R.I.P.: Mike Horn, Radio Veteran, Founder of Cable Radio Network

Mike Horm (1952-2026)

Mike Horn, founder of CRN Digital Talk Radio and a longtime Los Angeles radio personality, has died. He was 74.

Horn died after a long illness. He spent his career finding new outlets for radio, from local cable systems to platforms for talk hosts including Ed McMahon and Robert Conrad.

Horn founded Cable Radio Network in 1983 to supply commercial radio programming to local cable television systems. The idea began after he learned that KMET in Los Angeles was earning ratings in the Phoenix market because a local cable system carried the signal. He took the concept to King Cable in the San Fernando Valley, programming a country music channel that later switched to oldies. Valley Cable and Falcon Cable soon showed interest, and the business grew as more local systems signed on.

When phone-line distribution became too costly, Horn moved the network to satellite. As noncommercial music channels from Digital Planet and DMX reached cable providers, he shifted CRN to talk radio. The network became CRN Talk, then CRN Digital Talk Radio in 2007.

The talk lineup included Ed McMahon, host of Lifestyles Live, and George Putnam, host of Talk Back. Larry Elder’s show moved to CRN in June 2015. Robert Conrad hosted until his death in February 2020, and Barry Farber remained on the air until his death later that year.

He developed an interest in radio as a child, inspired by Arthur Godfrey and Los Angeles personalities at stations such as KMPC, KFI, and KRLA/KFWB. Horn later recalled building a small transmitter (with an extended antenna) and broadcasting from his garage to neighborhood friends, including a “Mrs. X” segment.⁠Slowlivingradio.blogspot

Key early stations and roles

• KBBQ: He worked as an on-air personality at this Burbank station, described in later bios as California’s first “hot” country station. Sources credit him with helping establish the format’s appeal.⁠Theanswerportland
• KROQ: Horn started as news director at the station (during its early rock/alternative phase after the KBBQ-to-KROQ transition). He later went on the air alongside original personalities Charlie Tuna, Sam Riddle, John Darren, and Jay Stevens. He also held positions including promotion director.⁠Radioink
• KLAC: He served as production director.
• KFOX (Long Beach): He hosted as “Country Mike” on the country station.
• KFI-AM: He teamed with Dick Whittington (“Sweet Dick”) as the comedy duo Whittington and Horn. They were one of the teams on the station’s “Goodtime Radio” format, alongside Lohman and Barkley and Hudson and Landry. He also worked with Art Laboe and was known on-air as “Mike, The Newsman.”⁠

In 1978 he founded Big Horn Productions, which supplied country music libraries and programming to Los Angeles nightclubs and Marriott hotels.