Company History
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American Urban Radio Networks, one of only seven network radio companies in existence
and the only African-American owned network radio company, is celebrating nearly 40
years of broadcasting news, music, sports, information and entertainment programming.
What started out over three decades ago targeting Black America not only maintains
its core African-American audience that continues to grow, but crosses over
to the urban mainstream as Americans further embrace what pertains to persons
of all American heritages.
Back in 1972, Mutual Black Network and Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation
were formed - and a year later, the National Black Network. Sheridan Broadcasting
soon bought the Mutual Black Network to create Sheridan Broadcasting Network,
leaving only two black network companies. By 1978, SBN had 91 affiliates
and revenue of about $3 million a year - placing it just slightly ahead of
its rival network, NBN which had 80 affiliates and earnings of about 2.5 million.
In 1991, in what was the biggest deal in the history of Black radio, Sheridan
Broadcasting Corporation came together with National Black Network to form
what
is now American Urban Radio Networks.
Currently providing over 200 weekly
programs to more than 300 affiliate radio stations, AURN has the satellite capacity
to reach over 94% of the U.S. African-American
population (Source: Estimates are derived by ACT 1Systems based on Arbitron)-
the broadest reach of the African-American marketplace of any media, more
than the CW Network, CNN, TBS, BET and many others. AURN reaches more African-Americans
in morning drive, 18-49, than the Today Show, Good Morning America and The
Early Show….Combined. (Source: 2006 Spring Mediamark Research Inc.)
AURN produces more urban programming than all other broadcasting companies
put together; that's in television, cable, and national radio. With over
10,000 shows
produced annually and nearly four decades in the business, there's no competition
when it comes to who's #1 in Urban Radio.