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The story
The network was the second-oldest unit of Paramount Skydance Corporation after Paramount Pictures. CBS Radio traces its roots to CBS's predecessor, United Independent Broadcasters, founded in 1927 with 47 network affiliates. Before United Independent Broadcasters went to air, Columbia Records invested in the radio network, which was renamed the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System. Eventually, the record company pulled its backing from the struggling web. William S. Paley bought a half-interest in what became the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1928 and became its president. (In 1938, CBS bought its former parent, Columbia Records.)
In its early years, the news service on the CBS network consisted only of United Press bulletins being read out on the air. The network's first regular news program, a five-minute segment on the morning show Something for Everyone, was introduced in 1929. In December 1930, CBS chief Paley hired journalist Paul W. White away from United Press as CBS's news editor. Paley put the radio network's news operation at the same level as entertainment, and authorized White to interrupt programming if events warranted. Along with other networks, CBS chafed at the breaking news embargo imposed upon radio by the wire services, which prevented them from using bulletins until they first appeared in print. CBS disregarded an embargo when it broke the story of the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932, using live on-the-air reporting. Radio networks scooped print outlets with news of the 1932 presidential election.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Corporation announced that its shareholders had acquired a majority stake in Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.), whose corporate management would continue to oversee the company along with CBS's radio assets. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. The CBS News Radio network service continued to be managed by CBS News. The shareholders sold their controlling stake in Audacy to Soros Fund Management in 2024.
On August 2, 2017, CBS announced that it had signed a contract with Skyview Networks for distribution of CBS News Radio. This went into effect January 1, 2018. On October 22, 2025, Audacy-owned Infinity Networks announced that it would take over distribution of CBS News Radio.
From Wikipedia’s article on CBS News Radio, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4