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Private company

American Urban Radio Networks

Logo: American Urban Radio Networks, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Radio network in the US

American Urban Radio Networks, LLC (AURN) is the only African-American-owned-and-operated Nielsen RADAR-rated radio network in the United States. American Urban Radio Networks has been privately held since its founding, and it has not changed ownership since it was formed in 1991 through a merger of the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN), previously known as the Mutual Black Network, and the National Black Network (NBN).2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1991Founded1

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American Urban Radio Networks, LLC (AURN) is the only African-American-owned-and-operated Nielsen RADAR-rated radio network in the United States.2

The story

American Urban Radio Networks, LLC was formed in 1991 from a merger of the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) and National Black Network (NBN). SBN was previously known as the Mutual Black Network (MBN) when it was founded by the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1972 as the first national full-service radio network aimed at African Americans. African-American media company Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation purchased 49% of MBN in 1976, followed by the remaining 51% in 1979, renaming it SBN.

Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation owned 51% of AURN, until it was forced to give up its share in 2016, following a lawsuit launched by junior partner NBN. Sheridan Broadcasting later went out of business.

From Wikipedia’s article on American Urban Radio Networks, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1991Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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