Arkansas Radio Network (ARN) was a statewide

radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio ( duplex communication) type ...

serving

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

s in the state of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. ARN was headquartered in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

operating from its

flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyalt ...

KARN-FM and ended its existence under the ownership of

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

History

ARN began their broadcasting activities in 1967 and for 55 years provided affiliates in Arkansas top news headlines, agriculture business news,

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

, and specialty programming. The Network started as the Delta Farm Network, an early morning program by KARK Farm Director Bob Buice, who also appeared on KARK-TV. Known for his velvet-like voice, he also did a weekend program on the Network for many years called ''Uncle Bob's Stories from the Bible''. The network later expanded to include the ''AP&L'' (Arkansas Power and Light, later Entergy) ''Live Better Electrically Hour'', a program of music played in the late morning and broadcast over KARK-FM's signal. Ted Snider purchased KARK AM-FM from Mullins Broadcasting and founded the Arkansas Radio Network with newscasts provided by KARK-TV Newscasters (Don Corbett and Les Bolton) and Sportscaster Jim Elder. KARK was distributed by KARK-FM or by relays through other FM stations (KNBY-FM in Newport to KRLW-Walnut Ridge as an example). ARN's growth came in the early 1980s, when distribution moved to satellite, although the number of affiliates had been growing into the 1970s. ARN was a staple across the state in the 1980s and 1990s, with the newscast broadcast at :55 minutes past each hour. Bob Buice was succeeded as Ag Director by John Philpot, and later by Stewert Doan. In mid-February 2022,

(which acquired ARN through its 2011 acquisition of

Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...

) informed ARN's eighteen remaining affiliates that it planned to suspend the network's operations effective March 20.

References

External links

* * American radio networks Mass media in Arkansas Cumulus Media radio stations {{arkansas-stub

History

See also

References

External links