Nationwide Communications

Nationwide Communications Inc., originally known as Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio stations to Cincinnati-based Jacor for a reported $620 million, and its television stations to Young Broadcasting. The service division was spun off and became Nationwide Communications Services L.L.C. in 1998.

1960 advertisement for Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, later known as Nationwide Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. (Note the Nationwide "eagle" logo inside the Peoples microphone logo)
Nationwide Communications, Inc.
Formerly
Peoples Broadcasting Corporation
Subsidiary
IndustryBroadcasting
(Television and radio)
FateDissolved and defunct
SuccessorRadio:
Jacor (now part of iHeartMedia)
Television:
Young Broadcasting (now part of Nexstar Media Group)
Founded1946 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Defunct1998
Headquarters
Columbus, Ohio
Area served
Nationwide across the continental United States
ParentNationwide Insurance Company

In 1946, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation first got into broadcasting through a radio service for farmers on WRFD, Columbus, Ohio, an AM radio station. The Ohio Farm Bureau was dedicated to serving farmers in Ohio, but as its other pursuits (chiefly the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company) were increasingly made available to non-farmers, the Farm Bureau spun off these ventures into a separate corporation. WRFD continued to serve farmers, and indeed, still carries farm programming today under the ownership of Salem Media of Ohio. However, other Farm Bureau stations—most notably WRFD-FM, now known as WNCI—were transferred to this umbrella corporation, known today as the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies. The group of stations became known as Nationwide Communications, after its parent company.

Nationwide Communications owned a total of five television stations, though none in its home market of Columbus, or Ohio. The first television station it owned was KVTV-TV (now KCAU-TV) in Sioux City, Iowa, which was sold in 1965 to purchase WATE-TV, Channel 6, Knoxville, Tennessee. The company's second purchase was WXEX-TV (now WRIC-TV), Channel 8, Petersburg, Virginia in 1968, its third station was WBAY-TV, Channel 2, Green Bay, Wisconsin, purchased in 1974, and its fourth station purchase was KITN (now WFTC), Channel 29, in Minneapolis in 1985. Three of the four stations were ABC affiliates (WXEX-TV switched from NBC to ABC in 1965, WATE-TV switched from NBC to ABC in 1979, and WBAY-TV switched from CBS to ABC in 1992); the fourth (KITN/WFTC) was an independent and later a Fox affiliate while under Nationwide's stewardship. Nationwide Communications sold all three of its ABC-affiliated television stations in 1993 to Young Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Adam Young, Incorporated, a TV station advertising representation firm; WFTC was sold to Clear Channel Communications the next year. In November 2013, Young merged with Media General, and then itself was merged with Nexstar Media Group in January 2017. WATE and WRIC are now under that company's ownership, while WBAY was spun-off to Gray Television.

In the early 1970s, Nationwide was awarded a license to operate a UHF television station in Columbus, Ohio, on channel 28, with the assigned call letters WNCI-TV. Nationwide, however, did not complete construction of the television station and its license and construction permit was allowed to lapse. The frequency allocation was ultimately awarded to Commercial Radio Institute, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland, which began operation of WTTE. WTTE was the second station owned by the company now known as the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Before ceasing operations, Nationwide Communications was the 16th largest radio group in the United States. Throughout its history, Nationwide owned and operated radio stations in Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington and California.

List of former assets

Radio Stations

Note: All call letters are listed in chronological order—from the left being the oldest to the right being the most recent—during the time a station was owned by Nationwide. Also, stations signed on and built by Nationwide directly are indicated with a spade (♠).

AM Stations
Market Station Frequency Years Owned Sold To Now
Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN KMJZ (AM) / KSGS 950 1995-1998 Jacor - 1998 Progressive talk KTNF, owned by JR Broadcasting
San Diego, CA - Tijuana, BCN KCEO [1][2] 1000 1996-1997 North Country Broadcasting - 1997 Catholic talk, owned by Immaculate Heart Radio
Las Vegas - Henderson, NV KMJJ / KZAP / KXNO [3][4] 1140 1985-1996 American Radio Systems - 1996 CBS Sports Radio O&O KXST, owned by Entercom
Des Moines, IA KSO / KGGO / KDMI 1460 1980s-1990s Unknown Sports talk KXNO, owned by iHeartMedia
Orlando, FL WZKD [5] 950 1982-1983 New City Communications - 1983 Conservative talk WORL, owned by Salem Media Group
WBJW-AM [4][6] 1440 1982-1986 Alleluia Broadcasting - 1986 Spanish variety WPRD, owned by J & V Communications, Inc.
Also repeats on WOTS 1220 in Kissimmee and WSDO 1400 in Sanford.
Columbus, OH WRFD ♠ 880 1947-1974 Buckeye Media - 1974 Christian talk, owned by Salem Media Group
WCOL / WFII 1230 1994-1998 Jacor - 1998 Urban adult contemporary WYTS, owned by IHeartMedia
Also operates a low-power translator at 105.3 FM.
Richmond, VA WLEE [7] 1480 1968-1981 Unknown Defunct and off the air, frequency now occupied by
Regional Mexican WTOX owned by TBLC Holdings, LLC

FM Stations
Market Station Frequency Years Owned Sold To Now
Dallas - Fort Worth, TX KEGL 97.1 1996-1998 Jacor - 1998 Mainstream rock, owned by IHeartMedia
KDMX 102.9 1991-1998 Jacor - 1998 Hot adult contemporary, owned by iHeartMedia
Houston - Galveston, TX KLEF 94.5 1970s and/or 1980s Entercom - 1988 Alternative rock KTBZ-FM, owned by iHeartMedia
Seattle - Tacoma, WA - Vancouver, BC KISW 99.9 1987-1996 Entercom - 1996 Mainstream rock, still owned by Entercom
Phoenix, AZ KCHT / KHTC / KGLQ [8] 96.9 1995-1998 Jacor - 1998 Hot adult contemporary KMXP, owned by iHeartMedia
KZZP-FM / KVRY [4][9][10] 104.7 1985-1998 Jacor - 1998 Contemporary hit radio and Top 40 KZZP, owned by iHeartMedia
Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN KMJZ (FM) 104.1 1995-1998 Jacor - 1998 Adult hits KZJK, owned by Entercom
San Diego, CA - Tijuana, BCN KFSD-FM / KXGL 94.1 1996-1998 Jacor - 1998 Hot adult contemporary KMYI, owned by iHeartMedia
KUPR / KMCG [1][11] 95.7 1996-1998 Jacor - 1998 Urban contemporary KSSX, owned by iHeartMedia
Baltimore, MD WPOC [4][12] 93.1 1974-1998 Jacor - 1998 Country music, owned by iHeartMedia
Sacramento, CA KZAP / KNCI [4][13][14] 98.5 1985-1994 EZ Sacramento - 1994 Active rock KRXQ, owned by Entercom
Las Vegas - Henderson, NV KLUC-FM [4] 98.5 1985-1995 American Radio Systems - 1995 Contemporary hit radio and Top 40, owned by Entercom
Orlando, FL WBJW-FM [4][15] 105.1 1982-1996 Chancellor Media - 1996 Hot adult contemporary WOMX-FM, owned by Entercom
Cleveland, OH WNCR / WKSW / WGAR-FM 99.5 1970-1998 Jacor - 1998 Country music, owned by iHeartMedia
WMMS 100.7 1996-1998 Jacor - 1998 Active rock and hot talk, owned by iHeartMedia
Also operates a low-power translator at 99.1 FM.
WMJI 105.1 1997-1998 Jacor - 1998 Classic hits, owned by iHeartMedia
San Jose, CA KWSS [4][16] 94.5 1985-1991 Shamrock Broadcasting - 1991 Classic hits KBAY, owned by Alpha Media
Columbus, OH WRFD-FM / WNCI ♠ 97.9 1961-1998 Jacor - 1998 Contemporary hit radio and Top 40, owned by iHeartMedia
Greensboro - Winston-Salem - High Point, NC WKZL [17] 107.5 1981-1991 HAPA, Inc. - 1991 Mainstream Top 40, owned by Dick Broadcasting
Tucson, AZ KRQQ [4][18] 93.7 1985-1993 Prism Radio Networks, L.P. - 1993 Top 40, owned by iHeartMedia

Television Stations

Note: All call letters are listed in chronological order—from the left being the oldest to the right being the most recent—during the time a station was owned by Nationwide. Also, stations signed on and built by Nationwide directly are indicated with a diamond (♦).

Market Station Years Owned Sold To Now
Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN KITN-TV 29 1985-1993 Clear Channel Communications - 1993 MyNetworkTV O&O WFTC, owned by Fox Television Stations
Also operates a full-power satellite station, KFTC channel 29 in Bemidji, along with several translator stations across central and eastern Minnesota.
Columbus, OH WNCI-TV 28 1970s Never made it to air Defunct and off the air, frequency now occupied by Fox network affiliate WTTE
WTTE is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Richmond - Petersburg, VA WXEX-TV / WRIC-TV 8 1967-1994 Young Broadcasting - 1994 ABC network affiliate, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Knoxville, TN WATE-TV 6 1965-1994 Young Broadcasting - 1994 ABC network affiliate, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Green Bay - Appleton, WI WBAY-TV 2 1974-1994 Young Broadcasting - 1994 ABC network affiliate, owned by Gray Television
Sioux City, IA KVTV 9 ♦ 1953-1965 Forward Communications - 1965 ABC network affiliate KCAU-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Also operates a low-power translator, KCAU-LD on channel 30.
gollark: WHY WOULD YOU SET THEM ON FIRE
gollark: OH APIOFORMS PLEASE STOP FIREBLASTING ALL THINGS
gollark: * 🐝
gollark: OH :BEE:
gollark: Oh no.

References
  1. "BROADCAST ACTIONS - REPORT NO. 43859". FCC.gov. November 1, 1996. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  2. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KCEO". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  3. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KXST". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  4. Nationwide Buying Western Cities' Seven Stations. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1984. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. "WZKD-AM 950 Orlando (Central Florida Radio)". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  6. "WBJW-AM 1440 Winter Park (Central Florida Radio)". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  7. "Google Search - WLEE radio". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  8. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KMXP". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  9. "Public Notice Comment". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  10. "Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on July 28, 1986 · Page 21". July 28, 1986. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  11. Morris, Duane. "Media and Communications". Martindale.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  12. "Baltimore Radio 1984 - WPOC from the Rotunda Studios". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  13. "Dennis Newhall fulfilled dream to become a KZAP DJ". Valley Community Newspapers, Inc. September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  14. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KRXQ". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  15. "WBJW-FM 105.1 Orlando (Central Florida Radio)". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  16. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KBAY". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  17. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - WKZL". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  18. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC - KRQQ". Retrieved September 2, 2017.
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