Ownership Chart: Radio
The U.S. media landscape is dominated by massive corporations that, through a history of mergers and acquisitions, have concentrated their control over what we see, hear and read. In many cases, these giant companies are vertically integrated, controlling everything from initial production to final distribution. Here is information about the largest radio companies.
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Select a chart: The Big Six Cable TV Print Telecom Radio
The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC Television Network, cable networks including ESPN, the Disney Channel, SOAPnet, A&E and Lifetime, 277 radio stations, music and book publishing companies, production companies Touchstone, Miramax and Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, the cellular service Disney Mobile, and theme parks around the world.
Bertelsmann AG is one of the world’s largest media companies, with substantial holdings in Europe and North America, including: book publisher Random House, international radio and television station owner RTL Group, and media firm Gruner+Jahr.
Cox Enterprises, whose subsidiaries include Cox Cable, Cox Television and Cox Radio, controls 80 radio and 15 television stations, 43 newspapers, and several publishing companies. Cox also offers broadband Internet access and digital phone service; as of 2007 it had six million broadband customers and 2.3 million digital phone subscribers in the United States.
Viacom holdings include: MTV, Nickelodeon/Nick-at-Nite, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, Atom Entertainment, and music game developer Harmonix. Viacom 18 is a joint venture with the Indian media company Global Broadcast news.
CBS Corporation owns the CBS Television Network, CBS Television Distribution Group, the CW (a joint venture with Time Warner), Showtime, book publisher Simon & Schuster, 29 television stations, and CBS Radio, Inc, which has 140 stations. CBS is now the leading supplier of video to Google’s new Video Marketplace.
Clear Channel Communications is the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, operating 1194 stations in the United States and 240 stations internationally. It also owns or operates 40 television stations in 25 media markets nationwide.
In 2007, Clear Channel announced plans to sell 448 of its radio and television stations in the United States.
Citadel Broadcasting is one of the the largest radio groups in the United States. As of 2007, it owned 223 stations in 46 media markets in 24 states throughout the country.
Entercom owns and operates more than 100 radio stations in 23 markets in the United States.
Cumulus Media owns and operates 313 radio stations in 60 markets in the United States.


