The year 1994 in radio involved some significant events.
Events
*January –
WHTZ
WHTZ (100.3 FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia. WHTZ is the flagship station for ''Elvis Duran and the Morning Show' ...
Z 100
Newark, NJ
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area.[New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...]
modifies their
CHR
CHR or chr may refer to: Organisations
* Canadians for Health Research, a national not-for-profit organisation
* Centre for Human Rights, an organisation promoting human rights in Africa
* Christ Church Secondary School, a government-aided school ...
format by mixing large amounts of
Modern Rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
into the format. They would continue this for over two years.
*January 11 – The Irish government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
and its political arm
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
.
*February – In the United States:
**
WHYT
HYT may refer to:
* HYT (watchmaker), Swiss
* High Year Tenure, in the US Armed Forces
* Hueytown, Alabama, US
* Hyde North railway station, England, station code
* Hytera
Hytera (; previously HYT; ) is a Chinese publicly traded and partly s ...
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
evolves from
Rhythmic CHR
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hits. ...
to
CHR
CHR or chr may refer to: Organisations
* Canadians for Health Research, a national not-for-profit organisation
* Centre for Human Rights, an organisation promoting human rights in Africa
* Christ Church Secondary School, a government-aided school ...
.
**Radio station
KVRE—
Hot Springs Village,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, begins broadcasting.
*February 1 – Radio station at
HM Prison Feltham
Feltham Young Offenders Institution (more commonly known as HM Prison & YOI Feltham) is a prison for adult male and juveniles between 15 and 18, occupying south-west of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow, in west London, England. It is ...
in London begins broadcasting, origin of
National Prison Radio in the United Kingdom.
*March –
KFMH
KFMH (101.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Kool 101.9") is a radio station city of license, licensed to serve Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The station serves Rapid City, South Dakota, with an on-channel broadcast booster licensed as KFMH-FM1. The station ...
(99.7 FM) of
Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...
, ceases its longtime progressive and alternative rock format on March 1. Two weeks later, the station's sale to New York-based Connoisseur Communications is completed; days later, the station's new
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
format debuts with call letters KBOB (to compete with
the Quad City market's WLLR-FM
WLLR-FM (103.7 Hertz, MHz) is a radio station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, whose format is modern country music. The station broadcasts at a power of 100 kW.
WLLR is owned by iHeartMedia, with studios located in Davenport. ...
).
*March 17 –
KRJY/
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
flips from 1950s/1960s oldies to classic hits, branded as "K-HITS 96". They will later adopt the KIHT call letters.
*March 28 – After about a year of moving most of the station's personalities to then-sister
KUDL
KUDL (106.5 FM) is a radio station in Sacramento, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format branded as ''106-5 The End''. Its studios are located in Foothill Farms (with a Sacramento address) and its transmitter ...
and evolving their music, Kansas City's
KMXV
KMXV (93.3 FM "Mix 93.3") is a contemporary hit radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The Steel City Media outlet operates with an ERP of 100 kW. Its current slogan is "Kansas City's #1 Hit Music Station". It i ...
"Mix 93.3" officially drops its AC format to go CHR/Top-40, returning the format to a full-market signal. After KBEQ dropped the format a year earlier, the only option for CHR/Top-40 was 107.3 KXXR/KISF with a transmitter about from downtown KC. KISF would evolve to
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
later in the year, with the shift completed in January 1995.
*April 15 –
Roy Disney's
Shamrock Broadcasting
Shamrock Holdings, Inc., or Shamrock, is a private equity firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family's investment firm; the Disney family remains its sole investor. Shamrock is a private corporation, and is fully owned by the estate of Roy E. Disn ...
, which merged with
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
-based
Malrite Communications Group
Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom, through its Commun ...
's radio group in the previous year, spins off Cleveland stations
WHK and
WMMS
WMMS (100.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, commonly identified as "The Buzzard". Widely regarded as one of the most influen ...
to OmniAmerica, headed by former Malrite executives Carl Hirsch and Dean Thacker. WHK switches format to all-sports. WMMS' format moved to
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, and the majority of the station's airstaff is replaced.
*April 26 –
Antena 3 Antena 3 may refer to:
*Antena 3 (Portugal), a national radio channel produced by the Portuguese public broadcasting entity Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
*Antena 3 (Romania), a Romanian television channel owned by Intact Media Group
*Antena 3 (Spa ...
, the third national channel of the
Portuguese public radio begins its FM broadcast.
*June 25 –
KXRX
KXRX (97.1 FM) is the call sign of the radio station 97 Rock based in Pasco, Washington. The station is owned by Townsquare Media. The call letters are based on the former KXRX/Seattle—a major rock radio station active in Seattle from 1987-1 ...
/
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
drops its
album rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM broadcasting, FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of Rock music, rock albums and is currently associated ...
format and begins stunting with comedy routines and an electronic countdown. On July 1, KXRX officially flips to
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
as "Young Country 96.5".
*July 4 –
WHYT
HYT may refer to:
* HYT (watchmaker), Swiss
* High Year Tenure, in the US Armed Forces
* Hueytown, Alabama, US
* Hyde North railway station, England, station code
* Hytera
Hytera (; previously HYT; ) is a Chinese publicly traded and partly s ...
/
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
shifts to "Planet Jams", a hybrid
Rhythmic CHR
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hits. ...
/
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
format. The Rhythmic product will be phased out during the year, resulting in the complete shift to modern rock as "The Planet."
*July 9 – The final original
American Top 40
''American Top 40'' (abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally radio syndication, syndicated, independent song countdown radio programming, radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs (broadcaster), Ron Jaco ...
airs in the U.S. The show continues internationally only for six months.
*September – In the United States:
**
WLUM
WLUM-FM (102.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The station airs an alternative rock radio format branded as "FM 102/1". The station is owned by the estate of former Green Bay Packer Willie Davis and his company, ...
/
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
drops its
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...
format for
Modern Rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
as "New Rock 102ONE." The move left Milwaukee without a Top 40-based station until
WXSS
WXSS (103.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin United States, and serving Greater Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. It broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format and is owned by ...
debuted in 1998.
**Christian radio personality
Harold Camping
Harold Egbert Camping (July 19, 1921December 15, 2013) was an American Christian radio broadcaster and evangelism, evangelist. Beginning in 1958, he served as president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that, at its peak, b ...
predicts three successive dates for the second coming of
Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
.
*October 1 –
WPAT-FM
WPAT-FM (93.1 FM) – branded "93.1 Amor" – is a commercial radio station with a tropical music format, serving the New York metropolitan area. It is licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, and owned by the Spanish Broadcasting System. The st ...
relaunches its
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format as more uptempo and now called Today's 93.1.
WPAT 930 also simulcasts during the day during the week but runs leftover sports many evenings. WPAT FM drops all weekend specialty programs except for
Sid Mark
Sidney Mark Fliegelman (May 30, 1933 – April 18, 2022), known professionally as Sid Mark, was an American radio disc jockey based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mark was best known for hosting a weekly syndicated radio program featuring th ...
's
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
show. The AM retains the other specialty programming and Sunday morning public affairs material.
*November – After eight-and-a-half years on the air, 105.5
KNAC
KBUE (105.5 FM, "Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Long Beach, California, that serves the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It is owned by Estrella Media and airs a Regional Mexican radio format. Studios an ...
in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, announces that they will be changing formats. The radio station eventually goes off the air three months later (on February 15, 1995), and is replaced by the
Mexican music
The music of Mexico is highly diverse, featuring a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, primarily deriving from Europeans, Indigenous, and Africans. Music became an expression of M ...
radio station
KBUE
KBUE (105.5 FM, "Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Long Beach, California, that serves the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It is owned by Estrella Media and airs a Regional Mexican radio format. Studios and ...
(Que Buena).
*November 14 – During an interview with
ABC Radio,
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
anchor
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-American television journalist. He was best known for serving as the sole anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 200 ...
causes an outcry from conservative commentators and viewers when he makes a statement comparing "angry voters" to two-year-olds with "uncontrollable rage" when asked about his views on the
1994 midterm elections
Elections were held on November 8, 1994. The elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President Bill Clinton's first term in office, and elected the members of 104th United States Congress. The elections have been described as the "Republ ...
. After petitions calling on ABC News to fire Jennings over these comments, and some asking that he be deported to Canada, Jennings apologizes for the statement.
*December 24 – First broadcast of
Willem Lange's ''Favor Johnson: A Christmas Story'' on
Vermont Public
Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, Vermont, Colchester, with television studios in Winooski, Vermont, Winooski. It operates t ...
radio stations, repeated in subsequent years.
Closings
* July 15 –
AFN Berlin says farewell to the public with a 3-hour special broadcast, transmitted live into 54 countries.
Deaths
* January 5 –
Brian Johnston
Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until h ...
, 81, British cricket commentator and radio presenter
* January 23 –
Brian Redhead
Brian Leonard Redhead (28 December 1929 – 23 January 1994) was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great love ...
, 64, British journalist and broadcaster
* February 1 –
Olan Soule
Olan Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films.
He was the ...
, 83, American radio and television actor
* April 22 –
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, 81,
American President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forc ...
who participated in the first
presidential debate broadcast on the radio
See also
*
Radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...
References
{{clear
Radio by year