CBS Radio Network
Encyclopedia
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation
, and operated by CBS Radio
(formerly the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation).
The CBS Radio Network is one of the programming services distributed by Dial Global
, which acquired the former Westwood One
(formerly managed by CBS) in October 2011. It produces and distributes national news, sports, talk, music and special event programs, in addition to local news, sports, weather, video news and other information to radio and television stations as well as traffic reporting services.
It is the last of the original "Big Four" radio networks in the United States; NBC Radio
and Mutual
were purchased in the 1980s by Westwood One (and partially absorbed into CBS's network operations), while ABC Radio
was bought in 2006 by Citadel Broadcasting
, changed its' name to Citadel Media in 2009, and is now known as Cumulus Media Networks.
invested in the radio network, which was named the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System. Eventually, Columbia pulled its backing from the struggling web. William S. Paley
bought a half-interest in what became the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1928 and became its president. (In 1938, CBS bought back Columbia Records.) For more about the network's history, see CBS
.
in Philadelphia, KNX
in Los Angeles, KCBS
in San Francisco, WBBM
in Chicago, WWJ
in Detroit, KMOX in St. Louis, KRLD in Dallas and WCCO
in Minneapolis. WTOP-FM
in Washington, DC, while owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting, is a key CBS Radio affiliate, and much of its broadcast style copies that of the CBS-owned outlets.
Its offerings include the top-of-the-hour newscasts and the half-hour news updates. In addition to the over-the-air product, reports and actualities are made available to affiliates on its Newsfeeds, among the best-known products of the CBS Radio newsroom. Newsfeeds are subscribed heavily to by WCBS, KYW and other top outlets.
Among its on-air programs are the CBS News-on-the-Hour and the morning Osgood File features with Charles Osgood
.
The network is home to the morning and evening editions of the CBS World News Roundup
, broadcasting's oldest news series. Steve Kathan anchors the morning show, while Bill Whitney
hosts the evening edition. The daily Roundup dates back to a special on March 13, 1938, covering Germany
's annexation of Austria
. Each Friday, the network also produces the CBS News Weekend Roundup
, a look at the top stories of the week, hosted by Dan Raviv
, with a commentary from Charles Grodin
.
CBS Radio has an impressive list of reporters around the world including Peter Maer, Barry Bagnato, Mark Knoller, Bob Fuss, Cami McCormick
and Lara Logan
. Logan also reports for CBS Television, and many TV correspondents also appear on CBS Radio newscasts.
In 2009, CBS launched a long-form late night talk program hosted by Jon Grayson and the existing morning talk show hosted by Michael Smerconish
on some of its owned-and-operated stations. CBS themselves handle the syndication of Grayson's show, while syndication for Smerconish's show to non-CBS stations has been outsourced to Dial Global
. (Smerconish will discontinue the morning show in 2011.)
CBS Radio reporters also contribute to Westwood One's hour-long broadcast America In the Morning, hosted by Jim Bohannon
; because America In the Morning is broadcast on many stations not affiliated with CBS (in addition to several which are), references to CBS News are usually edited from the CBS correspondents' reports and closing bylines.
Three of CBS's television programs are currently simulcast on the CBS Radio Network; those are Face the Nation
, 60 Minutes
, and the first segment of the CBS Evening News
. In addition, the Late Show with David Letterman
Top Ten List is also broadcast by the network in a short-form-feature format.
Other public-affairs features include CBS Healthwatch with Dr. Emily Senay, Raising Our Kids (formerly suffixed with in the 90s during that decade) with WCBS-AM morning anchor Pat Carroll
, and What's in the News.
CBS Radio Sports programming is produced by Dial Global
(and current branded under the name of former producer Westwood One
, acquired by Dial Global in October 2011), and includes radio coverage of the National Football League
(including Monday Night Football
with Kevin Harlan
and Boomer Esiason
), NCAA
football and basketball, the National Hockey League
, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred horse racing, and the Olympic Games
.
, a half-hour of music and inspirational thought featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
. It began on July 15, 1929 and currently airs each Sunday morning at 11:30 Eastern Time. (The longest running radio show of any kind is the Grand Ole Opry
, broadcast on WSM
since November 28, 1925.)
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
, and operated by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
(formerly the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation).
The CBS Radio Network is one of the programming services distributed by 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....
, which acquired the former Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
(formerly managed by CBS) in October 2011. It produces and distributes national news, sports, talk, music and special event programs, in addition to local news, sports, weather, video news and other information to radio and television stations as well as traffic reporting services.
It is the last of the original "Big Four" radio networks in the United States; NBC Radio
NBC Red Network
The NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
and Mutual
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
were purchased in the 1980s by Westwood One (and partially absorbed into CBS's network operations), while ABC Radio
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...
was bought in 2006 by 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...
, changed its' name to Citadel Media in 2009, and is now known as Cumulus Media Networks.
Background
The network is the oldest unit of the CBS Corporation and traces its roots to CBS's predecessor, United Independent Broadcasters, founded in 1927 with 47 affiliates. The next year, Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
invested in the radio network, which was named the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System. Eventually, Columbia pulled its backing from the struggling web. William S. Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
bought a half-interest in what became the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1928 and became its president. (In 1938, CBS bought back Columbia Records.) For more about the network's history, see CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Programming
Today, the CBS Radio Network is best known for its news and public affairs programming distributed to more than 500 affiliates, as well as owned-and-operated (O&O) flagship station WCBS in New York, and several other O&O's including KYWKYW (AM)
KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
in Philadelphia, KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
in Los Angeles, KCBS
KCBS (AM)
KCBS is an all-news radio station in San Francisco, California, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX...
in San Francisco, WBBM
WBBM (AM)
WBBM is an all-news CBS radio station in Chicago, Illinois broadcasting on the AM dial at 780 kHz. It is owned by CBS along with WBBM-TV....
in Chicago, WWJ
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
in Detroit, KMOX in St. Louis, KRLD in Dallas and WCCO
WCCO-AM
WCCO is a radio station located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The station broadcasts on a clear-channel frequency and is owned by CBS Radio. The station's studios are located in downtown Minneapolis, while its transmitter is located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.With 50,000 watts of power, WCCO's...
in Minneapolis. WTOP-FM
WTOP-FM
WTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.WTOP is one of two all-news stations in the Washington, D.C...
in Washington, DC, while owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting, is a key CBS Radio affiliate, and much of its broadcast style copies that of the CBS-owned outlets.
Its offerings include the top-of-the-hour newscasts and the half-hour news updates. In addition to the over-the-air product, reports and actualities are made available to affiliates on its Newsfeeds, among the best-known products of the CBS Radio newsroom. Newsfeeds are subscribed heavily to by WCBS, KYW and other top outlets.
Among its on-air programs are the CBS News-on-the-Hour and the morning Osgood File features with Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood is a radio and television commentator in the United States. His daily program, The Osgood File, has been broadcast on the CBS Radio Network since 1971. He is also known for being the voice of the narrator of Horton Hears a Who!, an animated film released in 2008, based on the book...
.
The network is home to the morning and evening editions of the CBS World News Roundup
CBS World News Roundup
The CBS World News Roundup is a radio newscast that airs weekday mornings and evenings on the CBS Radio Network.It first went on-air on March 13, 1938 at 8 p.m...
, broadcasting's oldest news series. Steve Kathan anchors the morning show, while Bill Whitney
Bill Whitney
Willard Whitney is an American broadcast journalist for CBS News. He is best known as an anchor and correspondent for the CBS Radio Network, where he hosts the evening edition of the World News Roundup.- Before CBS News :...
hosts the evening edition. The daily Roundup dates back to a special on March 13, 1938, covering Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Each Friday, the network also produces the CBS News Weekend Roundup
CBS News Weekend Roundup
The CBS News Weekend Roundup is a weekly news show that airs on the CBS Radio Network, designed for a one-hour time slot, though it has an actual length without commercials of about forty minutes...
, a look at the top stories of the week, hosted by Dan Raviv
Dan Raviv
Dan Raviv is an American journalist. He is a national correspondent for CBS News, heard regularly on the CBS Radio Network. He has also done TV reports from Washington, D.C...
, with a commentary from Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin is an American actor, comedian, author and former cable talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. He had a small part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968...
.
CBS Radio has an impressive list of reporters around the world including Peter Maer, Barry Bagnato, Mark Knoller, Bob Fuss, Cami McCormick
Cami McCormick
Cami McCormick is an award-winning radio journalist for CBS News who previously worked for CNN. She was injured in Afghanistan on August 28, 2009 when the vehicle in which she was traveling was hit by an improvised explosive device....
and Lara Logan
Lara Logan
Lara Logan is a South African television and radio journalist, and war correspondent. She is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
. Logan also reports for CBS Television, and many TV correspondents also appear on CBS Radio newscasts.
In 2009, CBS launched a long-form late night talk program hosted by Jon Grayson and the existing morning talk show hosted by Michael Smerconish
Michael Smerconish
Michael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC Political Analyst. His talk radio show is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT. He began his full time radio career in 2002...
on some of its owned-and-operated stations. CBS themselves handle the syndication of Grayson's show, while syndication for Smerconish's show to non-CBS stations has been outsourced 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....
. (Smerconish will discontinue the morning show in 2011.)
CBS Radio reporters also contribute to Westwood One's hour-long broadcast America In the Morning, hosted by Jim Bohannon
Jim Bohannon
James E. "Jim" Bohannon is an American broadcaster who has worked in both television and radio.During the 1980s he was a fill-in for Larry King when King had his popular nighttime national radio program. He also does much work with the Smithsonian Associates...
; because America In the Morning is broadcast on many stations not affiliated with CBS (in addition to several which are), references to CBS News are usually edited from the CBS correspondents' reports and closing bylines.
Three of CBS's television programs are currently simulcast on the CBS Radio Network; those are Face the Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
, 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, and the first segment of the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
. In addition, the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
Top Ten List is also broadcast by the network in a short-form-feature format.
Other public-affairs features include CBS Healthwatch with Dr. Emily Senay, Raising Our Kids (formerly suffixed with in the 90s during that decade) with WCBS-AM morning anchor Pat Carroll
Pat Carroll
Pat Carroll may refer to:*Pat Carroll *Pat Carroll *Pat Carroll *Pat Carroll *Pat Carroll *Pat Carroll...
, and What's in the News.
CBS Radio Sports programming is produced by 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....
(and current branded under the name of former producer Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, acquired by Dial Global in October 2011), and includes radio coverage of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(including Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
with Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
and Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
), NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
football and basketball, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred horse racing, and the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
Music and the Spoken Word
While the network's World News Roundup is the longest-running news show on radio or TV in the U.S., the title of longest-running network radio show of any kind goes to another CBS Radio program—Music and the Spoken WordMusic and the Spoken Word
Music and the Spoken Word is a weekly 30-minute radio and television program of inspiring messages and music produced by Bonneville Communications with music performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir .The radio program is distributed by the CBS Radio Network and its broadcast center is KSL...
, a half-hour of music and inspirational thought featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
. It began on July 15, 1929 and currently airs each Sunday morning at 11:30 Eastern Time. (The longest running radio show of any kind is the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
, broadcast on WSM
WSM (AM)
WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America and various countries, especially late at night...
since November 28, 1925.)
See also
- WCBS (AM)WCBS (AM)WCBS , often referred to as "WCBS Newsradio 880" , is a radio station in New York City. Owned by CBS Radio, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of the CBS Radio Network...
- The flagship station of the network, in New York City - WCBS-FMWCBS-FMWCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
- a classic hitsClassic hitsClassic 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...
station in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
owned by CBS Radio - KCBS (AM)KCBS (AM)KCBS is an all-news radio station in San Francisco, California, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX...
- The west coastWest Coast of the United StatesWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
flagship station of the network, in San Francisco - KCBS-FMKCBS-FMKCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
- an adult hitsAdult hitsAdult 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...
station owned by CBS Radio based in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...