List of radio stations formerly owned by NBC

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

Note: This list does not include WJZ (now WABC (AM)) in New York or WENR (which later merged into WLS (AM)) in Chicago, which were NBC-owned Blue Network stations prior to the split of the two networks in 1942. Two other stations, WMAL (now WSBN) in Washington, D.C. and KGO in San Francisco, are omitted; these Blue Network affiliates were managed by NBC but owned by other entities. In addition, KOA in Denver was managed by NBC from 1930 until 1941, when it was purchased by NBC.

In February 1984, NBC sold WRC in Washington, D.C. to Greater Media for $3.6 million.[1] WRC was later rechristened WWRC (it is now WTEM), and this sale ultimately would be the start of NBC's exit from the radio business altogether.

General Electric would reacquire NBC's parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), in early 1986.[2] Shortly thereafter, GE announced intentions to sell off the entire radio division. The reasons for this were threefold: first, the radio network and station group had struggled to make a profit for the past several years (compounded by flagship station WNBC in New York City having been in a severe ratings crisis due to a dayparted patchwork format). Secondly, FCC ownership rules at the time did not allow a new owner outside of broadcasting – as General Electric was a manufacturer – to own both radio and television stations in the same market. Thirdly, GE had already divested their existing radio properties (including WJIB in Boston, which was ironically sold by GE to NBC in 1983), deciding that the radio business, as well as RCA's, did not fit their strategic objectives. The remainder of RCA was divided and spun off to Bertelsmann and Thomson SA.[3] Prior to 1986, operating NBC Radio was done almost out of tradition by RCA and was considered to be in the "public good," an attitude that started to change with the advent of deregulation.

On July 20, 1987, Westwood One acquired the programming assets of the NBC Radio Network, The Source and Talknet in a $50 million deal.[4] The NBC-owned stations were sold to various buyers over the next two years, in the following manner:

• Chicago: WMAQ was acquired by Westinghouse Broadcasting in November 1987.[5] The new owners were allowed to retain both WMAQ's call sign and plans to move into new studios at the NBC Tower in Chicago, which opened in 1989. WMAQ's talk programming was replaced by an all-news format patterned after Westinghouse's all-news outlets in New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. WKQX was packaged along with four other stations to Emmis Communications of Indianapolis in February 1988[6] and notably held a modern rock format from 1992 until 2011.
• Washington, D.C.: In April 1988, WKYS was sold to minority-controlled Albimar Communications, who would keep the station's urban contemporary format intact.[7] Albimar would go on to encounter many financial troubles while owning WKYS, resulting in the station's sale to a local firm, the nascent Radio One in late 1994.[8] WKYS would end up becoming one of the flagship stations in the minority-owned broadcast chain.
• New York City: Emmis Communications purchased both WNBC and WYNY, but as Emmis already owned an AM/FM combination in New York (WFAN and WQHT) the company was required to sell off two frequencies.[9] Emmis chose to move its existing stations to the former NBC frequencies, sparking a somewhat complicated frequency switch that occurred in two parts during the fall of 1988. On September 22, WQHT moved to WYNY's former home at 97.1 FM, and Westwood One acquired WYNY's intellectual property (call letters and format) and WQHT's former dial position (103.5 FM) from Emmis.[10] Then, on October 7, WNBC was shut down and WFAN's intellectual property took over the 660 kHz frequency.[11] (WFAN's previous 1050 kHz frequency was eventually sold to the publishers of The Jewish Daily Forward). WFAN hired WNBC's Don Imus and grafted his morning show onto their station, and also inherited WNBC's play-by-play rights to the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks. In addition to WFAN's existing contract with the New York Mets, the switch to 660 AM helped to boost that station's fledgling sports radio format.[12]
• Boston: WJIB went to Emmis in the same deal, and its beautiful music format was replaced with smooth jazz in 1990, along with a call letter change (it is now WBQT).
• San Francisco: Upon Emmis' takeover of KYUU, the new owners changed the station's format to contemporary hit radio from adult contemporary, and changed the call sign to KXXX (it is now KMVQ-FM). Emmis sold the station within two years after it failed to make ratings headway. KNBR was the final radio property owned by NBC when it was unloaded in March 1989 to Susquehanna Radio Corporation.[13] A year later KNBR adopted an all-sports format built around The Rush Limbaugh Show and the San Francisco Giants and modeled after WFAN, the successor of KNBR's former sister station WNBC.