With no comment from CBS News Radio, Skyview Networks or Hubbard Radio regarding the defection of top-rated all-News WTOP-FM in Washington, D.C. from CBS to ABC News Radio after more than 75 years of affiliation, Black Rock solidified its existing relationships with three key radio broadcasting companies.
In an announcement made shortly after Midnight Eastern by CBS News CFO Charles Pavlounis, CBS News Radio has inked new affiliation agreements with Entercom Communications, Alpha Media and Saga Communications.
Among the Entercom stations keeping CBS News Radio are several high-profile stations formerly owned by CBS: WCBS-AM 880 in New York, KNX-AM 1070 in Los Angeles, WBBM-AM 780 in Chicago, KYW-AM 1060 in Philadelphia, KRLD-AM 1080 in Dallas, KCBS-AM 740 & FM 106.9 in San Francisco and KMOX-AM 1120 in St Louis.
The agreement with Entercom includes a co-producing arrangement for a :60 original update each weekday and a two-hour weekend original long-form program addressing veterans’ issues, both titled Eye on Veterans.
At Alpha Media, “FM News 101” KXL-FM 101.1 in Portland, Ore., and WSGW-AM in Saginaw, Mich., are staying with CBS.
Saga stations sticking with CBS News Radio include WGAN-AM in Portland, Me; WTAX-AM in Springfield, Mass., and WINA-AM in Charlottesville, Va.
CBS News Radio also renewed key affiliation agreements with iHeartMedia’s recently acquired WBZ-AM 1030 in Boston and Sinclair-owned KIRO-AM & FM in Seattle, two long-standing affiliates. However, WBZ offers local news at the top-of-the-hour in several dayparts.
Pavlounis said, “Our affiliate lineup is growing, and we have terrific new programming on the horizon.”
Even so, CBS News Radio finds itself with a big hole in the Nation’s Capital. As RBR+TVBR first reported Tuesday (1/2), WTOP is now providing listeners content from ABC News Radio. The change does not impact Hubbard’s relationship with distribution partner Skyview Networks, however: As of Jan. 1 at Midnight Eastern, CBS News Radio and ABC News Radio are distribution siblings.
CBS News Radio also lacks a presence in South Florida, where WSWN-AM 900 in the West Palm Beach market had served as the lone affiliate between the Treasure Coast and Key West. The station was sold by JVC Broadcasting and has returned to a Gospel format as “Sugar 900,” which aired on WSWN in the 1980s and 1990s.
CBS News Radio Manager of Affiliate Relations Amy Bolton did not respond to RBR+TVBR‘s request for comment. Multiple requests for comment from WTOP also yielded no response.
