Compass Media Networks

• 1. Introduction

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  Compass Media Networks stepped onto the American radio landscape in January 2009, at a moment when the industry's older giants were reshaping through buyouts and mergers. The company launched with a clear focus: programming, representation, and marketing services for national radio. Behind it was Peter Kosann, a figure who had led Westwood One as CEO and served as chief operating officer at Connoisseur Media. What drew him to build something new rather than fold into the consolidation happening around him? And how did a startup radio network carve out territory in NFL broadcasts, morning news, conservative talk, and country music all at once? The answers lie in a series of strategic moves that began in the company's very first year and kept expanding.

• 2. Morning Voices

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  Gregg Daniels and Chris Michael bring their morning drive show, Free Beer and Hot Wings, to classic rock, alternative rock, and active rock stations across the country. Daniels goes by the on-air name "Free Beer" and Michael by "Hot Wings," joined by producers Steve and Kelly. The format is comedy and hot talk, aimed squarely at the drive-time audience. DeDe McGuire anchors a different kind of morning show: DeDe In The Morning is a syndicated urban program that originates from KKDA-FM in Dallas, Texas, and is owned by Service Broadcasting. On weekdays at 5 a.m. Eastern, Gordon Deal and cohost Jennifer Kushinka host This Morning, America's First News, a four-hour news and information program for news-talk stations. Producer Michael Gavin works behind the scenes on the show, which also produces a recorded one-hour roundup for Saturday or Sunday mornings on many of its weekday affiliates. A podcast version runs Monday through Saturday.

• 3. Talk and Business

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  Lars Larson hosts a conservative political talk show from KXL-FM in Portland, Oregon, reaching dozens of affiliates across the country. Compass added a national business program early in its existence: The Market Score Board Report with Ron Insana debuted nationally on the 11th of May 2009, offering daily business reports Monday through Friday at the open and close of the stock market. Markley, Van Camp and Robbins began with co-hosts Jamie Markley and David van Camp and entered national syndication in 2019 from WMBD in Peoria, Illinois. Scott Robbins joined later, prompting the expanded name. The show airs live between noon and 3 p.m. Eastern on weekdays. When Rush Limbaugh died in 2021, the program stepped into his timeslot on many Alpha Media stations, with other stations opting to air it on tape delay. Todd Schnitt, a conservative host based in Tampa, broadcast live weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern on WHNZ, distributing his show to nearly two dozen affiliates.

• 4. Inheriting Westwood One

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  When Westwood One was bought out by Dial Global, Compass moved quickly to acquire several of its former weekend music programs. Among the shows that changed hands were The Beatle Years with Bob Malik, Out of Order with Jed the Fish, and Off the Record with Uncle Joe Benson. Country Gold had long run on Saturday nights under Westwood One, but after that network brought in a new host, Compass hired the previous host, Josh "Rowdy Yates" Holstead, to continue the original format under the name The Original Country Gold. Compass also holds rights to The Deep End with Nick Michaels, a program that had not previously been part of the Westwood One catalog. When Dial Global later merged with Cumulus Media Networks, another wave of acquisitions followed. Compass picked up the M. G. Kelly syndicated program library, excluding American Hit List, and added the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40. Big D and Bubba, previously distributed by Premiere Networks, joined the Compass lineup as well.

• 5. Football on the Radio

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  Compass, working in conjunction with Dial Global, began broadcasting a slate of Sunday afternoon NFL games starting with the 2009 season. That first year, individual agreements with eight teams formed the foundation: the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins. The Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals joined the agreement in 2010. Four more teams came on board for the 2011 season: the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks. New contracts in 2011 expanded Compass's NFL coverage to 60 games a season. That same year, the Cowboys and Raiders became Compass's two exclusive team broadcasts. The Raiders had signed on in 2009, while the Cowboys joined fully in 2011. By virtue of which teams were involved in the two international games that year, Compass held exclusive national radio rights to both the NFL International Series and the Bills Toronto Series in 2011. Brent Musburger voices the Las Vegas Raiders broadcasts, joined by analyst Lincoln Kennedy and studio host Tim Cates.

• 6. College Sports and Baseball

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  Dial Global and Compass announced a slate of NCAA football games starting in the 2009 season, drawing games from the Pac-12, Western Athletic, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Conference USA, and Southeastern conferences. In December 2009, Compass secured national radio broadcasting rights for the Texas Bowl, though ESPN Radio took over those rights the following year. By 2012, Compass's college football coverage had narrowed to games from the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. NCAA basketball followed in July 2009, when Compass announced it would expand into that sport. The network signed a contract with the Big Ten Conference to serve as the exclusive radio provider for the first and second rounds of the Big Ten Tournament in 2010, with all tournament games added starting in 2011. A multi-year deal in 2011 brought the Big Ten Championship game to the same radio affiliates carrying the basketball tournament. Major League Baseball entered the picture in April 2012, when Compass announced a deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to air 25 out-of-market games during that season. Chris Carrino and Steve Quis handled play-by-play, with Steve Phillips and Darryl Hamilton as analysts. Compass added select Tampa Bay Rays home games for 2013 before stepping away from MLB syndication after that season.

• 7. Country and Acquisitions

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  Taste of Country Nights, hosted by Amber Atnip and Evan Paul, is a country music radio show that Compass distributes across the United States. The network also offers a midday country show hosted by Carsen, rounding out multiple country dayparts. The biggest single acquisition in the company's programming history came in November 2014, when Compass announced it was taking on The Wall Street Journal This Morning, a morning drive national news and business program that had been syndicated through the Wall Street Journal Radio division. The program was renamed This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal. Its first broadcast under that new title aired on the 2nd of January 2015, launching what became one of Compass's flagship weekday offerings.