What Cumulus Told Westwood News Affiliates

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In a letter sent out Thursday evening, Cumulus notified all 900 plus Westwood One News affiliates its service would be shutting down August 30, due to extraordinary circumstances.

“Due to the extraordinary circumstances in the current marketplace, Westwood One News will be ceasing operations effective on Sunday, August 30, 2020, following the 11:30pm ET newscast.  Please accept this letter as official notification of the cancellation of this service.

“As you can imagine, this was an extraordinarily difficult decision not only given the strength and quality of our award-winning news product, but also the depth and experience of the impeccable Westwood One News team,” said Suzanne Grimes, President, Westwood One.

“Bart Tessler, EVP Westwood One News added, “Thank you to our 962 stations and the Westwood One Affiliate Sales team. It has been a pleasure leading this division of great broadcast journalists. In just 5 1/2 years, Westwood One News went from launch to winners of leading industry honors, including Edward R Murrow, Sigma Del Chi, National Headliner, New York Radio Festival, and Golden Mike awards. We are very proud of the coverage and programming we provided, as well as your support and participation in our success.”

Cumulus says the change will not impact its personality driven News/Talk programming brands: Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire, Jim Bohannon, Michael Savage, Dan Bongino, Dave Rubin, and Red Eye Radio.

 

9 COMMENTS

  1. Cumulus says the change will not impact its personality driven News/Talk programming brands: Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire, Jim Bohannon, Michael Savage, Dan Bongino, Dave Rubin, and Red Eye Radio.

  2. one would hope Cumulus would close down the whole operation.
    It is not serving any useful social purpose and neither are the people above.
    Send them into retirement………a quiet retirement.
    ………eddie ytuarte

    • Yours is another toxic and empty comment, eddie, which contributes absolutely nothing constructive or meaningful to the conversation…

  3. If you’ve heard the spot loads on network radio newscasts in recent years you realize this day of reckoning has been coming for quite a while.

  4. “Cumulus says the change will not impact its personality driven News/Talk programming brands: Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire, Jim Bohannon, Michael Savage, Dan Bongino, Dave Rubin, and Red Eye Radio.”

    Yet.

    Up until yesterday, they might have made the same comment about WW1 News.

  5. Bob, wolverine70, and others: This shutdown does not affect the talk shows. It is only the top and bottom of the hour newscasts that will be ending.

    Levin, Plante, Shapiro and the other talk shows are just fine, and not going anywhere.

  6. What will happen to the individual shows such as First Light, Levin, Plante, Bohannon, Shapiro, Bongino, Savage and the others?

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