Cumulus Media Networks

Cumulus Media Networks is an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. As of 2011^[update] it controls many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which was broken up in 2007; Cumulus owns the portion of the network that was purchased by Citadel Broadcasting that year. The network adopted its current name in September 2011, following Cumulus's acquisition of 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. The company is helmed by two radio executives from Atlanta.

Prominent hosts carried by Cumulus Media Networks include Don Imus, Mark Levin, Jim Brickman, Kix Brooks (American Country Countdown), and Tom Kent.

History

Cumulus Media Networks has its origins in an early network set up by WJZ in New York which provided programs to other stations over Western Union lines.

WJZ/NBC Blue Network

WJZ, 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.

ABC Radio

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.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.

John F. Kennedy assassination bulletin

ABC Radio broadcast the first nationwide report of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 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):

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 "FM" 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.

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 Cynwyd-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.^[4] The deal did not include Radio Disney, ESPN Radio (or its Spanish counterpart ESPN Deportes Radio), any of the five ESPN Radio stations (or the myriad of Radio Disney stations) Disney owned at the time, or any of ABC's television assets (the ABC name, which also remained in Disney's hands, would be licensed to Citadel for two years). Disney's ABC News unit will also still produce ABC News Radio programming for distribution by Citadel.^[5] Despite the change in ownership, Citadel Media still lists "ESPN Radio" & "ESPN Deportes" as part of its advertising sales family.^[6] The acquisition of ABC Radio by Citadel Broadcasting was officially completed on June 12, 2007 ^[7] 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."^[8]

Citadel Media

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.^[9] It has been reported that Cumulus Media will be absorbing all the assets of Citadel Broadcasting, including Citadel Media by the end of 2011.^[10]

Programming

The following programs can be heard on Cumulus Media Networks.

Cumulus Media Radio Network

• The Mark Levin Show
• Imus in the Morning
• Red Eye Radio with Doug McIntyre (weeknights) or Marc Germain (weekends)
• Moneytalk with Bob Brinker
• Larry Kudlow
• John Batchelor
• America's Most Wanted (short form feature)
• Focus on the Family daily commentary (short form feature)
• Radio Perez with Perez Hilton (short form feature)
• The Huckabee Report with Mike Huckabee (short form feature)

Music

• Tom Kent's "Ultimate Party," "My 70s Show" and "Tom Kent"
• Flashback and the Flashback Pop Quiz
• Kidd Kraddick in the Morning and the Hollywood 5
• American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks
• Your Weekend with Jim Brickman

Multicultural (Urban and Hispanic)

• The Michael Baisden Show
• Conexión Thalía
• Tu Vida es Mi Vida con Maria Marín
• Nick Cannon's Countdown

Satellite formats

In 1989, ABC Radio Networks acquired The Satellite Music Network which originally started in Chicago. 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 zones. 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:

Other network holding(s)

= Active on terrestrial radio affiliates.
= Active on a seasonal basis.

Former network properties of ABC Radio/Citadel Media/Cumulus Media Networks

References

External links

• Official website