WW1 Ending Airing Of America In the Morning

Westwood One has informed affiliates that it will end its long-running syndicated news magazine America in the Morning on Friday, September 18, after nearly 42 years on the air. 

The one-hour weekday program, hosted by John Trout, currently airs locally from 5 to 6 a.m. on Federal News Network (1500 WFED) in Washington. The network will replace it the following Monday, September 21, with The Bongino Report AM, a new one-hour show hosted by Dan Bongino. The program is slated to feed from 5 to 6 a.m. ET, with affiliates able to air it later in the morning. 

Westwood One President Collin Jones framed the move as doubling Bongino’s presence on the network after the recent launch of The Bongino Report PM. It is not yet known whether WFED will carry the new Bongino morning program. 

Earlier this week, sister Cumulus station WMAL added The Bongino Report PM to its lineup, carrying Bongino’s two-hour evening segment on weeknights. 

Jim Bohannon

America in the Morning debuted September 17, 1984, on the Mutual Broadcasting System with Jim Bohannon as host. Bohannon anchored the show for more than 31 years before Trout took over in December 2015. Bohannon continued contributing features, including the popular “Offbeat” segment, until his death in November 2022. 

The program mixed overnight news from AP Radio, AccuWeather forecasts, CNBC market previews, sports scores, and analysis, and won a 2018 New York Festivals Radio Award for news magazine. A weekend companion, America This Week, has also been available from Westwood One. 

The cancellation closes one of the longest-running network newsmagazines in radio. Westwood One is shifting the 5 a.m. hour from a traditional news-magazine format toward commentary-driven talk built around Bongino’s brand.