 | |
| Formerly | Radio Cincinnati, Inc. (1939–1959) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Corporation |
| Industry | television and radio network |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Acquired by Clear Channel Communications |
| Successors | Radio: iHeartMedia Library: Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (Hanna-Barbera and pre-1991 Ruby-Spears library only) Endemol Shine Australia (Hanna-Barbera Pty, Ltd./Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd. library only) CBS Media Ventures (through Spelling Television) (Worldvision Enterprises library only) Paramount Pictures (through Melange Pictures) (Taft International Pictures library only) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The company was rooted in the family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States. In 1879, William Howard's brother, Charles Phelps Taft, purchased two afternoon newspapers in Cincinnati, The Times and The Cincinnati Daily Star, merging them into the Cincinnati Times-Star in 1880. It was during the tenure of the merged paper's second publisher, Hulbert Taft Sr., son of Charles and William Howard's half-brother, Peter Rawson Taft II, that the newspaper also became involved in broadcasting.
The company was the owner of such major media and entertainment properties as Hanna-Barbera Productions, Hanna-Barbera Pty, Ltd./Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd., Worldvision Enterprises, Ruby-Spears Productions, KECO Entertainment and many television and radio stations. It also owned 50% of CIC Video's Australian operations, CIC-Taft Home Video.
The company went through a long reorganization period starting in 1987 with its acquisition by Carl Lindner, Jr. and renamed Great American Broadcasting. Shortly after filing for bankruptcy in 1993, it became Citicasters and was, in 1999, acquired by Clear Channel Communications, which was renamed iHeartMedia in 2014. Taft — as Citicasters — remained incorporated as a holding company within iHeartMedia[1] until 2020.[2]
- ^ Albiniak, Paige (25 November 2001). "A Cloud Over Clear Channel; Petition says it controls stations through 'fronts,' including Ohio FM it seeks to buy". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "iHeart Retires Some Heritage Radio Corporate Names". Inside Radio. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.