1998 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1998 in radio involved some significant events.
Events
- January 2 — A gunman shoots Antario Teodoro Filho, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian politician and radio presenter, during a broadcast. - January 21 - Big 105 debuts playing its AC format (WBIX, now WWPR-FMWWPR-FMWWPR-FM, also known as "Power 105.1", is an urban contemporary radio station that features hip hop and R&B licensed to New York City that serves the Greater New York area....
) - March 9 — Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
stations WTEMWTEMWTEM — branded ESPN 980 — is a sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It is the flagship of a sports talk trimulcast with WWXT in Prince Frederick, Maryland and WWXX in Buckland, Virginia, all affiliated with ESPN Radio and owned by Red Zebra...
570-AM and WWRCWWRCWWRC —branded 1260 WRC—is a news/talk radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It operates with 5,000 watts on an unlimited basis with studios and transmitters both located in the city proper...
980-AM swap dial positions. Two weeks prior, WWRC, a former NBC Radio owned-and-operated station, switched to a business news format, and the 980-AM facility was upgraded to a 50,000 watt day/5,000 watt night signal. - March 28 — "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...
" returns to the airwaves, once again with Casey KasemCasey KasemKemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
as the host. The show is actually the re-named "Casey's Top 40," which Kasem had hosted since its premiere in 1989. Kasem will remain with the program until December 2003. - May 31 — Nick DigilioNick DigilioNick Digilio is a movie critic and radio personality. He is the host of an award-winning radio program on WGN Radio in Chicago, and is a frequent fill-in host for WGN.-Life:...
broadcast his first program as part of The Nick D. & Garry Lee Show on WGN Radio. Nick had been reviewing movies with WGN Radio legend Roy LeonardRoy LeonardRoy Leonard is a former American radio personality best known for hosting WGN's mid-day radio show from Chicago for 31 years and for his appearances on WGN-TV's news and Christmas specials. He also hosted Family Classics after Frazier Thomas died....
since 1985. - August 13 — Jacor Communications completes a $620 million merger with the 17-station Nationwide CommunicationsNationwide CommunicationsNationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
chain, all of which are spun off from the insurance company of the same name. The TV stations are sold to Young BroadcastingYoung BroadcastingNew Young Broadcasting Holding Co, Inc. is an owner of 14 television stations in 11 United States media markets. The company was formerly known as Young Broadcasting Inc. and was the outgrowth of the ad representation/invest firm Adam Young, Inc. which was founded in 1944 by Adam Young and is...
. - September 4 - KMXPKMXPKMXP is a commercial hot adult contemporary music radio station in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcasting on 96.9 FM.On-air deejays include: Mathew Blades, AJ Frey, Ron Geronimo, Bryan Allen, Amy Kelly, Stephani Young, and Phil Steiner.-KMXP HD2:...
Eagle 96.9 stopped playing Classic rock and played a ticking clock sound for telling viewers would listen at 3PM that day later, Mix 96.9 debuts playing AC hits from the 70s to the 90s. - October 8 — Clear Channel CommunicationsClear Channel CommunicationsClear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
announces a $2.8 billion merger with Jacor Communications; the deal is approved the following May. - October 12 - Groove 103.1 KBCD and KACD signs off and becomes a simulcast of KIIS-FMKIIS-FMKIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a partial Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz...
in Los Angeles. - October — WMMSWMMSWMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting...
in Cleveland engages in "The Death of the Buzzard," a month-long event celebrating the station's legendary past, with a plethora of vintage airchecks, interviews and sounders. Rumors had the station retiring the WMMS call letters, rock format and Buzzard mascot in favor of the KISS FMKiss FM-United States:* KISS-FM , a brand name used for several Top 40 stations, many owned by Clear Channel Communications including:** KBKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Seattle** KHKS-FM, better known as "106.1 KISS-FM", in Dallas...
Top 40 format. This turns out in the end to be merely a stunt, only the airstaff is replaced, but the call letters, format and mascot remained.
No dates
- A judge rules that nude imagesNude celebrities on the InternetImagery of nude celebrities is in widespread demand and is a lucrative business. Depictions of celebrities have been exploited by vendors of pornography and others in many different forms of media...
of Dr.PHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
Laura SchlessingerLaura SchlessingerLaura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
could continue to be posted on a website. Radio personality Bill BallanceBill BallanceWillis "Bill" Ballance , was an American radio talk show host.Ballance studied journalism at the University of Illinois before serving in the United States Marines. He had radio station stints in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and San Diego. Ballance was the evening personality late...
had sold them to a company and claimed that they were the product of a 1970s affair between himself and Schlessinger, while Schlessinger was married. Schlessinger admitted the affair but claimed she was legally separated and had filed for divorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from her first husband at the time of their affair.
Debuts
- January 10 — "Retro Country USA," a two-hour weekly program featuring country music hits of the past. The core group of songs comes from the 1980s, with 1970s and early 1990s songs also included. The show is hosted by radio personality Ken Cooper.
- February 17 — WMIBWCNZWCNZ is a radio station broadcasting a mix of jazz, adult standards, and adult alternative music, under the name The Avenue. Licensed to Marco Island, Florida, USA. The station is currently owned by Starboard Media Foundation, Inc.-History:...
-Marco Island, Florida begins broadcasting on the expanded band frequency of 1660 kHz.
Closings
- August 31 — 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...
's news facility in Arlington closed, which housed staffers for NBC Radio and MutualMutual 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...
. CBS Radio staff were now directly responsible for the production of "Mutual" and "NBC"-branded newscasts from CBS' New York facilities.
Deaths
- Richard BeebeRichard BeebeRichard Beebe was on the air for five decades in Los Angeles and won two Golden Mic Awards. A founding member of The Credibility Gap, his experience and wit that moulded into its famous four man group. He was an original Beatnik still working and being creative in the late 1960s when he discovered...
, 68, comedian, member of The Credibility GapThe Credibility GapThe Credibility Gap was a satirical comedy team comprising Harry Shearer, Richard Beebe, David L. Lander and Michael McKean. Lew Irwin, John Gilliland, Thom Beck, and Len Chandler also performed in their early days... - February 18 - Harry CarayHarry CarayHarry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
, 84, American television and radio baseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
broadcaster - Jerry ClowerJerry ClowerHoward Gerald "Jerry" Clower was a popular country comedian best known for his stories of the rural South. He was often nicknamed "The Mouth of the South", although this title has also been used for other individuals.Clower began a 2-year stint in the Navy immediately after graduating high school...
, 71, countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
comedian best known for his stories of the rural SouthSouthern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, appeared on WSMWSM (AM)WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America and various countries, especially late at night...
in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. - Al "Jazzbo" Collins, 78, disc jockeyDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, radio personality and recording artist, briefly the host of NBC television's TonightThe Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
show in 19571957 in televisionThe year 1957 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1957.-Events:*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show....
. - John GillilandJohn GillilandJohn Sanford Gilliland, Jr. was an American radio broadcaster and documentarian best known for the Pop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members of The Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown of Quanah, Texas...
, 62, broadcaster, creator of The Pop ChroniclesPop ChroniclesThe Pop Chronicles are two radio documentary series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s-60s popular music." Both were produced by John Gilliland.-The Pop Chronicles of the 50s and 60s:...
and member of Lew Irwin and The Credibility Gap.