ABC Audio

ABC Audio is a radio syndicator, radio network and digital audio network in the United States. It is under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company, parent company of American Broadcasting Company (ABC), with satellite distribution being handled by Skyview Networks. It launched on January 1, 2015 as ABC Radio before the 2019 name change.

This article is about the current radio network in its second incarnation. For the defunct network formerly known as ABC Radio, see Cumulus Media Networks.
ABC Audio
Country
United States
Ownership
OwnerABC News
(Walt Disney Television)
Key people
Stacia Philips Deshishku
(vice president and general manager)
History
FoundedAugust 7, 2014 (2014-08-07)
Former names
ABC Radio (2015-2019)
Coverage
AvailabilityAvailable on select radio affiliates
Links
Websiteabcaudio.com

Background
See also: Blue Network, Cumulus Media Networks, and Westwood One (current)

ABC Radio originally began after the split of NBC Red and NBC Blue (later Blue Network) networks with ABC taking over operations of the latter from RCA in 1943 before adopting its name 2 years later. ABC Radio was known to 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 followed suit.

The networks associated with ABC included Watermark Inc. (which ABC bought in 1982), Satellite Music Network (a 1989 purchase), ESPN Radio (launched in 1992) and Radio Disney (debuted in 1996).

Despite a number of different owners (Capital Cities Communications and later Disney), the radio division remained under ABC's wing until June 12, 2007, when it was sold to Citadel Broadcasting as well as most of its O&O stations in a restructuring effort. Under the terms of the reverse Morris trust, ABC shareholders held a controlling stake in Citadel, who licensed the ABC name for two more years until it rebranded as Citadel Media Networks in 2009.

On September 16, 2011, Cumulus Media purchased Citadel Broadcasting and rebranded the network division as Cumulus Media Networks. In 2013, Cumulus Media Networks merged with Dial Global Radio Networks to form the current Westwood One.

ABC maintained ownership of its Radio Disney network and its ESPN Radio owned-and-operated stations. In 2015, it announced plans to sell off all but one of its Radio Disney station licenses and stop distributing that network through terrestrial radio. The network succeeded in selling off most of its stations, leaving only KRDC; KRDC flipped to a country music format separate from the Radio Disney network but still carrying the Radio Disney brand. Its license, along with ESPN Radio's KSPN, have remained held by "ABC Radio Los Angeles Assets."[1]

History

ABC Radio
ABC Radio logo from 2015 to 2019.

On August 7, 2014, ABC announced that it would relaunch its radio network division on January 1, 2015. The change occurred following the announcement that Cumulus would replace its ABC News radio service with Westwood One News (via CNN). ABC will continue to make its radio news programming (via ABC News Radio and its FM counterpart ABC News Now) available through the network, and will also expand to create new radio programming based on other ABC owned properties such as Good Morning America, Dancing With The Stars and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Skyview Networks would handle advertising sales and satellite distribution.[2][3]

By December 23, 2014, ABC News had signed up over 1,000 affiliated stations for at least one of ABC News, ABC Digital and ABC Air Power networks. This included 200 new affiliates and multiple stations affiliating with more than one service. Major new key affiliates added included WTOP-FM, WGN and KFI.[4]

In April 2018, ABC announced that it planned to develop new syndicated radio programs with Skyview.[5] The pair made a deal in August 2018 to syndicate “The Dana Cortez Show” morning show formerly on “98.5 The Beat” KBBT San Antonio.[6]

Around 2015, ABC News began experimenting with podcasts and added an audio channel to its app. On March 28, 2018, the company began its first daily podcast, Start Here.[7] Paula Faris launched a podcast on November 13, 2018 with three episodes of Journeys of Faith.[8]

Local Radio Networks moved its twelve 24/7 music formats on January 1, 2019 to ABC Radio for marketing and talent sharing and Skyview Networks for satellite distribution. ABC News Radio programming was previously offered to Local Radio affiliates.[9]

Vice president and general manager Steve Jones left April 4, 2019 to work at Skyview. For the interim, four ABC News executive would head up ABC Radio: ABC News executive director, programming/news coverage Andrew Kalb, ABC News senior manager, business development Abe Velez, ABC Radio director of affiliate relations Heidi Oringer and ABC News Radio executive director of operations Jeff Fitzgerald.[10] He was replace in May 2019 by Stacia Philips Deshishku promoted from the position of Washington Deputy Bureau Chief.[11]

ABC Audio

On September 20, 2019, ABC Radio was renamed as ABC Audio as the network has evolved to offer a podcast portfolio and other forms of on-demand and linear content. Vice president Deshishku, who made the announcement acknowledges that "the power of radio remains critical to our business, as does the ABC News Radio brand within ABC Audio."[12] In March 2020, ABC Audio indicated that ESPN Audio would take over podcast ad sales.[13]

Programs and services

Podcasts
  • 10% Happier with Dan Harris[13] (March 11, 2016–present)
  • 20/20 (November 4, 2017–present)
  • The Dropout[13]
  • Everybody's Got Something (September 19, 2016–present)
  • Have You Seen This Man?[13]
  • The HeirPod (October 3, 2019—present) ABC News Royal Contributor Omid Scobie hosts[14]
  • Journeys of Faith (November 13, 2018 – present) ten episodes with 3 premiere episodes[8]
  • A Killing on The Cape (October 25, 2017–present)
  • Motivated (June 26, 2017–present)
  • A Murder on Orchard Street (October 3, 2017–present)
  • Nightline (November 30, 2017–present)
  • No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis (January 9, 2017–present)
  • Perspective (November 9, 2017–present)
  • Popcorn with Peter Travers (August 26, 2016–present)
  • Powerhouse Politics (February 19, 2016–present)
  • This Week with George Stephanopoulos (November 12, 2017–present)
  • Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein[13]
  • Uncomfortable (March 21, 2017–present)
  • World News This Week (November 3, 2017–present)
  • World News Tonight with David Muir (December 1, 2017–present)
  • Start Here (March 28, 2018 – present) a twenty-minute audio cast hosted by Brad Mielke[7]

References
  1. "Radio Disney to Sell the Majority of Its Stations". Billboard. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  2. Venta, Lance (August 7, 2014). "ABC Radio to Expand Operations". Radio Insight. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  3. Weprin, Alex (August 7, 2014). "ABC News radio deal with Cumulus to end, but there's an upside". POLITICO Media. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  4. "Tuesday, December 23, 2014: ABC News Surpasses Affiliate Goal". Talkers.com. Talk Media, Inc. December 23, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  5. "ABC Radio, Skyview Networks Partner To Develop, Syndicate Radio Shows, Talent". All Access. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  6. Venta, Lance (August 10, 2018). "Dana Cortez Show Makes Move To ABC/Skyview Networks". Radio Insight. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  7. Steinberg, Brian (March 22, 2018). "ABC News Will Launch Daily 'Start Here' Podcast". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  8. Steinberg, Brian (November 8, 2018). "Paula Faris to Launch Podcast on Faith for ABC News". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  9. Venta, Lance (July 11, 2018). "Local Radio Networks Partners With ABC Radio & Skyview Networks To Expand Distribution & Sales". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  10. "4 ABC Radio Execs To Take On Exiting Steve Jones' Role… For Now". Insideradio.com. March 21, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  11. Ink, Radio (June 11, 2019). "ABC Radio Gets A New GM". Radio Ink. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. Venta, Lance (September 20, 2019). "ABC Radio Rebrands As ABC Audio". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  13. "ABC, ESPN Announce Pod Partnership". Radio Ink. March 5, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  14. "America's Fascination For UK Royals Fosters ABC Audio 'HeirPod" Podcast". Insideradio.com. October 9, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
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