List of fictional radio stations
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable fiction
al radio station
s. At least eleven different TV shows have used a radio station as a setting.
According to Michael Hawk of Real TV Addict, the top five fictional stations on (American) television are WKRP, WNYX
, KBHR
, WENN
, and KACL
.
The game series Grand Theft Auto also has a large number of fictional radiostations.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s. At least eleven different TV shows have used a radio station as a setting.
According to Michael Hawk of Real TV Addict, the top five fictional stations on (American) television are WKRP, WNYX
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
, KBHR
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, WENN
Remember WENN
Remember WENN is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, it depicted events in the personal and professional lives of...
, and KACL
KACL (Frasier)
KACL is the fictional Seattle, Washington radio station on the television show Frasier. It broadcasts many talk radio shows, including The Dr. Frasier Crane Show between 2:00pm–5:00pm each weekday, Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe's top-rated The Gonzo Sports Show, and Gil Chesterton's Restaurant Beat...
.
United States
- KACLKACL (Frasier)KACL is the fictional Seattle, Washington radio station on the television show Frasier. It broadcasts many talk radio shows, including The Dr. Frasier Crane Show between 2:00pm–5:00pm each weekday, Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe's top-rated The Gonzo Sports Show, and Gil Chesterton's Restaurant Beat...
780 AM – is the radio station in SeattleSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
which is the setting for FrasierFrasierFrasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
. It was named after creators, AngellDavid AngellDavid Lawrence Angell was an American producer of sitcoms. Angell won multiple Emmy Awards as the creator and executive producer, along with Peter Casey and David Lee, of the comedy series Frasier...
, CaseyPeter CaseyPeter Casey is an American television producer and screenwriter. He was a writer for the American sitcoms The Jeffersons, Cheers and Wings, as well as being a co-creator and writer for Frasier.-External links:...
and LeeDavid Lee (screenwriter)David Lee is an American television producer, director and screenwriter. He was a writer and producer for the American sitcoms The Jeffersons and Cheers, as well as being a co-creator, writer and director for Wings and Frasier...
plus the standard letter K for stations located west of the MississippiMississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. It hosts talk radioTalk 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...
and briefly hosted salsaSalsa musicSalsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
. Several other fictional radio stations, KPXY, KQZY, KJSB, KAZW and KTLK are also mentioned or featured in the show.
- KBBL and KBBL-FM (AM 970, FM 102.5) – radio stations in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. The letters of the call-sign suggest babble and the Tower of BabelTower of BabelThe Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
. Nominal competitors are KJAZZ-FM and KFSL – Fossil 103
- KBHR 570 AM – from Northern ExposureNorthern ExposureNorthern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, it is the local station of fictional town Cicely, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
- WENNRemember WENNRemember WENN is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, it depicted events in the personal and professional lives of...
– set in Pittsburgh, an old-time radioOld-time radioOld-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
station that was the focus of the Emmy award-winning television series Remember WENN.
- WKRP – Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
and The New WKRP in CincinnatiThe New WKRP in CincinnatiThe New WKRP in Cincinnati is a sequel/spin-off of the original CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. It was made for the syndication market from 1991 to 1993....
TV shows (formerly easy listening, turned into rock and Top 40 for both series). The show was considered revolutionary for its use of music for the fictional station. WKRP's rival is WPIG, whose mascot was a pig (and which is not to be confused with the real WPIG stationWPIGWPIG is an FM radio station located in Olean, New York. Branded as the "Big Pig," "The Pig" or simply by its frequency and callsigns at times, the station operates at 95.7 MHz on the FM dial and operates a broad-based country music format...
).
- WOLD – Boise, IdahoBoise, IdahoBoise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
= from the song W*O*L*D by Harry ChapinHarry ChapinHarry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
.
- WPIG 95.7 – unrelated to WPIG Cincinnati. Rock station set in Aurora, IllinoisAurora, IllinoisAurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
in the movie Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
. Partially based on a real-life country music stationWPIGWPIG is an FM radio station located in Olean, New York. Branded as the "Big Pig," "The Pig" or simply by its frequency and callsigns at times, the station operates at 95.7 MHz on the FM dial and operates a broad-based country music format...
with the same call sign and frequency in Olean, New YorkOlean, New YorkOlean is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County, and serves as the financial, business, transportation and entertainment center of the county. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of New York.The city is...
.
- WUSA – is the setting of the film of the same name, which depicts it as a talk radio station in New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
- WNYX 585 AM – a fictional AM news station in New York City from NewsRadioNewsRadioNewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
. The entire series takes place in, about and around the goings on at the station. The number for the station is impossible to dial on standard AM radios, given the 10 KHz spacing on the AM band in the United States. Other stations mentioned in the show are WRMH, WYXP, and WXYP.
The game series Grand Theft Auto also has a large number of fictional radiostations.
Canada
- CIBJ-FM – a fictional campus radio station set in Toronto, Ontario from Drop the BeatDrop the BeatDrop the Beat was a Canadian television series produced by Back Alley Films, which aired on CBC Television in 2000. A short run dramatic series, the show was one of the first television series ever built around hip hop music and culture....
, a spin-off of Straight UpStraight Up (TV series)Straight Up is a popular but short lived Canadian television series produced by Back Alley Films. Although critically acclaimed , the show only ran for 13 episodes on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998...
.
- Radio Free RoscoeRadio Free RoscoeRadio Free Roscoe was a Canadian television series filmed in Toronto, Ontario. The show was produced by Decode Entertainment, and it first aired on 1 August 2003 on Family, in Canada. It has also been dubbed in French in the province of Quebec and aired on VRAK.TV...
– a fictional pirate radioPirate radioPirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station created by four teen characters in the show of the same name.
- Radio EnferRadio EnferRadio Enfer was a Québécois sitcom broadcast on Canal Famille and its later incarnation, Vrak.TV, about a group of students at an unidentified high school managing their own high school radio station....
– in the show of the same name, a high school radioHigh school radioHigh school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station.
United Kingdom
- Crucial FMCrucial FMCrucial FM was a fictional pirate radio station on the Lenny Henry comedy TV series on BBC 1. Henry played the character "Delbert Wilkins", a D.J who broadcast his shows from the back of a kebab shop in Brixton. The opening credits of the programme started with a mock jingle which sang Brixton...
– a fictional pirate radioPirate radioPirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station on the Lenny HenryLenny HenryLenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
comedy TV series on BBC 1.
- Radio Active – from the radio series of the same name. (There is a real Radio Active in WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
)
- Radio NorwichBBC Radio NorwichRadio Norwich is a fictional radio station in Norwich, England, in the television series I'm Alan Partridge. It contains elements from both BBC Local Radio and Independent Local Radio; it is unclear precisely what it is supposed to be, but the BBC is never referred to in the station's logo, jingles...
– I'm Alan PartridgeI'm Alan PartridgeI'm Alan Partridge is a BBC situation comedy starring Steve Coogan, of which two series of six episodes each were produced — the first in 1997 and the second in 2002...
- Radio Rock – pirate rock-and-roll radio station broadcast from an offshore boat; from the movie The Boat That RockedThe Boat That RockedThe Boat That Rocked is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis, with pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s as its setting. The film has an ensemble cast featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh...
(known as Pirate Radio in the United States)
- Radio RooRadio RooRadio Roo was a children's television programme which featured the adventures of Dennis and Clive, who run a radio station, Radio Roo, based in Engliand that Clive inherited. The show ran for a total of 31 episodes from 1991 to 1993 on the BBC. All episodes were written by Wayne Jackman, who...
– a fictional radio station featured in the children's program of the same name.
- Radio Shuttleworth – from the radio series of the same name.
Extraterrestrial
- LIVE 34LIVE 34LIVE 34 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:On Colony 34, LIVE 34 is a news station delivering news every hour of every day...
– Earth Colony 34 news station in the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio drama of the same name.