1989 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1989 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.
Events
- KMEZKNIT (AM)KNIT is a licensed but silent radio station].-Wonderful K-Box:The station now known as KNIT signed on as KGKO in 1953, playing pop music and jazz. In 1958, KGKO changed calls to KBOX and adopted a Top 40 format to compete with Gordon McLendon's top-rated 1190 KLIF. Future WABC staple Dan Ingram...
breaks away from its FM sister station to adopt a business-oriented newsNews RadioNews Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/talkTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format as KDBN. - ABC Radio has acquired Satellite Music NetworkSatellite Music NetworkSatellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour a day music programming to local stations, under several different formats...
. This division is now known as "ABC Music Radio". - The NBC Radio Network ceased to operate as a separate programming service; owner Westwood OneWestwood OneWestwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
merges it with the Mutual Broadcasting SystemMutual Broadcasting SystemThe Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
, moving the networks' news and engineering departments from New York to Mutual's facilities in Arlington. The lone non-news program that remained on NBC Radio, the Sunday-morning religious program The Eternal LightThe Eternal LightThe Eternal Light is a long-running American radio and television program on the NBC Radio Network, produced in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, that was broadcast between 1944 and 1989. Featuring interviews, commentary, and award-winning dramas from the perspective of Judaism, it...
, was also canceled. - May 1 - At the grand opening of the Disney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
, the most attended studio-park in the world, it chooses Pittsburgh's KDKA-AM as its inaugural guest broadcaster in its interactive radio studios. - May 24 – The last NBC Radio owned-and-operated station, KNBRKNBRKNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
680-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...
, was sold off to Susquehanna Broadcasting (which merged with Cumulus in 2005). KNBR changed from an adult contemporary format to all-sports the following year, a format it still holds. - October 9 – KSJN (AM) in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
becomes KNOW. - November - WQXI flips callsigns to WSTRWSTR (FM)WSTR is an Atlanta FM radio station airing an Hot Adult Contemporary format during the week and a 1990's pop music format on weekends. It is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, and has Smyrna, Georgia as its city of license.-History:...
, becoming Star 94 in Atlanta. - November 13 – London Greek RadioLondon Greek RadioLondon Greek Radio is an Independent Local Radio station established by London's sizeable Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community...
, one of the United Kingdom's first all-ethnic radio stations, begins broadcasting. - December – Kayla Satellite Network purchases Chuck HarderChuck HarderChuck Harder was a former radio disk jockey turned talk show host in White Springs, Florida, USA. He is originally from Elgin, Illinois. He is no longer on the air.-Early radio career:...
's Sun Radio Network (forerunner to I.E. America Radio NetworkI.E. America Radio Networki.e. America Radio Network was a Detroit-based radio network consisting primarily of liberal talk and lifestyle shows. They were owned by the United Auto Workers and broadcast nationally from 1996 to 2004, via radio stations and a webcast.-History:...
. Harder's show was soon dropped from the network and he later started a new radio network, the Peoples Radio Network.
Debuts
- March – Mark BellingMark BellingMark Belling is a conservative radio talk show host for 1130 WISN in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Belling hosts a three-hour weekday radio program, The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show, which is regularly rated No. 1 for the afternoon-drive time slot...
joins WISN in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. - KDWNKDWNKDWN is a radio station owned by Beasley Broadcast Group based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It broadcasts full-time at 50,000 watts, and is directional at night. It can be heard throughout most of the Western United States, north into Canada and south into Mexico...
in Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
offers Art BellArt BellArthur W. "Art" Bell, III is an American broadcaster and author, known primarily as one of the founders and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM. He also created and formerly hosted its companion show, Dreamland...
a five-hour radio talk show time slot in the middle of the night, which later evolved into Coast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
.
Deaths
- Herbert MorrisonHerbert Morrison (announcer)Herbert Morrison was an American radio reporter best known for his dramatic report of the Hindenburg disaster, a catastrophic fire that destroyed the LZ 129 Hindenburg zeppelin on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people.-Hindenburg disaster:...
, American radio reporter (b. 1905)