NYC Radio: WABC Launches 'World Wide News'

Red Apple Media, owner of WABC Radio NYC, has launched the Worldwide News Network (WNN), a new global audio news platform promising fair, balanced, and real-time reporting to listeners in the United States and around the world.

Lee Harris, a longtime New York radio news leader and former Director of Integrated Operations for NewsNation, has been named Vice President of News for both WABC Radio and the new Worldwide News Network. 

The initiative aims to provide content to English-language radio stations globally, with distribution planned across broadcast radio, streaming, mobile apps, smart speakers, podcasts, and syndication partners.

Details on the exact launch date, top-of-the-hour newscasts, and specific programming remain limited. A company spokesperson confirmed that planning for the network has been underway for several months, predating any announcements about the shutdown of CBS News Radio later this month. 

The network builds on WABC Radio’s existing multi-platform reach, which already includes listeners in all 50 states and 178 countries. Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis described the venture as the next evolution in accessible news.

“Today’s digital technology gives us the power to deliver the truth instantly, not just across America, but across Europe and around the globe,” Catsimatidis said. “The Worldwide News Network is the natural next step in building a global destination for fair, balanced, no-nonsense news people can trust.”Harris previously spent more than three decades at 1010 WINS, New York’s iconic all-news station.

Red Apple Media President Chad Lopez highlighted the changing nature of audio news consumption.“Audio news consumption is no longer confined by geography, signal strength, or time zone,” Lopez said. “Lee is one of the most respected and accomplished news professionals in the business, and there is no one better equipped to help build this operation into a global audio news force.”

Harris added: “John Catsimatidis has never thought small, and this venture is no exception. I am thrilled to join Red Apple Media and WABC Radio at such a transformational moment.”Catsimatidis, who built the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains in New York before acquiring WABC Radio in 2019 for $12.5 million, has revitalized the station with expanded simulcasts and stronger ratings and revenue.