Flagship (radio)

A flagship radio station is a radio network's principal station from which programs are fed to affiliates "(The term "flagship station" is also used in television, see Television flagship stations)".

The term derives from the naval custom where the commanding officer of a group of naval ships would fly a distinguishing flag (see flagship - naval term). In common parlance, "flagship" now is used to mean the most important or leading member of a group, hence its various uses in broadcasting.

In sports broadcasting, the "flagship radio station" is the sports team's primary station in the team's home market. For example, WHFS-FM is the radio flagship station of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, which feeds Orioles' games to 20 stations in Maryland and adjacent states (see also List of current Major League Baseball announcers, List of current NFL announcers, List of current National Basketball Association broadcasters, List of current National Hockey League broadcasters, List of current Major League Soccer commentators). Each article lists each team's flagship station.

In the United States, current flagship stations for traditional radio networks are:

Former flagship stations for now-defunct networks in American radio's "Big Four" era of the 1940s–1980s were:

* NBC: ::WNBC (AM) – 660 kHz, New York (now WFAN)::WYNY – 97.1 FM, New York (now WQHT)::KNBR – 680 kHz, San Francisco::KYUU – 99.7 FM , San Francisco (now KMVQ-FM)
* Mutual: ::WOR (AM) – 710 kHz, New York::WGN (AM) – 720 kHz, Chicago::KHJ (AM) – 930 kHz, Los Angeles

For syndicated radio programs, it refers to the originating station from which a program is fed by satellite or other means to stations nationwide. Flagship stations of prominent syndicated radio programs currently include:

*Air America Radio: WWRL
*Mitch Albom: WJR
*Chuck Baldwin: WVTJ
*Delilah: KRWM
*Glenn Beck Program: WPHT
*Neal Boortz: WSB (AM)
*Nova M Radio: KPHX
*Larry Elder: KABC (AM)
*Eye On Annapolis: WNAV
*Michael Graham: WTKK
*The Sean Hannity Show: WABC (AM)
*Paul Harvey: WGN-AM
*Roger Hedgecock: KOGO
*Clark Howard: WSB (AM)
*Rusty Humphries: WWBA
*Imus in the Morning: WABC-AM
*Laura Ingraham: WTNT-AM
*Alex Jones: KLBJ (AM)
*Lars Larson: KXL
*Mark Levin: WABC (AM)
*Loveline: KROQ
*The Rush Limbaugh Show: WABC (AM)
*Kevin McCullough: WMCA
*Paul McGuire: KBRT
*Michael Medved: KTTH
*Dennis Prager: KRLA
*The Radio Factor: WOR (AM)
*Rick and Bubba: WZZK-FM
*The Savage Nation: KNEW (AM)
*The Bob and Tom Show: WFBQ
*The Tom Leykis Show: KLSX
*The Adam Carolla Show: KLSX
*The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show: WGRD-FM
*The John and Jeff Show: KLSX

Notable former flagship stations

WXRK was the flagship station of The Howard Stern Show from 1985 until 2005. The show is now on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 100 (a.k.a. Howard 100).