WWO News ''America In The Morning'' Celebrates 35th Year

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://news.****************/articles/n37462/WWO-News-America-In-The-Morning-Celebrates-35th-Year

Congrats to the show.

Cumulus Media's Westwood One is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its weekday news magazine, "America in the Morning," which launched September 17, 1984. The program offers up-to-the-minute news reporting from around the country and across the globe, with the latest overnight developments in breaking news, politics, entertainment, business and weather, all delivered first thing in the morning. It currently airs on 332 affiliates, adding six markets in the last two months, including Oklahoma City and Norfolk. It's also heard on the American Forces Radio Network.

 

[umfan]

A great show that managed to endure even after Jim Bohannon, departed as host after 30 years.

OKC is a big gain for the show, which generally doesn't air in larger markets as these markets have established all news stations.

I love starting my day with this show.

 

[umfan]

This morning contained the 35 year look back. Jim Bohannon recalled how the show got it's start because Larry King wanted to drop the last half hour from his show which, at that time, ran from Midnight to 5:30AM. The show expanded to an hour in 1985.

Nice run with, hopefully, many more years to come!

 

[Gregg.]

America in The Morning proved so successful that Mutual launched a different news magazine called "First Light," also from 5 to 6 a.m. Eastern. While AITM is 35 years old, First Light is 30 years old this year. Dirk Van was First Light's original host, then Evan Haning and currently Michael Toscano. Both First Light and AITM are now Westwood One productions, and both make use of Westwood One News, which in turn takes reports and sound from CNN.

Then around 2000, The Wall Street Journal began producing an early morning show, "The Wall Street Journal This Morning," with a mix of financial and national news. When the Journal gave it up, Compass Radio Networks continued it as "This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal." This show is two hours, airing live from 5 to 7 a.m. Eastern. Few of its affiliates take the second hour but I guess enough western stations do to make it worthwhile. Some affiliates of Gordon Deal, AITM and First Light take only the first 30 minutes.

Many iHeart stations, especially outside the largest markets, go with Gordon Deal, while other owners use AITM or First Light. Cumulus does NOT seem to require its biggest talk stations to take one of these shows. So AITM or First Light don't air on WABC, KABC, KGO, WMAL or WBAP. Oddly, WLS takes Gordon Deal while KSFO takes "America's Morning News," yet another early morning show, but with a decidedly conservative outlook. Most Cumulus talk stations outside the larger markets do take AITM or First Light.

 

[TheBigA]

America in The Morning proved so successful that Mutual launched a different news magazine called "First Light," also from 5 to 6 a.m. Eastern.

Ummm….not exactly. First Light was originally branded as "First Light on NBC Radio," which at the time had just been bought by Westwood One. However, Westwood One also owned Mutual, and they both operated from the same building. First Light operated under the NBC Radio banner with Dirk Van as host for about 20 years or so until the NBC Radio name went back to NBC Universal.