the largest producer and distributor of audio
content in the United States, offering a wide
range of programs and content including:
• News
• Music
• Sports
• Entertainment
• Talk
• Features
• Live Events
The Company’s rich history began in 1974 with a single syndicated Motown music program. Building upon the success of that one program, the company began to develop more programming, in more genres and formats, and provided that programming to radio stations across the country.
In fact, there was a time when outside of concert going, radio was the only place we could hear live performances of even the biggest bands and artists. And no one brought more of it to more of America than Westwood One.
In 1984, Westwood One went public (NASDAQ). The following year the Company acquired Mutual Broadcasting System and two years later the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) radio network from General Electric. The acquisition of these two powerhouse sports & information networks took Westwood One’s national radio presence to new heights, including bringing the National Football League under the Company umbrella. In 1989 the Westwood One News and Entertainment Network was born.
Westwood One bought Infinity’s entertainment driven Unistar Radio Networks in 1994 and at the same time hired Infinity Broadcasting (now known as CBS Radio) to manage the Company.
In what was to be another pivotal moment in Westwood One history, 1996 saw the acquisition of Shadow Broadcast Services, which provides sports, traffic, weather and general news to the radio industry. This set the stage for Westwood One’s 1999 acquisition of Metro Networks, the largest traffic and news operation in the world, serving both the radio and television industries; and now the World Wide Web.
Traffic operations were enhanced yet again in 2000 with the acquisition of SmartRoute Systems, which manages traffic information centers for state and local departments of transportation, and markets traffic and travel content to wireless, Internet, in-vehicle navigation systems and voice portal customers. Today, Westwood One (NYSE: WON) serves more than 5,000 radio and television stations, and the online community, providing more than 150 programming options and local content.
