Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

s in the

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. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

, for $2.8 billion. Jacor Communications began with three religious stations and went on to acquire dozens of radio stations between 1992 and its sale to Clear Channel in 1999. It also owned a few television stations, including

WKRC-TV WKRC-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to MyNetworkTV affiliate WSTR-TV (channel 64) under a loc ...

in Cincinnati.

History

Jacor Communications was founded by Terry Jacobs. Jacobs incorporated Jacor Communications in 1979 and purchased three religious stations in 1981. In June 1989, Jacor purchased Telesat Cable, a Northern Kentucky cable provider, for $5 million, which it later sold in May 1994. In 1993, an investor named

Sam Zell Samuel Zell (born Shmuel Zielonka; September 28, 1941 – May 18, 2023) was an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist primarily engaged in real estate investment. Companies founded by or controlled by Zell include Equity Residential ...

paid $80 million from the

Zell Chilmark Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fichtel ...

fund to purchase controlling interest in Jacor. In 1992, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

increased the number of radio stations a single company could own in one city to 3AMs and 3FMs. After this change, Jacor began purchasing stations, including

WKRC (AM) WKRC (550 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. The station airs a talk radio format, under the branding "55KRC". The station's offices and studios are on Montgomery Road off Interstate 71 in Cincinnati. WKRC ...

in Cincinnati in 1993. On February 6, 1996, Jacor announced plans to acquire Noble Broadcast Group Inc for $152 million. After the passing of the

Telecommunications Act of 1996 The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a United States federal law enacted by the 104th United States Congress on January 3, 1996, and signed into law on February 8, 1996, by President Bill Clinton. It primarily amended Chapter 5 of Title 47 of ...

, Jacor began buying more radio stations. On February 13, 1996, Jacor announced it would buy

Citicasters Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United ...

for $770 million. As part of the merger, Jacor acquired

, a Cincinnati CBS-affiliate television station, and

WTSP WTSP (channel 10) is a television station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area as an affiliate of CBS. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Gandy Boulevard on St. Petersburg's ...

, a television station in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. In September, Jacor announced WTSP would be sold to

Gannett Co Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as severa ...

. in exchange for three radio stations. In May 1993, founder and CEO Terry Jacobs left Jacor. The VP of programming and COO, Randy Michaels, was named president of the company that year, and in 1996, he was promoted to CEO. Jacor's corporate headquarters were in downtown Cincinnati from the mid-1980s through 1996 when they moved across the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

. In 1997, Jacor acquired the assets of

Nationwide Communications Nationwide Communications Inc., originally known as Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, ...

. In 1999, Jacor was sold to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

for $3.4 billion in stock. Clear Channel also assumed approximately $1.2 billion of Jacor's debt. At the time of its acquisition, Jacor was the third-largest provider of syndicated radio programming, owning 230 radio stations and

Premiere Radio networks Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American Mass media, media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original Radio broadcasting, radio content distribut ...

(a radio syndication company), as well as disseminating ''

The Rush Limbaugh Show ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'' was an American conservative talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh. Since its nationally syndicated premiere in 1988, ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'' became the highest-rated talk radio show in the United States. At i ...

'' and the Dr.

Laura Schlessinger Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947), commonly known as Dr. Laura, is an American talk radio host and author. ''The Dr. Laura Program'', heard weekdays for three hours on Sirius XM Radio, consists mainly of her responses to call ...

show. Clear Channel named Randy Michaels CEO and chairman of Clear Channel Radio in 2000. In 2008, private equity firms Thomas H. Lee and Bain Capital Partners completed a buyout of Clear Channel Communications.

References

External links

Clear Channel Overview
{{Clear Channel IHeartMedia Defunct radio broadcasting companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1987 Mass media companies disestablished in 1999 Defunct companies based in Ohio Defunct companies based in Cincinnati 1987 establishments in Ohio 1999 disestablishments in Ohio