Nationwide Communications
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Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio stations to Cincinnati-based Jacor for a reported $620 million, and its television stations to Young Broadcasting. The service division was spun off and became Nationwide Communications Services L.L.C. in 1998.
In 1946, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation first got into broadcasting through a radio service for farmers on WRFD, Columbus, Ohio, an AM radio station. The Ohio Farm Bureau was dedicated to serving farmers in Ohio, but as its other pursuits (chiefly the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company) were increasingly made available to non-farmers, the Farm Bureau spun off these ventures into a separate corporation. WRFD continued to serve farmers, and indeed, still carries farm programming today under the ownership of Salem Media of Ohio. However, other Farm Bureau stations—most notably WRFD-FM, now known as WNCI—were transferred to this umbrella corporation, known today as the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies. The group of stations became known as Nationwide Communications, after its parent company.
Nationwide Communications owned three television stations. Its first purchase in 1965 was WATE-TV, Channel 6, Knoxville, Tennessee. The company's second purchase was WXEX-TV (now WRIC-TV, Channel 8, Petersburg, Virginia in 1968, and its third station was WBAY-TV, Channel 2, Green Bay, Wisconsin, purchased in 1974. All three stations were ABC affiliates (WXEX-TV switched from NBC to ABC in 1965, WATE-TV switched from NBC to ABC in 1979, and WBAY-TV switched from CBS to ABC in 1992). Nationwide Communications sold all three of its television stations in 1993 to Young Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Adam Young, Incorporated, a TV station advertising representation firm.
Before ceasing operations, Nationwide Communications was the 16th largest radio group in the United States and operated 17 stations in 8 different markets. At the time the company ceased operations, Nationwide Communications owned KEGL and KDMX in Dallas, Texas, KHMX and KTBZ in Houston, Texas, KMJZ and KSGS in Minneapolis, Minnesota, KGLQ and KZZP in Phoenix, Arizona, KMCG and KXGL in San Diego, California, WPOC in Baltimore, Maryland, WMMS, WGAR, and WMJI in Cleveland, Ohio, and WFII, WCOL, and WNCI in Columbus, Ohio.
