Nationwide Communications, Inc.
FormerlyPeoples Broadcasting Corporation
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryBroadcasting
(Television and radio)
Founded1946 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Defunct1998
FateDissolved and defunct
Successor
Headquarters
Columbus, Ohio
,
USA
Area served
Nationwide across the continental United States
ParentNationwide Insurance Company

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)

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

All stations are arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license.

  • (**) – Indicates a station that was built and signed-on by Nationwide Communications or predecessor Peoples Broadcasting Corporation.

Radio stations

AM Station FM Station
City of license / Market Station Years owned Current status
Phoenix, AZ KCHT/KHTC/KGLQ 96.9[1] 1995–1998KMXP, owned by iHeartMedia
KZZP-FM/KVRY 104.7[2][3][4] 1985–1998KZZP, owned by iHeartMedia
Tucson, AZ KNST 940 1985–1993KGMS, owned by Robert and Luann Wilkins
KRQQ 93.7[2][5] 1985–1993Owned by iHeartMedia
Sacramento, CA KZAP/KNCI 98.5[2][6][7] 1985–1994KRXQ, owned by Audacy, Inc.
San Diego, CA KCEO 1000[8][9] 1996–1997Owned by Immaculate Heart Radio
KFSD-FM/KXGL 94.1 1996–1998KMYI, owned by iHeartMedia
KUPR/KMCG 95.7[8][10] 1996–1998KSSX, owned by iHeartMedia
San Jose, CA KWSS 94.5[2][11] 1985–1991KBAY, owned by Alpha Media
Orlando, FL WZKD 950[12] 1982–1983WORL, owned by Salem Media Group
WBJW-FM 105.1[2][13] 1982–1996WOMX-FM, owned by Audacy, Inc.
Winter Park, FL WBJW-AM 1140[2][14] 1982–1986WPRD, owned by J & V Communications, Inc.
Des Moines, IA KSO/KGGO/KDMI 1460 1980s–1990sKXNO, owned by iHeartMedia
Baltimore, MD WPOC 93.1[2][15] 1974–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN KMJZ/KSGS 950 1995–1998KTNF, owned by JR Broadcasting
KMJZ-FM 104.1 1995–1998KZJK, owned by Audacy, Inc.
Las Vegas–Henderson, NV KMJJ/KZAP/KXNO 1140[16][2] 1985–1996Defunct, ceased operations in 2023 as KXST
KLUC-FM 98.5[2] 1985–1995Owned by Audacy, Inc.
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC WKZL 107.5[17] 1981–1991Owned by Dick Broadcasting
Cleveland, OH WGAR 1220 1953–1990WHKW, owned by Salem Media Group
WNCR/WKSW/WGAR-FM 99.5 1953–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
WMMS 100.7 1996–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
WMJI 105.7 1996–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
Columbus, OH WRFD 880 ** 1947–1974Owned by Salem Media Group
WCOL/WFII 1230 1994–1998WYTS, owned by iHeartMedia
WCOL-FM 92.3 1994–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
WRFD-FM/WNCI 97.9 ** 1961–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX KEGL 97.1 1996–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
KDMX 102.9 1991–1998Owned by iHeartMedia
Houston–Galveston, TX KLEF 94.5 1970sKTBZ-FM, owned by iHeartMedia
KHMX 96.5 1989–1998Owned by Audacy, Inc.
Richmond, VA WLEE 1480 1968–1983Defunct, ceased operations in 1988
Seattle–Tacoma, WA KISW 99.9 1987–1996Owned by Audacy, Inc.

Television stations

City of license / Market Station Channel Years owned Current status
Sioux City, IA KVTV ** 91953–1965ABC affiliate KCAU-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group
Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN KITN-TV 291985–1993MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC, owned by Fox Television Stations
Columbus, OH WNCI-TV 28—Never made it to air
Knoxville, TN WATE-TV 61965–1994ABC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Richmond, VA WXEX-TV/WRIC-TV 81967–1994ABC affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
Green Bay, WI WBAY-TV 21974–1994ABC affiliate owned by Gray Television

References

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