Westwood One’s syndicated America in the Morning aired its final edition Friday, ending a 42-year run as a general-interest early-morning network newscast.
The program began on the Mutual Broadcasting Network in 1984 with Jim Bohannon. John Trout, who became host in 2015, carried the format through its final broadcast. Its weekend companion, America This Week, is also ending.
Affiliates receive a very different replacement
Westwood One plans to replace the weekday newscast Monday with a morning edition of The Bongino Report. That is not simply a host change. It shifts affiliates from a broad national-news product toward a personality-driven political program.
Stations now must decide whether the replacement fits their format, audience expectations, advertiser relationships and public-service responsibilities. Affiliates that used America in the Morning to provide overnight and early-morning national coverage may need another news source if the new program does not match their positioning.
What the ending says about network radio
The decision arrives as many radio networks emphasize opinion, recognizable personalities and multiplatform distribution. Those products can generate loyalty, but they do not necessarily replace the reporting function of a general-interest newscast.
Westwood One has not publicly explained whether audience performance, advertising, production costs or a broader strategic change drove the cancellation. Radio News Now is seeking clarity from the company, John Trout and affiliates regarding the decision and their next steps.
Radio News Now question
When a national news program disappears, who supplies dependable reporting to the smaller stations that cannot maintain a full overnight newsroom?
Source: Radio Ink’s September 18 report.