red Network." On the air, both were identified as "NBC, the National Broadcasting Company;" only to staff and advertisers were these distinctions made
Both NBC networks were owned by RCA; following a Federal Communications Commission
investigation into the network's influence over advertising, strict ownership rules were introduced in 1941. RCA was compelled to sell one network and three local stations.
RCA put an asking price of $8 million dollars on the Blue network; after two years on the market, it was sold in 1943 to businessman Edward Noble, owner of Life-Savers Candy and Rexall Drug stores, for the asking price. After Noble took over, the network identified itself on-air as "The Blue Network." It was officially renamed the American Broadcasting Company, Inc. in June 1945 (after the company bought the rights to the name from Storer Broadcasting
).
With about 65 affiliates, ABC began with few of the big names and popular shows the other networks offered, so counter-programming became an ABC specialty. Industry policy had been to forbid taped or pre-recorded programs; ABC lured some big-name stars by adapting the tape technology developed in World War II. To add to its programming, ABC bought stations KECA in Los Angeles and WXYZ in Detroit, the latter home and originator of many popular serials.
Financially unable to match the larger networks, ABC merged with United Paramount Theaters early in 1953. Through the 1950s, network radio declined in popularity, and ABC radio gradually became more oriented to its local stations, especially its two pop-music powerhouses, New York's WABC (formerly WJZ) and Chicago's WLS.
Some network programs held on into the television era: Don McNeill's Breakfast Club, one of the first and longest-running morning shows in the country, hosted by Don McNeill
, ran from 1933 to 1968. Other long-running ABC programs included the National Barn Dance
, running from 1924 to 1960, and Paul Harvey
's daily commentary, which ran from 1951 until his death in 2009. In 1958, ABC collaborated with its sister television network to produce the first national stereophonic sound
broadcasts, when it simulcast The Plymouth Show (one of two shows
hosted by Lawrence Welk
at the time); the TV side broadcast one audio channel and the radio side broadcast the other in synchronization; viewers had to tune into both devices to achieve the stereophonic effect.
. Kennedy was shot in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas
at 18:30 UTC on November 22, 1963 and ABC Radio's Don Gardiner anchored the network's initial bulletin at 18:36:50 UTC, minutes before any other radio or television network did the same. Gardiner interrupted Doris Day
's recording of "Hooray for Hollywood" to tell listeners at 13:36:50 EST (UTC-5):
" network carried news at :15 past. Originally a general-interest newscast for all types of FM outlets, this service would eventually be refocused to serve FM rock stations. The "American Entertainment Network," pitched to adult-oriented music stations such as WXYZ Detroit and KXYZ Houston, had news at the bottom of the hour. Paul Harvey and the Breakfast Club were designated as Entertainment network features.
Before the split, ABC obtained a waiver of the FCC's "Chain Broadcasting" rule, which had forced the sale of the Blue network in 1943. Though each of the four new networks were carried on the same 5 kHz telco line (3.5 in some cities), the move allowed ABC to have as many as four affiliates in one city – a major competitive advantage and a dramatic turning point in the history of network radio. However, the FCC insisted that there be no overlap of any ABC network broadcast in a single market, and the network required affiliates to get approval before any delayed broadcast of network programming. Two additional news networks, "Rock" and "Direction," which carried news at :45 past the hour, were added on January 4, 1982.
Today, only Information and Entertainment remain as separate newscast services, with their programming delivered via satellite. The "Information" network newscasts clear on major-market stations like WABC
New York
, KABC
Los Angeles
, WLS
Chicago, WBAP Ft. Worth/Dallas
, KGO
San Francisco
, WMAL Washington
, and WJR
Detroit
(all of which were owned by ABC before their 2007 sale to Citadel). "Entertainment" network news airs mainly on small and medium-market stations. These ABC News Radio newscasts originate from the news division's bureaus in New York, Washington and Los Angeles and air exactly at the top of the hour. They are no longer identified on air by their brand name.
ABC Radio acquired Watermark Inc.
, best known as the syndicator of American Top 40
with Casey Kasem
and American Country Countdown
with Bob Kingsley
, in 1982. Kasem left ABC in 1988, reclaiming the American Top 40 name from ABC in 1998, and selling the AT40 brand to AMFM Radio Networks (later absorbed intro Premiere Radio Networks
). Kingsley left ABC in 2005 and 'ACC' continues to air as part of the ABC stable with Kix Brooks
as host since 2006. Dick Bartley
joined the network in 1991 with the AT40 spinoff American Gold
and his live Saturday night call-in oldies show, before leaving at the end of March 2009.
ABC launched a foray into talk radio
with ABC Talk Radio (similar to rival NBC's Talknet
) in the 1980s. Among its most notable hosts were Tom Snyder
and Barry Farber
. However, the rising popularity of conservative political talk radio, fueled by The Rush Limbaugh Show
, led to the network's demise. After Snyder's retirement in 1992, ABC ostensibly filled the slot with Leslie Marshall
, at the time the youngest syndicated host ever, but most major affiliates instead picked up Limbaugh. The network was shut down shortly thereafter, though one program from that network, Bob Brinker
's Moneytalk is now in its twenty-fifth year nationwide.
In 1992, ABC Radio launched Sportsradio ESPN. While not the first national sports talk network, Sportsradio ESPN quickly became the most popular and grew quickly. That network, now known as ESPN Radio
, is still in operation today, and remains under ownership of The Walt Disney Company.
ABC again began building a talk network, this time with an emphasis on political talk, in 2001. Among the first hosts heard on the new ABC talk network were Sam Donaldson
of ABC News
television, Sean Hannity
of WABC, Larry Elder
of KABC, and John Batchelor
of WABC. Donaldson left his show after a short time. Mark Levin
was added in 2005 and eventually replaced Elder in 2007, and Mark Davis
of WBAP had a brief syndication run on the network in 2005. Hannity has been the most successful, displacing Laura Schlessinger
as the most popular host in the time slot within a few years (especially on the East Coast); the network now shares the program with Premiere Radio Networks
.
-based Entercom Communications
and Forstmann Little & Company
's Citadel Broadcasting unit. Citadel was chosen as the top bidder and the deal to purchase the stations and the network was struck in February 2006. The deal did not include Radio Disney
, ESPN Radio
(or its Spanish counterpart ESPN Deportes Radio
), or the five ESPN Radio stations owned by Disney . However, Citadel owns several ESPN-affiliated stations in small to mid-size markets including WYOS
in Binghamton, New York
, KTIK in Boise, Idaho and KESP
in Modesto, California
. Disney
's ABC News
unit will also still produce ABC News Radio
programming for distribution by Citadel. Despite the change in ownership, Citadel Media still lists "ESPN Radio" & "ESPN Deportes" as part of its advertising sales family.
The acquisition of ABC Radio by Citadel Broadcasting was officially completed on June 12, 2007 and the "ABC Radio Networks" logo was licensed from Disney until April 2, 2009.
Shortly after the announcement of the ABC/Citadel merger, the "FM" network was reactivated. It now provides an hourly two-minute newscast, similar in format to when the network formerly operated. Those newscasts carry the on-air brand "ABC News Now."
On April 2, 2009, the staff at Citadel Broadcasting changed the branding of this network from ABC Radio to "Citadel Media" to reflect on its current ownership of a major radio network. However, "ABC News"; and its programming/satellite format listings will remain the same. It has been reported that Cumulus Media
will be absorbing all the assets of Citadel Broadcasting, including Citadel Media by the end of 2011.
which originally started in Chicago (later moved to Dallas, Texas. Staff included Clark Tucker (who was with SMN in Chicago and moved to Dallas), Joe Carnes (who left ABC to go to PBS KERA, and died suddenly in his sleep a some years ago) and Leslie Keveton, who is now the current Engineering Manager in Dallas. Other engineers who have worked there included Chris Hudgins (who was Chief Engineer of KEGL before going to ABC RN and then moved to KDMX as Chief Engineer for a short time while before being replaced in 1997), making an opening for Christopher Boone from South East Texas (formerly with KLVI Beaumont and did telecom work at Gulf States Utilities
/Entergy
from 84-96 in Conroe, TX), who also eventually left ABC to take the Chief Engineer position at BOTH KDMX & KEGL after Jacor
had purchased both from Nationwide Communications
in 1997). Boone was credited for saving the 1998 Jim Zippo's broadcast on the Oldies format from the Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake, Iowa
(where the plane carrying Buddy Holly
had crashed) by getting a staff member of the ABC Owned and Operated station in Minneapolis, KQRS, to drive 5 hours and meet someone from Zippo's staff halfway to loan them all the gear needed for the remote broadcast; the remote "kit" was sitting at the nearby airport 5 miles away and DHL
had not told ABC it was there nor did DHL deliver it at all!
To this day, the division, known as "Cumulus Music Radio" (formerly "Citadel Music Radio" and "ABC Music Radio"), provides 10 satellite-driven formats to affiliate stations, mostly in small & mid-size markets
and on major market HD Radio
subchannels, however they can also be used on some major market stations as alternate or permanent programming. They could operate their stations virtually unmanned with nothing more than a computer
and a satellite hookup offering major market talent that some radio stations could never afford. The "clock" included options for a 2-, 3-, or 5-minute newscasts
at the top of the hour, followed by other holes for local spots. While some of the programming is live
(some is done by voice tracking), DJ's had to avoid references to the weather
or anything else that would not be appropriate in many time zone
s. An 800-line was eventually added, allowing the live DJ's to take phoned in requests. Cumulus Media Networks's 24-hour-music formats include:
= Active on terrestrial radio
affiliates.
= Active on a seasonal basis.
Radio in the United States
Radio is one of the major mass media of the United States.-History:The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media...
radio network
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
owned and operated by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
. it controlled many of the assets of the former ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Radio Networks, which Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
purchased in June 2007. Prominent national talent syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks includes Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
, Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
, Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
and American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
.
The network adopted its current name in September 2011, following the merger of Cumulus and Citadel; prior to this, it had been known as Citadel Media Networks since April 2009, after licensing the "ABC Radio Networks" name from The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
for nearly two years.
History
Cumulus Media Networks has its origins in an early network set up by WJZWABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
in New York which provided programs to other stations over Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
lines.
WJZ/NBC Blue Network
WJZWABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
, Newark, (originally owned by Westinghouse) and its informal network were absorbed into the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1927. To the new owner Radio Corporation of America, WJZ and affiliates were known as the Blue Network
Blue Network
The Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
while New York station WEAF
WNBC (AM)
WNBC was a radio station that operated in New York City from 1922 to 1988. For most of its history, it was the flagship station of the NBC Radio Network...
and affiliates (also absorbed into NBC) were known as the "Red Network." On the air, both were identified as "NBC, the National Broadcasting Company;" only to staff and advertisers were these distinctions made
Both NBC networks were owned by RCA; following a Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
investigation into the network's influence over advertising, strict ownership rules were introduced in 1941. RCA was compelled to sell one network and three local stations.
ABC Radio
Storer Broadcasting
Storer Broadcasting, Inc. was an American company which owned several television and radio stations in the northeast United States. It was incorporated in Ohio in 1927, and sold its broadcasting properties in 1983.-1920s—1940s:...
).
With about 65 affiliates, ABC began with few of the big names and popular shows the other networks offered, so counter-programming became an ABC specialty. Industry policy had been to forbid taped or pre-recorded programs; ABC lured some big-name stars by adapting the tape technology developed in World War II. To add to its programming, ABC bought stations KECA in Los Angeles and WXYZ in Detroit, the latter home and originator of many popular serials.
Financially unable to match the larger networks, ABC merged with United Paramount Theaters early in 1953. Through the 1950s, network radio declined in popularity, and ABC radio gradually became more oriented to its local stations, especially its two pop-music powerhouses, New York's WABC (formerly WJZ) and Chicago's WLS.
Some network programs held on into the television era: Don McNeill's Breakfast Club, one of the first and longest-running morning shows in the country, hosted by Don McNeill
Don McNeill (performer)
Don McNeill was an American radio personality, best known as the creator and host of The Breakfast Club, which ran for more than 30 years.-Early career:...
, ran from 1933 to 1968. Other long-running ABC programs included the National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance, broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry...
, running from 1924 to 1960, and Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
's daily commentary, which ran from 1951 until his death in 2009. In 1958, ABC collaborated with its sister television network to produce the first national stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
broadcasts, when it simulcast The Plymouth Show (one of two shows
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
hosted by Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
at the time); the TV side broadcast one audio channel and the radio side broadcast the other in synchronization; viewers had to tune into both devices to achieve the stereophonic effect.
John F. Kennedy assassination bulletin
ABC Radio broadcast the first nationwide report of the assassination of President John F. KennedyAssassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. Kennedy was shot in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
at 18:30 UTC on November 22, 1963 and ABC Radio's Don Gardiner anchored the network's initial bulletin at 18:36:50 UTC, minutes before any other radio or television network did the same. Gardiner interrupted Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's recording of "Hooray for Hollywood" to tell listeners at 13:36:50 EST (UTC-5):
Split into four networks
ABC fed hourly radio newscasts to affiliates at :55 past the hour until January 1, 1968, when the traditional ABC radio network was replaced by four separate programming services. The "American Contemporary Network," designed for Top 40 music stations such as WABC New York, WLS Chicago and KQV Pittsburgh, aired news at :54:30. "American Information Network" news, geared for stations that programmed with a heavy news or talk emphasis, such as KABC Los Angeles and KGO San Francisco, ran at the top of the hour. ABC's "FMABC FM News
ABC FM News is an Internet-delivered news radio network distributed by Cumulus Media Networks and licenses the ABC branding from its former owner The Walt Disney Company...
" network carried news at :15 past. Originally a general-interest newscast for all types of FM outlets, this service would eventually be refocused to serve FM rock stations. The "American Entertainment Network," pitched to adult-oriented music stations such as WXYZ Detroit and KXYZ Houston, had news at the bottom of the hour. Paul Harvey and the Breakfast Club were designated as Entertainment network features.
Before the split, ABC obtained a waiver of the FCC's "Chain Broadcasting" rule, which had forced the sale of the Blue network in 1943. Though each of the four new networks were carried on the same 5 kHz telco line (3.5 in some cities), the move allowed ABC to have as many as four affiliates in one city – a major competitive advantage and a dramatic turning point in the history of network radio. However, the FCC insisted that there be no overlap of any ABC network broadcast in a single market, and the network required affiliates to get approval before any delayed broadcast of network programming. Two additional news networks, "Rock" and "Direction," which carried news at :45 past the hour, were added on January 4, 1982.
Today, only Information and Entertainment remain as separate newscast services, with their programming delivered via satellite. The "Information" network newscasts clear on major-market stations like WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
New York
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
, KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
Los Angeles
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
, WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
Chicago, WBAP Ft. Worth/Dallas
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
, KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, WMAL Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
(all of which were owned by ABC before their 2007 sale to Citadel). "Entertainment" network news airs mainly on small and medium-market stations. These ABC News Radio newscasts originate from the news division's bureaus in New York, Washington and Los Angeles and air exactly at the top of the hour. They are no longer identified on air by their brand name.
ABC Radio acquired Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc.
Watermark Inc. was a radio syndication company that was founded in 1969 by Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Watermark's best known programs were American Top 40 and its spinoff American Country Countdown. Both shows were created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustany....
, best known as the syndicator of American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
with Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
and American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
with Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley
Bob Kingsley is an American country music radio personality and host of the nationally syndicated programs "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40" and "Bob Kingsley with Today's Hit Makers."...
, in 1982. Kasem left ABC in 1988, reclaiming the American Top 40 name from ABC in 1998, and selling the AT40 brand to AMFM Radio Networks (later absorbed intro Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
). Kingsley left ABC in 2005 and 'ACC' continues to air as part of the ABC stable with Kix Brooks
Kix Brooks
Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:...
as host since 2006. Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley, a popular American radio disc jockey since 21 June 1969, hosts several popular syndicated radio shows of the oldies/classic hits genre, including the current Classic Countdown since 1991 and the Saturday night call-in request show Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits since 1982...
joined the network in 1991 with the AT40 spinoff American Gold
American Gold
The Classic Countdown is a syndicated weekly, four-hour, hit-packed, oldies countdown program which was written, produced and hosted by Radio Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Dick Bartley...
and his live Saturday night call-in oldies show, before leaving at the end of March 2009.
ABC launched a foray into talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
with ABC Talk Radio (similar to rival NBC's Talknet
NBC Talknet
NBC Talknet was a nighttime programming block on the NBC Radio Network from the 1980s to the 1990s. It comprised several advice-oriented call-in talk shows, the most notable personalities being Bruce Williams and Sally Jessy Raphael...
) in the 1980s. Among its most notable hosts were Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
and Barry Farber
Barry Farber
Barry M. Farber is an American conservative radio talk show host, author and language-learning enthusiast. In 2002, industry publication Talkers magazine ranked him the 9th greatest radio talk show host of all time. He has also written articles appearing in the New York Times, Reader's Digest,...
. However, the rising popularity of conservative political talk radio, fueled by The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
, led to the network's demise. After Snyder's retirement in 1992, ABC ostensibly filled the slot with Leslie Marshall
Leslie Marshall
Leslie Marshall has been a liberal radio talk host since 1988 and a commentator on national television since 2001. Leslie became the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated on radio when she replaced Tom Snyder on the ABC Satellite Radio Network in 1992...
, at the time the youngest syndicated host ever, but most major affiliates instead picked up Limbaugh. The network was shut down shortly thereafter, though one program from that network, Bob Brinker
Bob Brinker
Bob Brinker is the host of the radio show Moneytalk, which has been on the air nationally since 1986. He previously had a show on local New York radio on WMCA. Prior to that Brinker hosted talkradio programs on WCAU and WWDB in Philadelphia...
's Moneytalk is now in its twenty-fifth year nationwide.
In 1992, ABC Radio launched Sportsradio ESPN. While not the first national sports talk network, Sportsradio ESPN quickly became the most popular and grew quickly. That network, now known as ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
, is still in operation today, and remains under ownership of The Walt Disney Company.
Sam Donaldson
Samuel Andrew "Sam" Donaldson, Jr. is a reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to the present, best known as the network's White House Correspondent and as a panelist and later co-anchor of the network's Sunday Program "This Week."-Early life and career:Donaldson was born in El...
of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
television, Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
of WABC, Larry Elder
Larry Elder
Laurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an American radio and television personality. His radio program The Larry Elder Show airs weekdays 9 AM to noon on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California...
of KABC, and John Batchelor
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor is an author and host of The John Batchelor Show radio news magazine. Based at WABC radio in New York for five years from early 2001 to September, 2006; the show was syndicated nationally on the ABC radio network. On October 7, 2007, Batchelor returned to radio on WABC New...
of WABC. Donaldson left his show after a short time. Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
was added in 2005 and eventually replaced Elder in 2007, and Mark Davis
Mark Davis (talk show host)
Mark Davis is an American radio host, newspaper columnist, and political commentator. His local talk show, The Mark Davis Show, airs on weekdays from 8:30 AM to 11 AM on WBAP in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, and his popular column is published in The Dallas Morning News...
of WBAP had a brief syndication run on the network in 2005. Hannity has been the most successful, displacing Laura Schlessinger
Laura Schlessinger
Laura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
as the most popular host in the time slot within a few years (especially on the East Coast); the network now shares the program with Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
.
Sale to Citadel
In 2005, ABC began to explore the sale of its radio division. The two leading competitors for the purchase of the network, which included twenty-two of ABC Radio's top stations, as well as ABC's talk and music networks, were Bala CynwydBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
-based Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
and Forstmann Little & Company
Forstmann Little & Company
Forstmann, Little & Company is a private equity firm, specializing in leveraged buyouts . At its peak in the late 1990s, Forstmann Little was among the largest private equity firms globally...
's Citadel Broadcasting unit. Citadel was chosen as the top bidder and the deal to purchase the stations and the network was struck in February 2006. The deal did not include Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
, ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
(or its Spanish counterpart ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Deportes Radio is a Spanish language sports radio network created and produced by Disney-owned ESPN. Programming includes call-in talk shows and commentary from hosts about a full range of sporting events, including soccer, American football, baseball and boxing.The network has stations in 13...
), or the five ESPN Radio stations owned by Disney . However, Citadel owns several ESPN-affiliated stations in small to mid-size markets including WYOS
WYOS
WYOS is the ESPN Radio affiliate of Binghamton, New York, branded as ESPN Radio 1360. It is currently under ownership of Cumulus Media.Prior to 2007, it was an all talk format, in its most recent incarnation as a liberal talk station.-External Links:...
in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, KTIK in Boise, Idaho and KESP
KESP
KESP is an all-sports radio station in Modesto, California, USA. The station serves Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, and surrounding communities of the northern San Joaquin Valley. It is currently owned by Cumulus Media....
in Modesto, California
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
. Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
unit will also still produce ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
programming for distribution by Citadel. Despite the change in ownership, Citadel Media still lists "ESPN Radio" & "ESPN Deportes" as part of its advertising sales family.
The acquisition of ABC Radio by Citadel Broadcasting was officially completed on June 12, 2007 and the "ABC Radio Networks" logo was licensed from Disney until April 2, 2009.
Shortly after the announcement of the ABC/Citadel merger, the "FM" network was reactivated. It now provides an hourly two-minute newscast, similar in format to when the network formerly operated. Those newscasts carry the on-air brand "ABC News Now."
Citadel Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
will be absorbing all the assets of Citadel Broadcasting, including Citadel Media by the end of 2011.
Cumulus Media Radio Network
- The Mark LevinMark LevinMark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
Show - Imus in the MorningImus in the MorningImus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
- Red Eye Radio with Doug McIntyreDoug McIntyreDoug McIntyre is the host of "Talking the News" on 77 WABC New York City , the lead-in morning drive show before "Imus in the Morning." He also hosts the four-hour radio talk show "Doug McIntyre's Red Eye Radio", syndicated across the United States on Cumulus Media Networks, and is the page one...
(weeknights) or Marc Germain (weekends) - Moneytalk with Bob BrinkerBob BrinkerBob Brinker is the host of the radio show Moneytalk, which has been on the air nationally since 1986. He previously had a show on local New York radio on WMCA. Prior to that Brinker hosted talkradio programs on WCAU and WWDB in Philadelphia...
- Larry Kudlow
- John BatchelorJohn BatchelorJohn Calvin Batchelor is an author and host of The John Batchelor Show radio news magazine. Based at WABC radio in New York for five years from early 2001 to September, 2006; the show was syndicated nationally on the ABC radio network. On October 7, 2007, Batchelor returned to radio on WABC New...
- America's Most WantedAmerica's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
(short form feature) - Focus on the FamilyFocus on the FamilyFocus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
daily commentary (short form feature) - Radio Perez with Perez HiltonPerez HiltonMario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
(short form feature) - The Huckabee ReportThe Huckabee ReportThe Huckabee Report is a radio program hosted by former Republican governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, that first aired in January 2009. The program broadcasts on Cumulus Media Networks , three times each day , and each commentary is approximately 4 minutes long.On March 23, 2009, The Huckabee...
with Mike HuckabeeMike HuckabeeMichael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
(short form feature) - Doug LimerickDoug LimerickDoug Limerick is an American radio personality. He has been a news correspondent for ABC Radio Networks since 1982. In March 2009, he was chosen as a possible successor to Paul Harvey on the radio show The Rest of the Story...
News (short form feature)
Music
- Tom KentTom KentTom Kent ,is an American radio personality. As the head of the Tom Kent Radio Network, he hosts 105 hours of classic hits programming each week, which, as of February 2, 2009, is distributed through Cumulus Media Networks.-Biography:Prior to becoming syndicated, Kent worked on the air and in...
's "Ultimate Party," "My 70s Show" and "Tom Kent" - FlashbackFlashback (radio program)Flashback is an American radio show syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks . It is hosted by the "irreverent" Bill St. James , and is programmed by Tom Powell. The show is produced by Powell, Rob Frankel and Frank Guida. Guida also writes the show...
and the Flashback Pop Quiz - Kidd Kraddick in the MorningKidd Kraddick in the MorningKidd Kraddick in the Morning is an American morning radio show hosted by Kidd Kraddick on Cumulus Media Networks...
- American Country CountdownAmerican Country CountdownAmerican Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
with Kix BrooksKix BrooksLeon Eric "Kix" Brooks III , is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.-Early life:... - Donny OsmondDonny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
Multicultural (Urban and Hispanic)
- The Michael BaisdenMichael BaisdenMichael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
Show - Conexión ThalíaThalíaAriadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide...
- Tu Vida es Mi VidaTu Vida es Mi VidaTu Vida es Mi Vida is a spanish language radio program hosted by award-winning motivational speaker Maria Marín and is produced by Cumulus Media Networks en Español...
con Maria Marín
Satellite formats
In 1989, ABC Radio Networks acquired The Satellite Music NetworkSatellite Music Network
Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour a day music programming to local stations, under several different formats...
which originally started in Chicago (later moved to Dallas, Texas. Staff included Clark Tucker (who was with SMN in Chicago and moved to Dallas), Joe Carnes (who left ABC to go to PBS KERA, and died suddenly in his sleep a some years ago) and Leslie Keveton, who is now the current Engineering Manager in Dallas. Other engineers who have worked there included Chris Hudgins (who was Chief Engineer of KEGL before going to ABC RN and then moved to KDMX as Chief Engineer for a short time while before being replaced in 1997), making an opening for Christopher Boone from South East Texas (formerly with KLVI Beaumont and did telecom work at Gulf States Utilities
Gulf States Utilities
Gulf States Utilities was an electric power generation and distribution company headquartered in Beaumont, Texas. The company was founded in 1911 as Eastern Texas Electric, a holding company for Stone & Webster...
/Entergy
Entergy
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. It is headquartered in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
from 84-96 in Conroe, TX), who also eventually left ABC to take the Chief Engineer position at BOTH KDMX & KEGL after Jacor
Jacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation which owned a large number of radio stations in the United States. Inside the radio industry, Jacor was seen as one of the most competitive broadcast companies in history. Jacor's re-image in 1996 created the slogan "The Noise You Can't Ignore".Jacor was...
had purchased both from Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
in 1997). Boone was credited for saving the 1998 Jim Zippo's broadcast on the Oldies format from the Surf Ballroom
Surf Ballroom
The Surf Ballroom is a Historic Rock and Roll Landmark at 460 North Shore Drive, Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf is closely associated with The Day the Music Died - early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson gave their last performances at the Surf on...
in Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,161 at the 2000 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate...
(where the plane carrying Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
had crashed) by getting a staff member of the ABC Owned and Operated station in Minneapolis, KQRS, to drive 5 hours and meet someone from Zippo's staff halfway to loan them all the gear needed for the remote broadcast; the remote "kit" was sitting at the nearby airport 5 miles away and DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
had not told ABC it was there nor did DHL deliver it at all!
To this day, the division, known as "Cumulus Music Radio" (formerly "Citadel Music Radio" and "ABC Music Radio"), provides 10 satellite-driven formats to affiliate stations, mostly in small & mid-size markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
and on major market HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
subchannels, however they can also be used on some major market stations as alternate or permanent programming. They could operate their stations virtually unmanned with nothing more than a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
and a satellite hookup offering major market talent that some radio stations could never afford. The "clock" included options for a 2-, 3-, or 5-minute newscasts
News broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
at the top of the hour, followed by other holes for local spots. While some of the programming is live
Live radio
Live radio is radio broadcast without delay. Before the days of television, audiences listened to live dramas, comedies, quiz shows, and concerts on the radio much the same way that they now do on TV. Most talk radio is live radio where people can speak about their opinions/lives....
(some is done by voice tracking), DJ's had to avoid references to the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
or anything else that would not be appropriate in many time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s. An 800-line was eventually added, allowing the live DJ's to take phoned in requests. Cumulus Media Networks's 24-hour-music formats include:
| Network Name | Format | Additional Notes (if any) | |
| |
Best Country Today | Country Country music Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music... |
Formerly known as "Country Coast to Coast", "Best Country Around", "Best Country Today" |
| |
The Christmas Channel The Christmas Channel The Christmas Channel is an American radio network that primarily airs traditional and popular Christmas music to 35 affiliate radio stations across the United States... |
Christmas Music Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:... |
Available the day before Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day. |
| |
Classic Rock | Classic Rock Classic rock Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the... |
Formerly "The Classic Rock Experience" |
| |
Classic Hits | Classic hits Classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format... from 1960s to 1980s |
Formerly "Pure Gold" and "Oldies Radio" |
| |
Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Classic Hip-Hop and R&B, is a new 24-hour live radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks . This satellite-driven format combines Old School Hip-Hop/Rap and Contemporary R&B music from the late 1980s to the year 2000 with much of the core playlist from the 1990s, design to target today’s more... |
Old School Hip-Hop/Rap Old school hip hop Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group... /R&B Contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in... |
|
| |
Hits & Favorites Hits & Favorites Hits & Favorites, also known as ABC AC, is one of the 24-hour live radio formats produced by Cumulus Media Networks... |
Adult Contemporary | Formerly known as "Starstation" |
| |
The Nerve The Nerve (radio network) The Nerve, is a new 24-hour live radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks . This satellite-driven format airs the latest Active rock music design to target today’s 18-34 rock listeners... |
Active Rock Active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:... |
|
| |
Real Country Real country Real Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks. Real Country, originally one of the Satellite Music Network stations, is marketed at the 18 to 54 demographic in rural areas of the United States... |
Classic Country Classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden... |
|
| |
Today's Best Hits Today's Best Hits Today's Best Hits is an American radio network with a Hot Adult Contemporary format. It plays many contemporary songs. It also features many retro hits, and on Saturday night, it plays only requested retro songs. The network was previously known as Best Hits, Best Variety... |
Hot Adult Contemporary | Also known as "ABC Hot AC" (formerly identified on air as "Best Hits, Best Variety") |
| |
The Touch The Touch (radio network) The Touch is a 24-hour music format produced by Cumulus Media Networks . It draws an adult audience between the ages of 25-49 with an Urban Adult Contemporary format since its inception by Satellite Music Network in 1972.In January 2010, Citadel Broadcasting has rebranded this network as... |
Urban Adult Contemporary Urban Adult Contemporary Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast... |
Briefly rebranded as "MyFavStation" in January 2010, formerly known as "Heart & Soul" |
| |
The True Oldies Channel The True Oldies Channel The True Oldies Channel is a syndicated radio programming stream begun in the spring of 2004, hosted by American radio personality Scott Shannon... |
Oldies Oldies Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day.... from 1950s to 1970s |
|
Other network holding(s)
| Network Name | Format | Notes | |
| |
24/7 Comedy Radio 24/7 Comedy Radio 24/7 Comedy Radio, is a new 24-hour live radio format produced by the Donkey Comedy Network and is distributed to Cumulus Media Networks . This satellite-driven format showcases established and emerging comedians such as Jeff Foxworthy, Drew Carey, etc... |
Comedy Comedy Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in... |
Produced in conjunction with the Donkey Comedy Network. |
| |
ABC FM News ABC FM News ABC FM News is an Internet-delivered news radio network distributed by Cumulus Media Networks and licenses the ABC branding from its former owner The Walt Disney Company... |
Short-form News All-news radio All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks... |
|
= Active on terrestrial radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
affiliates.
= Active on a seasonal basis.Former network properties of ABC Radio/Citadel Media/Cumulus Media Networks
| Network Name | Format | Fate of Network |
| ABC News & Talk ABC News & Talk ABC News & Talk was a news/talk and entertainment radio channel programmed and distributed by ABC Radio Networks for satellite radio services. It aired on XM Satellite Radio channel 124, and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 143 both in the United States until 2007-09-24.The channel also existed on... |
News All-news radio All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks... /Talk Talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live... |
Discontinued Dark (broadcasting) In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station... since September 24, 2007. |
| ESPN Radio ESPN Radio ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut... |
Sports Sports radio Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and... /Talk Talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live... |
Retained by Disney The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into... in ABC Radio sale, although Cumulus still does advertising sales for the network. |
| ESPN Deportes Radio ESPN Deportes Radio ESPN Deportes Radio is a Spanish language sports radio network created and produced by Disney-owned ESPN. Programming includes call-in talk shows and commentary from hosts about a full range of sporting events, including soccer, American football, baseball and boxing.The network has stations in 13... |
Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... Sports Sports radio Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and... /Talk Talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live... |
Retained by Disney The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into... in ABC Radio sale, although Cumulus still does advertising sales for the network. |
| Jack FM Jack FM JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be... |
Variety/Adult Hits Adult hits Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist... |
Spun off to Dial Global Dial Global Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management.... . |
| Radio Disney Radio Disney Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas... |
Children's Radio | Retained by Disney The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into... in ABC Radio sale. |
| Rejoice! Musical Soul Food Rejoice! Musical Soul Food Rejoice! Musical Soul Food is a 24-hour music format independently and self-produced through Urban Choice Media. It draws an African American audience with a Gospel Music format from artists such as Marvin Sapp, Kirk Franklin, Clark Sisters, etc.... |
Urban Contemporary Gospel Urban contemporary gospel Traditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music... |
Spun off to Urban Choice Media. |
| Timeless Timeless (radio network) Timeless was a 24-hour satellite music service of Citadel Media . It has distributed a mix of soft oldies and adult standards to radio stations around the USA... |
Oldies Oldies Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day.... /Standards Standard (music) In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391... |
Discontinued since February 13, 2010. |
| Unforgettable Favorites Unforgettable Favorites Unforgettable Favorites was a satellite driven format distributed by ABC Radio Networks... |
Soft Oldies Oldies Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day.... /AC |
Merged into "Timeless" format. Feed still active as seasonal Christmas Channel The Christmas Channel The Christmas Channel is an American radio network that primarily airs traditional and popular Christmas music to 35 affiliate radio stations across the United States... . |
| Z Rock Z Rock Z-Rock was a nationally syndicated radio network based out of Dallas, Texas, USA, in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s that played heavy metal and hard rock music. The format was one of ABC Radio Network's 24-hour satellite formats... |
Active Rock Active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:... |
Discontinued since December 31, 1996. |