Jones Radio Networks: Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|Former American radio syndication network (1969–2009)}}

| fate = Absorbed by [[Dial Global]] as a result of being purchased by Triton Media Group.

'''Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group''' were branches of [[Jones International]] before being sold to [[Triton Media Group]]. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such as news and talk programs, syndicated radio shows, music scheduling, show preparation, and music and sales Research. Jones Media Network also owns many national syndication shows such as ''[[Lia Knight|Lia]]'', ''All Night with [[Danny Wright (radio personality)|Danny Wright]]'', ''[[The Ed Schultz Show]]'', ''[[The Stephanie Miller Show]]'', ''The [[Bill Press]] Show'', ''The [[Neal Boortz]] Show'', ''The [[Clark Howard]] Show'', and A&E Network's ''[[Live by Request]]''. Jones Media Networks & Jones Radio Networks own production studios in: [[New York, NY]]; [[Los Angeles]]; [[Chicago]]; [[Washington, DC]]; [[Seattle, WA]]; [[Centennial, CO]]; and [[Florida]]. Clark Howard and Neal Boortz are broadcast from the studios of [[WSB-AM]] in [[Atlanta, GA]]; those shows are produced by [[Cox Radio]]. Jones Media Networks reaches about 1.3 billion weekly listeners in radio.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} In 2006, Jones purchased [[TM Century]], a Dallas-based company providing jingles and production services for radio stations across the country.

What became known as Jones Radio Networks started as a satellite format provider. The company originally started in the late 1960s as [[Drake-Chenault]] radio programming services. The company's services included music delivered on reel-to-reel tape, program consultation services, and station promotion. After Theacquiring TM Programming in 1986 (the 24/7 Format business owned by TM Communications in Dallas), the company made its first foray into satellite programming in the lateApril 1980s1989 by launching five different full-time satellite-delivered formats under the name Drake-Chenault/Jones Satellite Services, a 50/50 partnership between Drake-Chenault and Jones International. In 1991 Jones acquired Drake-Chenault's interest in the partnership, and renamed it Jones Satellite Services. (The remainder of the Drake-Chenault business was acquired by Seattle-based Broadcast Programming--whichProgramming—which was later (below) acquired by Jones).

Though satellite-delivered formats were not new, its presentation was. Many stations using satellite formats were required to clear up to two minutes of network commercials as part of their affiliation agreement, on top of a monthly subscription fee, depending on the market's size. Drake-Chenault's formats were all commercial free, but the affiliate station paid more for the service rather than giving up commercial time. For example, while another network would charge inventory plus a $500 monthly subscription fee, a Jones affiliate could expect to pay just a flat fee of $2,000 a month. While that was substantially higher, it was still cheaper than paying a contingency of on-site announcers at the local stations, plus freed up big-ticket national advertisers to be sought locally by an affiliate station.

This practice ended in 1993, to mixed reactions from affiliate stations. Though affiliates now had to clear commercials like other networks, the format was available entirely through inventory barter, unlike its competitors, which required an affiliation fee plus inventory.

In 1996, Jones Media Networks started the cable network [[Great American Country|GAC (Great American Country)]]. Up against stiff competition from [[Country Music Television|CMT]], GAC failed to capture market share and was later sold to [[E.W. Scripps Company|The E.W. Scripps Company]], owners of [[Home & Garden Television]] and [[Food Network]]. Earlier the company had launched the cable network [[Mind Extension University]], which mainly featured [[adult education]] programs, and later shifted to a technology focus as Knowledge TV before it was discontinued around 2000. Jones Computer Network was offered as a 12-hour channel in 1994. The channel featured in-house productions as well as programming from syndicated CNET TV and Turner Broadcasting. JCN was sold to Vulcan Ventures to eventually create channel space on cable for their network, TechTV precursor [[TechTV|Ziff-Davis Television]], which removed the Jones Media Networks produced shows and added content from Ziff-Davis' magazine staff, including [[John C. Dvorak]].

In 1998, Jones acquired it'sits advertising sales representative, New York -based MediaAmerica from it'sits founders, Gary Schonfeld and Ron Hartenbaum, who continued with Jones as executives. Schonfeld as President of Jones MediaAmerica and Hartenbaum as President of Jones Radio Networks.

In 1999, Jones International acquired and absorbed Broadcast Programming, a company that handled syndicated radio shows, including the popular evening program ''[[Delilah Rene|Delilah]]''. Delilah left Jones to join [[Premiere Radio Networks]], a division of [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]], in 2004.

In 2008, Jones Radio Networks ceased operations after all of their radio programs and remaining satellite formats were acquired by [[Triton Media Group]]'s [[Dial Global]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=OAKTRZ%3AUS&sid=a9ZSQ6aw_rk8 |title=Triton Radio Networks/Dial Global Announces Acquisition of Jones Media Group |work=bloomberg.com |date=2008-06-23 |accessdateaccess-date=2009-10-22 }}</ref>

Jones Radio Networks, the largest independent radio network, provided many programming options for local radio stations. The company provided many satellite-driven formats to affiliate stations, mostly in small & mid-size [[Media market|markets]] and on major market [[HD Radio]] subchannels, however they can also be used on some major market stations as alternate or permanent programming. They could operate their stations virtually unmanned with nothing more than a [[computer]] and a satellite hookup. The "clock" included options for a 2-, 3-, or 5-minute [[News broadcasting|newscasts]] at the top of the hour, followed by other holes for local spots. While the programming was [[Live radio|live]], DJs had to avoid references to the [[weather]] or anything else that would not be appropriate in many [[time zone]]s. An 800-line was eventually added, allowing the live DJs to take phoned in requests.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} On June 20, 2008, Triton Radio Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Triton Media Group]], announced the acquisition of Jones Media Group and its operating companies, Jones Media America, Jones Radio Networks and JonesTM from Jones International Ltd.<ref name="ink2">{{cite news |work=Radio Ink |url=http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=142622&pt=todaysnews |title=Triton/Dial Global Buys Jones Media Group |date=2008-06-20 |quote=Jones International has sold Jones Media Group -- which includes Jones Media America, Jones Radio Networks, and JonesTM -- to Triton Radio Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group. |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715145707/http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=142622&pt=todaysnews |archivedate=2011-07-15 |df= }}</ref> Only two months prior, Triton had acquired two of Jones's three main competitors, [[Dial Global]] and [[Waitt Radio Networks]] (only [[Citadel Media]] remains not under the Triton banner). JonesTM (now renamed TM STUDIOS), a leading provider of music libraries, imaging products and jingles, will remain a separate reporting unit.<ref>[http://www.exradio.com/ Triton Radio Networks<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615140614/http://exradio.com/ |date=2008-06-15 }}</ref> As the end result, the satellite format division was slowly dismantled and has integrated into the "Dial Global Total" division of Dial Global as of January 6, 2009. Formats included:

|! '''Format'''

| '''[[Adult Contemporary (radio network)|Adult Contemporary]]'''

| '''[[CD Country]]'''

| [[Country music|NewClassic Country]]

| '''[[Jones Standards]]'''

| Spun off to Planet Halo in favor of its own short-lived standards format.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jonesradio.net/JStandards/index.asp, Retrieved|title= on|website=jonesradio.net |access-date=2008/-01/-08.}}{{title missing|date=May 2022}}</ref>

'''TM Studios, Inc.''' is a [[radio jingle]] and promotional music service company based in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]] ([[United States|USA]]). It is currently the oldest radio jingle company still in business,{{Citation needed|reason=TM Studios did not exist at the time Ben Freedman Productions started|date=April 2014}} with roots tracing back to 1955 when [[Tom Merriman]] (the original "TM" in TM Studios) founded Commercial Recording Corporation (which closed in 1968). Tom Merriman left CRC in 1967 and founded TM Productions (later known as TM Communications, Inc. - a publicly traded company) with [[Jim Long]]. By this time, Century 21 Productions (later known as Century 21 Programming, Inc.), another Dallas jingle company, was founded.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060204234809/http://www.jones.com/jmg/ Jones Media Group]

[[Category:MediaMass media companies established in 1969]]

[[Category:MediaMass media companies disestablished in 2009]]