List of radio stations formerly owned by NBC

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Further information: History of NBC, NBC Radio Network, and Blue Network

The following is a list of radio stations formerly owned by NBC via parent company RCA from 1926 until 1989. NBC formerly operated two radio networks in the United States: the NBC Radio Network from 1926 until 1987 (known as the NBC Red Network from 1926 to 1942) and the NBC Blue Network from 1926 until 1943 (known as the Blue Network from 1942 to 1945 and the American Broadcasting Company from 1945 onward).

Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.

  • (**) indicates a station that was built and signed-on by RCA, either before or after NBC's formation.

NBC Radio Network stations[edit]

AM Station FM Station
City of license / Market Station Owned since Current ownership
San Francisco, CA KPO/KNBC/KNBR 680 1932–1989[1] owned by Cumulus Media
  • KNBC-FM/KNBR-FM/
  • KNAI-FM/KYUU 99.7 **
 1949–1988[2] KMVQ-FM, owned by Bonneville International
Denver–Boulder, CO KOA 850 1930–1952[3] owned by iHeartMedia
KOA-FM 95.7 ** 1949–1952 defunct; frequency occupied by KDHT
Hartford–New Britain, CT WKNB 840 1956–1960 WRYM, owned by Eight Forty Broadcasting Company
Washington, D.C. WRC 980 ** 1923–1984[4] WTEM, owned by Audacy, Inc.
WRC-FM/WKYS 93.9 ** 1947–1988[5] owned by Radio One[6]
Chicago, IL WMAQ 670 1931–1987[7] WSCR, owned by Audacy, Inc.
  • WMAQ-FM/WJOI/
  • WNIS-FM/WKQX 101.1 **
 1948–1988[2] owned by Cumulus Media
Boston, MA WJIB 96.9 1983–1988[2] WBQT, owned by Beasley Broadcast Group
New York, NY WEAF/WRCA/WNBC 660 1926–1988[2] WFAN, owned by Audacy, Inc.
  • WEAF-FM/WRCA-FM/
  • WNBC-FM/WNWS-FM/
  • WYNY 97.1 **
 1940–1988[2] WQHT, owned by Mediaco Holding, Inc.
Cleveland, OH WTAM/WKYC 1100
  • 1930–1956
  • 1965–1972
 WTAM, owned by iHeartMedia
  • WTAM-FM/
  • WKYC-FM 105.7 **
  • 1948–1956
  • 1965–1972
 WMJI, owned by iHeartMedia
Philadelphia, PA KYW/WRCV 1060 1956–1965 KYW, owned by Audacy, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA WJAS 1320 1957–1972 owned by Pittsburgh Radio Partners LLC
WJAS-FM 99.7 1957–1972 WSHH, owned by Renda Broadcasting

NBC Blue Network stations[edit]

AM Station
City of license / Market Station Owned since Current ownership
San Francisco, CA KGO 810 1930–1943[8][9] owned by Cumulus Media
New York, NY WJZ 770 ** 1923–1943[9] WABC, owned by Red Apple Media (John Catsimatidis)
Chicago, IL WENR 890 1931–1943[9] defunct; merged into WLS in 1954
Washington, D.C. WMAL 630 1934–1941[a] WSBN, owned by Cumulus Media

Divestitures[edit]

General Electric purchased NBC's parent company, RCA, in early 1986.[11] With the purchase, GE announced intentions to sell off the entirety of NBC's radio group and RCA's non-broadcast holdings, the latter spun off to Bertelsmann and Thomson SA.[12] After a planned sale of the entire radio unit to Westinghouse Broadcasting in early 1987 fell through, Westwood One acquired the programming assets of the NBC Radio Network—including NBC's radio news service, The Source and Talknet—in a $50 million deal on July 20, 1987.[13][14][15]

The NBC-owned radio stations were sold to various buyers.[16] WMAQ was acquired by Westinghouse in November 1987.[7] WNBC and WYNY in New York City, WKQX in Chicago, WJIB in Boston and KYUU in San Francisco were sold to Emmis Communications for a combined $121.5 million (equivalent to $313 million in 2023) on February 18, 1988.[2] (As part of the deal, Emmis sold the licenses of their existing New York AM/FM combination, WFAN and WQHT,[17] and transferred the intellectual properties of both stations onto WNBC[18] and WYNY,[19] respectively.[20]) WKYS was sold to minority-controlled Albimar Communications on April 7, 1988, for $46.75 million (equivalent to $120 million in 2023).[5] KNBR was the final radio property sold, with Susquehanna Radio Corporation purchasing it for $20 million (equivalent to $49.2 million in 2023) in March 1989.[1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Operated under a lease agreement with owner M. A. Leese.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "In brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 116, no. 13. March 27, 1989. p. 89. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Emmis buys five NBC radio stations" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 114, no. 8. February 22, 1988. pp. 76–77. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ FCC History Cards for KOA
  4. ^ "Riding gain: Sale switch" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 106, no. 9. February 27, 1984. p. 58. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ a b "$300 million sale would set radio-only record; NBC sale of WKYS is new stand-alone FM record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 114, no. 15. April 11, 1988. p. 36. Retrieved February 26, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "Minority station deal one of biggest." by Julie A. Zier, Broadcasting and Cable, November 7, 1994, pp. 60-61.
  7. ^ a b "In brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 113, no. 22. November 30, 1987. p. 136. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ FCC History Cards for KGO
  9. ^ a b c "FCC Okays Transfer of WJZ, KGO, WENR" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 54, no. 5. January 31, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved October 10, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  10. ^ FCC History Cards for WSBN
  11. ^ "RCA + GE: Marriage made in takeover heaven" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 109, no. 25. December 16, 1985. pp. 43–45. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ "GE/RCA go for it at FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 110, no. 7. February 17, 1986. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Westwood One acquires NBC Radio for $50 million" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 113, no. 4. July 27, 1987. pp. 35–36. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "NBC SELLS ITS RADIO NETWORK". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1987. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  15. ^ "NBC to Sell Its Radio Networks". The New York Times. July 21, 1987. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  16. ^ "NBC's radio stations are on the block" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 114, no. 4. January 25, 1988. p. 43. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "In brief: FAN for sale." Broadcasting, May 16, 1988, pg. 89.
  18. ^ "In brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 115, no. 15. October 10, 1988. pp. 88–89. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  19. ^ "Under new management." Broadcasting, October 3, 1988, pg. 55.
  20. ^ Halberstam, David J. (1999). Sports On New York Radio: A Play-By-Play History. McGraw-Hill. p. 324. ISBN 978-1570281976.
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