ABC News Radio

ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Citadel Media, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates. ABC News Radio is the largest commercial radio news organization in the US.

ABC Radio aired the first broadcast report of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas at 18:30 UTC and Don Gardiner anchored the initial bulletin at 18:36:50 UTC, minutes before any other radio or television network.

Beginning in the late 1950s, 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 on major-market stations like KGO San Francisco. The American FM Network (now ABC News Now) carried news geared toward adult FM listeners at :15 past, while the American Entertainment Network had news at the bottom of the hour.

Before the "split," ABC reached an understanding with the FCC concerning the "Chain Broadcasting" rule, which forced the sale of NBC's Blue network and enabled ABC's creation in 1943. Each of the four networks could be cleared only when no other ABC network was on the air in a...
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