New York, NY – January 7, 2009 – United Stations Radio Networks, Inc., (USRN), an independent leader in the creation and marketing of network radio programming, announced today that the long-running and award-winning Classic Hits/Oldies program, Dick Clark’s Rock, Roll & Remember, hosted by broadcasting legend Dick Clark, will merge its production efforts and its affiliate lineup with another prominent program in the same radio format, Rewind with Gary Bryan. The newly merged program will be known as Dick Clark Presents Rewind with Gary Bryan and will provide affiliates with up to 5-hours of programming weekly beginning the week of January 26, 2009. Bryan, currently the morning host at KRTH, Los Angeles, will remain in the hosting chair for the newly merged program, and Clark will contribute feature segments to the Dick Clark-branded show. The unique arrangement whereby the production staffs, content library and affiliate lineups will join forces was announced jointly by Dick Clark who also serves as United Stations’ Chairman Emeritus, and United Stations Chairman/CEO Nick Verbitsky.
Simultaneously, Clark is announcing his intent to build out a new web portal targeted to Classic Hits/Oldies consumers. The new site, debuting soon at www.dickclarkonline.com, will feature information related to the Dick Clark radio properties as well as other pertinent content, e-commerce and a new Dick Clark blog. In addition, Clark and USRN will also begin offering syndication of archival versions of the Rock, Roll & Remember programs which began airing in February 1982 and the extensive library of fully-produced programs will be available for the first time to AM, FM or HD Radio stations. Clark’s other radio venture, the daily short feature Dick Clark’s Music Calendar, will remain intact in syndication.
Gary Bryan’s role as morning host on America’s longest-running “oldies” station, KEARTH 101, is just the latest in his long string of media accomplishments. His broadcasting career spans several decades with stints as program director and morning talent at great stations like KUBE, Seattle, KFRC, San Francisco, WPLJ and Z100, both in New York. In addition to providing voice talent for several TV shows, including the Emmy Awards, Gary has branched into syndicated content with his company, Radio Genius Productions. The company’s products include “12-Inch RetroMix,” an 80’s-based pop-rock mix show, “Inside the 60s,” “Radio Genius Show Prep” and this newly re-launched “Dick Clark presents Rewind with Gary Bryan.”
Dick Clark began his broadcast career in radio in upstate New York, and by the early 1950’s he had a radio show known as the Caravan of Music at WFIL in Philadelphia. The station’s TV affiliate had a teen-oriented show called “Bandstand” that Clark took over in 1956 and that Clark launched into national distribution the following year on ABC Television. Dick Clark’s unusual ability to be a successful on-air personality, music lover, businessman and host drove American Bandstand to unprecedented popularity. The show’s appeal to a young audience led to the affectionate nickname for Clark as “America’s oldest teenager,” although the show celebrated its 40th anniversary on the air in 1996. Numerous luminaries in music including Buddy Holly and James Brown made their national debuts on American Bandstand, and because Bandstand provided so many artists with the opportunity to reach a national audience for the first time, Dick Clark remains one of the most significant figures in re-shaping music and entertainment in America. Clark began hosting national radio shows in 1979 and introduced the weekly 4-hour Rock, Roll and Remember program to national audiences on Valentine’s Day, 1982. Clark has won countless awards and is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In making the announcement regarding the newly merged programs, USRN’S Nick Verbitsky commented, “The Dick Clark name is the most respected and trusted brand in all of broadcasting, and we’re thrilled to continue to work with Dick to create new outlets for his legacy in radio. We’re excited to see Dick’s leap into new media with his new website, and we’re excited about our new radio partnership with Gary Bryan and KRTH.”
Dick Clark added, “I’m thrilled to be working with Gary Bryan, KRTH Program Director Jhani Kaye, his team and everyone involved in this project. Radio has always been my first love in broadcasting, and this is a fantastic way to continue that love affair.”
Gary Bryan also noted, “It’s an honor to be working with Dick Clark, Nick Verbitsky and the entire United Stations team. We’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with an American icon, and to weave Dick’s amazing legacy throughout our show. It’s going to be a blast!”
United Stations Radio Networks, Inc. is the largest independently owned and operated radio network in the U.S. The company maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington and Nashville and services programming to over 4,500 rated radio stations across the country. The New York-based company was founded in 1994 by Dick Clark and Nick Verbitsky.
