Midnight Radio Network
Encyclopedia
The Midnight Trucking Radio Network (alternately titled Midnight Radio Network) is a talk radio
program currently hosted by Eric Harley
and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Dial Global
(the successor in interest to Jones Radio Networks
) and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
was the founder of WBAP's overnight program, the U.S. 1 Trucking Show (despite the fact that U.S. Route 1
does not go anywhere near Dallas-Fort Worth). Mack started the show in 1969. The show, as the name implied, was geared toward the American truck driver
and featured a lot of country music
. The show briefly attempted an excursion into Mexico on border blaster
XERF, but that arrangement ended after it was clear that Mack would not be able to host the show from his home in Fort Worth.
Eventually, the show's name would change to the Midnight Cowboy Radio Network and be syndicated by ABC Radio, who carefully selected the affiliates to give maximum coverage of the country.
Mack left the show to join the Open Road
channel on XM Satellite Radio
.
, along with Joe Kelley, to host the show. In addition to Mack's old network, MTRN absorbed Dave Nemo
's old The Road Gang network when Nemo left for XM as well.
in 2005, and Kelley left the show. Jones turned to Gary McNamara, a conservative talk radio host, to fill Kelley's seat. With the change in focus from solely truckers to a more general purpose program, the show changed its name yet again, to its current name, the Midnight Radio Network. Under Jones, the number of affiliates grew from about a dozen stations, mostly 50,000-watt clear-channel "flamethrowers," to 38. Eight clear-channel stations—WBAP, WJR
in Detroit; KXL in Portland, Oregon
; KXEL
in Waterloo, Iowa
; WLS
in Chicago
, KBOI in Boise, KOKC
in Oklahoma City
and WMAL in Washington, D.C.
--front the network, which claims to reach all 48 contiguous states plus Hawaii
.
The show now also broadcasts on XM Satellite Radio
(channel 171
) after a long run on Sirius Satellite Radio
(Road Dog Trucking) ended in 2007. With the change, the Midnight Radio Network joins former host Bill Mack
along with Dale Sommers
and Dave Nemo
on the channel.
By 2007, many references to "Midnight Trucking" had returned to the show, and by early 2009, to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary, the show reverted to the "Midnight Trucking" name.
In April 2008, parent syndicator Jones Radio Networks was sold to Triton Media Group
, which will integrate Jones into Triton's Dial Global
network. It is unknown what changes, if any, will be made when the merger takes effect September 30, 2008. One of the first is the removal of the show from satellite radio, as Open Road merged with Road Dog Trucking.
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...
program currently hosted by Eric Harley
Eric Harley
Eric Harley is the host and producer of The Midnight Trucking Radio Network. He first began his radio career in September 1984 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Harley now hosts the show The Midnight Trucking Radio Network along with Gary McNamara, who has been with the show since 2005. Harley has been with...
and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide 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....
(the successor in interest to Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such as news and talk programs, syndicated radio shows,...
) and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Bill Mack
Bill MackBill Mack
Bill Mack is one of the most recognizable voices in country music radio. For many years, Mack was best known as the host of The Country Roads Show, the overnight country music show on WBAP, a clear channel station in Fort Worth...
was the founder of WBAP's overnight program, the U.S. 1 Trucking Show (despite the fact that U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
does not go anywhere near Dallas-Fort Worth). Mack started the show in 1969. The show, as the name implied, was geared toward the American truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
and featured a lot of country music
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...
. The show briefly attempted an excursion into Mexico on border blaster
Border blaster
A border blaster is a licensed commercial radio station that transmits at very high power from one nation to another. Border blasters should not be confused with international broadcast stations...
XERF, but that arrangement ended after it was clear that Mack would not be able to host the show from his home in Fort Worth.
Eventually, the show's name would change to the Midnight Cowboy Radio Network and be syndicated by ABC Radio, who carefully selected the affiliates to give maximum coverage of the country.
Mack left the show to join the Open Road
Open Road (XM)
Road Dog Trucking is a trucker's talk radio channel on the Sirius XM Radio service. The subjects cover those relevant to the trucking community, be it politics, economics, or social issues. On 2009-02-17, the Sirius channel's programming merged with the programs heard on XM Radio's Open Road...
channel on XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
.
Midnight Trucking (ABC)
After Mack's departure, ABC changed the name of the show to Midnight Trucking Radio Network. The network tapped WBAP producer Eric HarleyEric Harley
Eric Harley is the host and producer of The Midnight Trucking Radio Network. He first began his radio career in September 1984 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Harley now hosts the show The Midnight Trucking Radio Network along with Gary McNamara, who has been with the show since 2005. Harley has been with...
, along with Joe Kelley, to host the show. In addition to Mack's old network, MTRN absorbed Dave Nemo
Dave Nemo
Dave Nemo is an American radio personality, currently hosting a show on the Road Dog channel 171 on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio. Nemo's show is geared toward entertainment and news favored by truck drivers....
's old The Road Gang network when Nemo left for XM as well.
Midnight Radio Network (Jones/Dial Global)
ABC turned over syndication of the program to Jones Radio NetworksJones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such as news and talk programs, syndicated radio shows,...
in 2005, and Kelley left the show. Jones turned to Gary McNamara, a conservative talk radio host, to fill Kelley's seat. With the change in focus from solely truckers to a more general purpose program, the show changed its name yet again, to its current name, the Midnight Radio Network. Under Jones, the number of affiliates grew from about a dozen stations, mostly 50,000-watt clear-channel "flamethrowers," to 38. Eight clear-channel stations—WBAP, 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...
in Detroit; KXL in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
; KXEL
KXEL
KXEL is a Class A AM radio station serving the Waterloo/Cedar Rapids metropolitan area with a News/Talk format. It broadcasts on AM frequency 1540 kHz and is under ownership of Bahakel Communications. KXEL is also the flagship station of the University of Northern Iowa Sports...
in Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
; 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....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, KBOI in Boise, KOKC
KOKC (AM)
KOKC is a talk radio station located in Oklahoma City among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting. KOKC is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network.-The early years:...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
and WMAL in Washington, D.C.
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....
--front the network, which claims to reach all 48 contiguous states plus Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The show now also broadcasts on XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
(channel 171
Open Road (XM)
Road Dog Trucking is a trucker's talk radio channel on the Sirius XM Radio service. The subjects cover those relevant to the trucking community, be it politics, economics, or social issues. On 2009-02-17, the Sirius channel's programming merged with the programs heard on XM Radio's Open Road...
) after a long run on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
(Road Dog Trucking) ended in 2007. With the change, the Midnight Radio Network joins former host Bill Mack
Bill Mack
Bill Mack is one of the most recognizable voices in country music radio. For many years, Mack was best known as the host of The Country Roads Show, the overnight country music show on WBAP, a clear channel station in Fort Worth...
along with Dale Sommers
Dale Sommers
Bruce Dale Sommers , known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo", is an American radio personality, best known for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers...
and Dave Nemo
Dave Nemo
Dave Nemo is an American radio personality, currently hosting a show on the Road Dog channel 171 on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio. Nemo's show is geared toward entertainment and news favored by truck drivers....
on the channel.
By 2007, many references to "Midnight Trucking" had returned to the show, and by early 2009, to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary, the show reverted to the "Midnight Trucking" name.
In April 2008, parent syndicator Jones Radio Networks was sold to Triton Media Group
Triton Media Group
Triton Media Group, LLC, is a portfolio company of a fund managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., a global investment management firm. It is based in Los Angeles.-Triton Radio Networks:...
, which will integrate Jones into Triton's 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....
network. It is unknown what changes, if any, will be made when the merger takes effect September 30, 2008. One of the first is the removal of the show from satellite radio, as Open Road merged with Road Dog Trucking.
Format
The show runs five hours each night, from 12 Midnight to 5 AM Central Time. Eric Harley talks mostly about issues pertaining to truckers, while Gary McNamara talks political issues. The show is available 7 days a week, but usually a "best of" program airs on weekends.External links
- Official Midnight Radio Network site
- Midnight Radio Network on Jones Radio Networks's site