One of the most successful radio formats has been on the air for over sixty years, yet it is only heard in eight of the top eleven US markets. Typically, the All-News station has more listeners than News-Talk outlets and enjoys younger demos. Here is how it all began:
On May 6, 1961, legendary Texas broadcaster Gordon McLendon launched All-News on 77,000-watt 690 XETRA, Tijuana, known as “X-TRA News over Los Angeles.” This was likely America’s first All-News radio station. On September 3, 1964, McLendon launched America’s second All-News station, WNUS-AM, Chicago and added an FM simulcast in 1965.
Westinghouse Broadcasting changed 1010 WINS from Top 40 to All-News in New York City in 1965. “You give us 22 minutes, and we’ll give you the world” is their legendary positioning statement, which still airs today. Later that year, Westinghouse changed KYW in Philadelphia to All-News. In March of 1968, Westinghouse’s KFWB in Los Angeles left Top 40 for All-News. Like WINS and KYW in Philadelphia, KFWB ran a teletype sound effect in the ground during newscasts.
Several months later, CBS-owned KNX in LA jumped to All-News. For the next 27 years, the two stations were competitors. Westinghouse and CBS merged in 1995. Two other CBS-owned stations changed to All-News in 1968: WBBM Chicago (then WNUS changed format) and KCBS San Francisco. WTOP in Washington, then owned by the Washington Post, went All-News in 1969 (it is owned by Hubbard today).
WCBS in New York evolved to All-News in 1972 using the “News Radio” moniker; this is the same year WWJ in Detroit went All-News. NBC Radio replaced its “Monitor” national network with an all-news network called NIS (News & Information Service) in 1975; it ended in 1977. WBZ Boston changed to All-News in 1991, and KRLD Dallas in 2010, although just 6 AM-6 PM, with Talk at night. The last surviving All-News station is KOMO Seattle (now KNWN), which was launched by then-owner Fisher Broadcasting in 2002 (now Lotus today).
Likely inspired by WINS and WCBS, Ted Turner launched CNN Headline News in 1982 with its half-hour news cycle. Like the CBS Radio clock, HLN had the world and national news at 00/30, weather at 08/38, business news at 15/45, sports at 20/50, and lifestyle (Hollywood) news at 25/55. Lynne Russell effectively sold the news clock in a 1980s TV commercial walking on a giant lit clock with these news segments pictured. https://youtu.be/QnIZPuEoFis In 2005, HLN augmented this format with personality-based programs with Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace, leaving All-News.
In 2010, Corus Entertainment (formally Shaw Media) in Canada extended its Global News TV network to radio. It changed its major market Canadian radio stations to All-News as Global News Radio – in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London ONT, and Toronto. This network ultimately evolved from All-News to News Talk.
Talk Radio Network created a national All-News radio network in 2011. AARN America’s Radio News Network launched with 15 hours of All-News daily M-F on 340 affiliates, mostly in smaller markets, before it went silent in 2013.
With the demise of AARN, Fox News Radio started “Fox News Headlines 24/7” in 2015 exclusively to SiriusXM subscribers. This live-anchored All-News channel presented news in fifteen-minute blocks with Sports is at 05/35, business at 12/42, and entertainment news at 28/58.
WCBS-AM in New York announced the end of their 52-year All-News format in August 2024, as the 880 frequency is leased to ESPN-New York. Audacy sister station, 1010 WINS, then became NYC’s only All-News station; it was always higher rated and more profitable than WCBS.
Most of the All-News stations in the US are former CBS-owned stations, and they carry CBS news on the hour and half-hour, traffic and weather “on the 8’s” at 08, 18, 28, etc., six times an hour, Sports at 15/45, and Money News from Bloomberg or local at 25/55. The WINS clock is more contemporary, with Traffic and transit every ten minutes on the 1’s (they have no network affiliation), Weather every 4 minutes, Sports at 15 and 45, and Business at 26 and 56.
All-News is a viable radio format, though expensive to produce. Perhaps the only way to save news radio is for this unique format to evolve.
Header image shows Paul Murnane and Wayne Cabot at 880AM during a broadcast, in New York City on Thursday, April 20, 2023
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John Lund is President of the Lund Media Group, a radio programming, broadcast consulting, and research firm with specialists in all mainstream radio formats. You can leave a comment below or email him at John@Lundradio.com.