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ABC News Radio is ABC News's radio news service. It runs, through ABC Radio Networks, newscasts on the hour transmitted to its more than 2,000 affiliates. ABC News Radio is the largest radio news organization in the US, according to ABC Radio's website. *
ABC Radio aired the first broadcast report of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. Don Gardiner anchored the initial bulletin at 1:36:50pm ET on November 22, 1963, minutes before any other radio or television network.
ABC fed hourly newscasts to affiliates at
55 past the hour until January 1, 1968, when the singular ABC radio network "split" into four separate and distinct programming services. The "American Contemporary Network," on major-market music stations like WABC New York, aired news at 55. "American Information Network" news ran at the top of the hour. ABC's "FM" network carried news geared toward younger listeners at 15 past, while the "American Entertainment Network" had news at the bottom of the hour.
Before the "split," ABC obtained a waiver of the FCC's "Chain Broadcasting" rule, which forced the sale of NBC's Blue network and enabled ABC's creation in 1943. Though each of the four new "networks" were carried on the same 5kHz telco line, 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. Two additional news networks, Rock and Direction, were added later.
Of those six, only Information and Entertainment remain as separate newscast services today, with their programming delivered via satellite. Individual news cuts and reporter packages are also delivered to stations via satellite and a website. In 2006 ABC News Radio launched a new FM network news product targeted toward a younger audience. The "Information" network newscasts clear on major-market stations like WABC New York, KABC Los Angeles, WLS Chicago, KGO San Francisco, WMAL Washington, and WBAP Ft. Worth/Dallas (all of which are owned by ABC) and many other large market stations. "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. There are shorter newscasts that air at 30, 45, 50, and 57 past the hour. They are no longer identified on air by their "brand" name. The standard format is the same for both, with the Entertainment network having shorter stories and the Information network having slightly longer stories and more global coverage.
ABC News Radio also produces Paul Harvey News and Comment, which originates from Chicago.
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