Midnight Trucking Radio Network

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.

History

Bill Mack

Bill Mack 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.

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 Harley, 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.

Midnight Radio Network (Jones/Dial Global)

ABC turned over syndication of the program to Jones Radio Networks 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.

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