1986 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1986 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.
Events
- January 18 – The syndicated "American Country CountdownAmerican Country CountdownAmerican Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
" expands from three to four hours. Much like "American Top 40American Top 40American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
" had more than seven years earlier, several new features are added, including a weekly recap of three No. 1 hits from the 1970s and playbacks of an artist's older hits. - March 28 – More than 6,000 radio stations of all format types play "We Are the WorldWe Are the World"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
" simultaneously at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Standard TimeEastern Standard TimeEastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
. - June 6 – CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's premier Top 40 station, CHUM-AMCHUM (AM)CHUM, branded as TSN Radio 1050, broadcasting at 1050 kHz in the AM band, is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned and operated by Bell Media....
TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, drops its hit format after almost 30 years and changes to "Favourites of Yesterday and Today." - August 11 - KFRCKFRC (defunct)KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength , then moved to 660 kHz. in...
610 AM in San FranciscoSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
drops its top 40 radio format after twenty years at 6 AM, and changes to a 1940s Big BandBig bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
format, redubbing itself as "Magic 61". - October 22 – WNBCWNBC (AM)WNBC was a radio station that operated in New York City from 1922 to 1988. For most of its history, it was the flagship station of the NBC Radio Network...
traffic reporter Jane DornackerJane DornackerJane Dornacker was an American rock musician, actress, and comedienne turned traffic reporter.In 1986, while working for WNBC 660 AM Radio in New York City , Dornacker was aboard during two unrelated crashes of the helicopters leased to WNBC...
is killed in helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
crash while live on air.
No dates
- Doug BanksDoug BanksDoug Banks is an American radio personality and host of The Doug Banks Radio Show.-Career highlights:The Philadelphia-born, Detroit raised Banks began his radio career broadcasting on the high school radio station. Local station WDRQ took notice of his talent and offered him a spot as a temporary...
joins WGCI-FM in Chicago, Illinois for nights, later mornings. - CFGO in Ottawa, Ontario moves from 1440 AM to the more powerful 1200 AM frequency.
Debuts
- January 11 – Adult Contemporary outlet KMGG/Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
becomes KPWRKPWRKPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
("Power 106"), debuting a Rhythmic Top 40Rhythmic ContemporaryRhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
format. - Moneytalk with Bob BrinkerBob BrinkerBob Brinker is the host of the radio show Moneytalk, which has been on the air nationally since 1986. He previously had a show on local New York radio on WMCA. Prior to that Brinker hosted talkradio programs on WCAU and WWDB in Philadelphia...
debuts on ABC Radio Network.
Deaths
- Jane DornackerJane DornackerJane Dornacker was an American rock musician, actress, and comedienne turned traffic reporter.In 1986, while working for WNBC 660 AM Radio in New York City , Dornacker was aboard during two unrelated crashes of the helicopters leased to WNBC...
, 39, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician, actress, comedian and WNBCWNBC (AM)WNBC was a radio station that operated in New York City from 1922 to 1988. For most of its history, it was the flagship station of the NBC Radio Network...
traffic reporter.