News radio is one of the oldest and most trusted broadcast formats. Since the first news bulletins went out on KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920, radio has been the medium people turn to when something is happening. Rolling news, hourly bulletins, and in-depth current affairs programmes all have their place on the dial, and the format remains vital in the internet age for a simple reason: you can listen while driving or working in a way you cannot read or watch.
Rolling news vs news-talk
Rolling news radio — also called all-news radio — plays continuous news without music or entertainment. The format was pioneered by WINS in New York, which switched to all-news in 1965. The proposition is simple: “Give us twenty-two minutes and we’ll give you the world.” Short cycles of headlines, traffic, weather, and in-depth reports repeat and refresh throughout the day. LBC News in the UK and WCBS in New York are classic examples.
News-talk radio mixes news with talk programming: analysis, interviews, phone-ins, and commentary. BBC Radio 5 Live in the UK and most US AM news stations use this model. The two-hour drive-time slot — morning and evening — is the commercial heart of news-talk, when the largest audiences are in their cars. For more on phone-in and talk formats, see our talk radio guide.
Public radio news
Public broadcasters run the most trusted and listened-to radio news services in most countries. The BBC’s domestic news output, France Inter, Deutschlandfunk, and ABC Radio National in Australia consistently score higher for trust than commercial alternatives. The BBC World Service broadcasts news in over 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 365 million people — the largest international news operation on radio. For public radio structure in the US and globally, see our NPR and public radio guide.
Local news radio
Local news radio — stations dedicated to news from a specific city, county, or region — has declined as a commercial proposition in many markets due to reduced advertising revenue. But it remains essential for communities. Local news stations cover planning decisions, local elections, crime, and community events that national and regional stations ignore. Their loss in many markets has created genuine democratic deficits. Community radio sometimes fills the gap, but not always with the resources to do it well.