NBC News Radio has quietly become one of the most formidable forces in the radio news world, and iHeartMedia’s Executive Vice President of News, Talk, and Sports Chris Berry, is eager to explain why.
Berry traces the foundation of the partnership back a decade.
“In 2016, we started a partnership that’s been 10 years now, where we provide the distribution and production of the NBC newscasts,” said Berry. “And 24/7 News, which is part of iHeart. It’s really a content partnership with them. We work with them to curate the content. We have a radio producer at the NBC newsroom. So if something happens, breaking news or something else, we’re tied in with NBC, the mothership through that.”
The reach of the operation extends far beyond a simple news feed. Berry describes a robust infrastructure built to serve stations of all formats and sizes.
“We’ve got eight regional newsrooms across the country. And there’s a regional news director in each one of those. So if something happens in Louisville, Kentucky, our regional news director, who is in Cincinnati, would be responsible for marshaling the troops so that we’re providing that content. Not only to iHeartRadio stations, but really to any of our other affiliates out there. We’ve got about 1,000 radio stations in the United States that we provide news to,” the iHeartMedia executive said.
Content volume is equally staggering. Berry points to the 24/7 News Source wire as a cornerstone of the offering.
“We obviously can provide you with stories as they’re unfolding — which I think is great — either through our newscast, or also through the 24/7 News Source news wire, which moves about 10,000 stories a week, which is more localized. We do summaries for local markets. Whether it’s Baltimore or Denver. We do national summaries. We provide sports audio. We’re pretty much in every locker room or clubhouse that’s out there. So if, for example, the Philadelphia Eagles are playing in Los Angeles, we’re going to be in the locker room there and provide the actuality of the coaches and players to the stations that would be interested in that,” stated Berry.
Breaking news coverage is where the NBC News partnership truly shines. Berry said affiliates get the best of both worlds: the newsgathering power of NBC News and the radio experience seen in the 24/7 News and iHeartMedia newsrooms.
“When the war started a month ago, on the weekend, we were able to utilize some of the resources of NBC News so that stations, if they wanted to carry long-form coverage, they had that as an option,” Berry said.
Ultimately, Berry sees iHeartMedia‘s role as a versatile partner for any station looking to strengthen its news presence.
“We’re committed to this,” Berry shared. “We’ve got a great distribution platform through the iHeartRadio stations, but we’re in many ways like Switzerland. We provide content to all kinds of formats, all kinds of stations, and pretty much every market in the United States. And really offer a Chinese menu of options for stations to provide the news that is most appropriate for their listeners.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
