NEW YORK — As the clock turns to Saturday on the East Coast of the United States, a “Worldwide News Network” will be born. For the man who first conceptualized the idea, it truly will be global in its distribution.
That said, the domestic launch of a 24/7 news-focused audio service — in 2026 — is newsworthy for the action alone. Given the people involved, brought on by supermarket magnate turned AM radio licensee John Catsimatidis, what’s to come at week’s end marks another exciting chapter for the man who resuscitated one of the world’s most recognizable radio stations.
With former WINS-AM in New York anchor Lee Harris brought on as VP of News, Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Media acted quickly to bring a concept to fruition. “It took us over three weeks,” Catsimatidis said jokingly from his Fifth Avenue office in Midtown Manhattan on Monday. “It’s [about] having the vision of creating a worldwide news network.”
That vision has involved conversations with President Trump about his intentions, and perhaps offering an alternative to the English-language services presently consumed across Europe. “I’m very disappointed in the Voice of America and what they put out,” Catsimatidis says. “There are 300 million people in Europe that deserve to know what the real truth is and they’re not getting it.”
With a fact-based offering at the heart of Catsimatidis’ goal, Red Apple Media President Chad López and Harris swiftly moved forward with assembling an inaugural staff by luring broadcast journalists Michael Wallace, Cooper Lawrence, Bill Rehkopf, and Matt Pieper from CBS News Radio, which is concluding operations right before Midnight Eastern on Friday.
While Red Apple Media was at first coy about speaking about the timing of Worldwide News Network’s launch plan, it is now very clear that it is meant to serve as a seamless transition offering for stations still searching for a CBS News Radio replacement service.
“I have the vision, and Chad runs the operations,” Catsimatidis said, inviting López to explain how the pending end of CBS News Radio made it clear to the Red Apple Media team that there was a need for news. “When John bought WABC he was always very passionate about getting the news and not just being a local station in New York,” López says.
Thus, WABC Radio was “just the start,” creating a station that mirrored its audience. Now, there’s a plan to do the same in the Boston area, with the purchase of WCRN-AM in Worcester, Mass. “The vision was always that we were going across the country, and then we are going worldwide,” López says.
This led Red Apple Media to build its own syndicated network some 18 months ago. Today, it includes some 630 affiliates for its mix of syndicated programming.
With some soon-to-be former CBS News Radio affiliates not happy with what they’ve been getting, López says they are ready and eager to bring on Worldwide News Network’s offerings.
With respect to Harris, Catsimatidis has an easy explanation for how he was hired: “You want a name!” López adds that a credible name is what truly is a listener draw.
That’s how “Cousin’ Brucie” Morrow, Cindy Adams, Bill O’Reilly and Jeanine Pirro ended up on the WABC Radio roster. “Everyone we have is a household name,” Catsimatidis says. That’s the aim of Worldwide News Network.
With trust and bias-free reporting the aim, Catsimatidis was asked how delivering newscasts will remain center as WABC Radio and Red Apple’s political commentators lean to the right. “I don’t believe in the word ‘Conservative,'” he says. “I don’t believe in the word ‘Liberal.’ I believe in the word ‘Truth.'”
López elaborates, “One of John’s edicts is to make sure that when we’re delivering the news, the Worldwide News Network is going to be down the middle and the truth.”
With FOX News Radio branding their audio offerings as “fair and balanced” for years, does Catsimatidis see Worldwide News Network as a competitor? “We work together on saving America and saving the free world,” he replies. “I don’t look at them as competition and we welcome them to get the world out there.”
Does Worldwide News Network welcome NPR listeners, too? “It depends who is paying for NPR and who is the boss and what instructions they get from their boss versus getting the truth out.”
With a crystal-clear desire to gain an audience in Europe, Catsimatidis isn’t sharing details about potential news partners, programming distributors or if he’s even spending Euros to purchase a station there.
“We have worldwide relationships, and we will let the truth prevail,” he says.
