NIS (NBC News and Information Service) was a short-lived but ambitious all-news radio network launched by NBC Radio in the mid-1970s. It represented one of the biggest (and most expensive) bets on 24-hour news programming in U.S. radio history at the time.
Debut: June 18, 1975. NBC promoted it boldly as “The Most Important Day in Radio History.”
It was conceived by NBC Radio president Jack G. Thayer as a syndicated service to help local stations adopt or enhance an all-news format. Stations received up to 50–55 minutes of national/international news and information per hour, leaving room for local inserts, weather, traffic, and commercials.
The goal was to create a modern, contemporary-sounding news service that could compete with or fill gaps left by other networks (like CBS’s established all-news efforts). It followed the end of NBC’s long-running Monitor weekend program.
NIS provided a full 24/7 feed with dual anchors during daytime hours and solo anchors at night, along with strong production elements like sounders, music beds, and a professional news style. NBC positioned it as a turnkey solution for stations wanting to go all-news without building everything from scratch.
At its peak, NIS had around 57–70 affiliates (far fewer than hoped). Notable ones included:
NBC-owned FM stations such as WNWS (97.1 FM, New York; formerly WNBC-FM), WNIS (Chicago), and others in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Independent stations like WBAL-FM (Baltimore), KQV (Pittsburgh), and several more across the U.S.
Some stations thrived with the format and continued all-news programming locally after NIS ended, while many others switched to music formats.
NIS was expensive to produce and operate. NBC reportedly lost over $10–20 million (hundreds of millions in today’s dollars) in roughly 18–24 months. In November 1976, NBC announced it would shut down the service. The final feed aired around May 29, 1977 (with only about 32 stations still carrying it by the end).
