Arkansas Radio Network
Radio network in Arkansas, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arkansas Radio Network (ARN) was a statewide radio network serving radio stations in the state of Arkansas. ARN was headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas operating from its flagship station KARN-FM and ended its existence under the ownership of Cumulus Media.
- 700 Wellington Hills Road
- Little Rock, AR 72211
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Arkansas Radio Network |
| History | |
| Launch date | 1967 |
| Closed | March 20, 2022 |
History
ARN began their broadcasting activities in 1967 and for 55 years provided affiliates in Arkansas top news headlines, agriculture business news, sports, and specialty programming.[1]
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 100 kW 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, Cumulus Media (which acquired ARN through its 2011 acquisition of Citadel Broadcasting) informed ARN's eighteen remaining affiliates that it planned to suspend the network's operations effective March 20.[2]
