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Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of
Disney Branded Television Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development and production of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. The unit al ...
within the
Disney General Entertainment Content Disney General Entertainment Content, Trade name, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's Gen ...
, headquartered in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
. The network broadcast music programming oriented towards children, pre-teens and teenagers, focusing mainly on current hit music and a heavy emphasis on
teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...
s (particularly those signed with
Disney Music Group Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...
record labels, such as Hollywood and
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
); compared to most CHR stations, Radio Disney was far more aggressive in playing only current hits and eschews
recurrent rotation In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely sh ...
. For many years Radio Disney affiliated with stations in markets of varying size, mainly large and mid-sized markets; however, by the early 2010s, Disney had begun to phase out the network's affiliations with terrestrial radio stations, and sold its owned-and-operated Radio Disney stations (with the exception of KDIS in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
) to third-parties, in order to focus more on its programming, marketing, creating revenue producing events and distribution of Radio Disney as an
internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
outlet on digital platforms. In 2015, Radio Disney partnered with
iBiquity iBiquity Digital Corporation is a company formed by the merger of USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio. Based in Columbia, Maryland, with additional offices in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and Auburn Hills, Michigan, iBiquity is a privately ...
to distribute the network terrestrially via its
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
platform, and with iHeartRadio for further digital distribution. In the same year, Radio Disney launched a spin-off service, Radio Disney Country, which carried a
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format catered towards a similar audience; in 2017, this service replaced the main Radio Disney service on KDIS, which was renamed
KRDC The KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC) was an umbrella term for the desktop environment plus a range of included applications produced by KDE. From its 1.0 release in July 1998 until the release of version 4.4 in February 2010, the Software Com ...
. The network also lent its name to the
Radio Disney Music Awards The Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA) were an annual awards show operated and governed by Radio Disney, an American radio network. Beginning in 2001, the show was originally broadcast only on Radio Disney, but later began being televised on Disne ...
, an annual music awards presentation broadcast on television since 2014 by
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
. On December 3, 2020, Disney announced that Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country would be shut down in the first quarter of 2021. On April 14, 2021, Radio Disney ceased broadcast when its last remaining terrestrial station, KRDC in Los Angeles, was quietly changed to a simulcast of KSPN 710 AM, an ESPN Radio frequency.


Background

Disney had for a long time been involved in the music business, building off its success in movies and TV shows, which later became
Disney Music Group Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...
. However, with radio, Disney was not committed to the medium only doing a few shows. Radio Disney is Disney's third foray into radio. In late 1955,
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
started ''The Magic Kingdom'' radio show—running Monday through Fridays and which was heard on ABC Radio. Even before the 1996 Disney- CC/ABC merger, Disney and ABC Radio considered as early as 1991 planned for a children's radio network but dropped the idea. Starting on July 31, 1994, Disney started a weekend radio show, ''Live From Walt Disney World'', that originated from both Disney World and Disneyland on
Radio AAHS Radio AAHS was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC (1280 AM) in Minneapolis, which broadcast from the former First Federal Bank building at Minnesota State Highway 100 and Excelsior ...
. In November 1995, ABC Radio Networks and Children's Broadcast Corp. reached an agreement for ABC Radio to provide marketing and sales to Radio AAHS. After Disney's acquisition of CC/ABC, Disney had ABC Radio cancel the agreement in August 1996 plus announced the start of its own children's network and ended AAHS's Disney World broadcasting rights.


History


ABC Radio Networks (1996–2006)

Radio Disney was test launched on November 18, 1996 in four markets,
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, and
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
by
ABC Radio Networks ABC Radio may refer to: Australia * History of ABC Radio (Australia), the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) responsible for: ** ABC Classic, a classical music radio station ** ABC Classic 2, an un-presented streaming-only c ...
. In late March 1997, a fifth test market was added,
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
on former KidStar station
KKDZ KKDZ (1250 AM) is a radio station in Seattle, Washington, licensed to operate with 5,000 watts full-time. It was first licensed in April 1922 as KTW, and is one of the oldest in the United States. History KTW The station received its first lice ...
. Pleased with the results in those four test markets, ABC Radio Networks announced on May 8, 1997 that Radio Disney would begin a nationwide rollout, with the network having 14 affiliates by the end of the year. On August 26, 1997, Radio Disney was launched in Los Angeles on KTZN/710. By August 1998, 28 stations had affiliated with Radio Disney, with an expected 63 stations by the end of 1999. Radio Disney purchased
KAAM (AM) Kaam ( Gurmukhi: ਕਾਮ ''Kāma'') in common usage, the term stands for 'excessive passion for sexual pleasure' and it is in this sense that it is considered to be an evil in Sikhism. In Sikhism it is believed that Kaam can be overcom ...
(Plano, Texas) for $12 million and switched the station to the network in July. In 1998, the network was based out of its Dallas station. Other than music, the network aired other programs such as "Mickey & Minnie's Tune Time", a two-hour weekday toddler program, and two 60-second features per hour which included contests, "ABC News for Kids" and "Gross Me Out". The network ran its Radio Disney Project Family Initiative from July 1 to September 15, 2003 with family-themed programming and events to get family to sign on to the Radio Disney Family Pledge. Radio Disney would later begin being carried on
XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its se ...
in 2001, with the station launching on
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...
in 2002. Disney entered a joint venture to launch
Capital Disney Capital Disney was a British digital radio station aimed at 8 to 16 year olds which used to broadcast across the UK on DAB Digital Radio in selected areas. Capital Disney launched on 16 September 2002 as a joint venture between GCap Media PLC ...
digital radio channel in Britain and operated from 2002 until June 29, 2007. In 2004, Disney paid the former Children's Broadcasting Corporation (which operated children's radio network
Radio Aahs Radio AAHS was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC (1280 AM) in Minneapolis, which broadcast from the former First Federal Bank building at Minnesota State Highway 100 and Excelsior ...
) $12.4 million in a lawsuit settlement. In April 2002, Radio Disney began using a new logo, which was followed by the network redesigning its website, and changing its slogan to "Your Music, Your Way" on May 28, 2002. On July 30, 2003, ABC Radio Networks founded the
Radio Disney Group Radio Disney Group, LLC was a limited liability company that owned most of the Radio Disney radio stations operating in each U.S. state. Radio Disney Group was owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group and the headquarters were located in New Yor ...
, who took over operations of most of Radio Disney's stations. 2006 marked the network's 10th anniversary; Radio Disney rebroadcast its first hour of programming from November 18, 1996, on June 6, 2006, at around 4:58 pm. ET on stations in select markets, such as WQEW. Also, as part of the 10th anniversary, Radio Disney held the "Totally 10 Birthday Concert" on July 22, 2006, at the Arrowhead Pond in
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
. It also included a simultaneous live webcast on the Radio Disney website. A second concert was held in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
, on November 18, 2006, at the
Dallas Convention Center The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCCD) (formerly Dallas Convention Center) is a convention center in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas. The "Dallas Memorial Auditorium" was a standalone multipurpose arena, de ...
.


Disney Channels Worldwide (2006–2014)

In August 2006, operational duties of Radio Disney were transferred to the company's Disney–ABC Cable Networks Group (currently d.b.a. Disney Channels Worldwide), which otherwise operates Disney's
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
properties, except for
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. On June 12, 2007, Disney spun off and merged its
ABC Radio Networks ABC Radio may refer to: Australia * History of ABC Radio (Australia), the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) responsible for: ** ABC Classic, a classical music radio station ** ABC Classic 2, an un-presented streaming-only c ...
with
Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...
into Citadel Communications while retaining its ESPN Radio and Radio Disney networks and stations. In March 2008, Radio Disney and Gracenote signed a licensing agreement starting immediately that allow the lyrics be seen along with the song online on Radio Disney Internet Radio Player. The channel began streaming live on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
Radio Tuner in August 2008. In November 2008, Radio Disney relocated its main operations from Dallas to Los Angeles. The former radio studio that housed Radio Disney in Dallas began to be used by
The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show ''The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show'' (formerly ''Kidd Kraddick in the Morning'') is an American ensemble morning radio show that originates from Dallas, Texas. The show is heard weekday mornings on flagship station, KHKS, and on dozens of other r ...
in 2008. The network launched on October 8, 2008 the
Next Big Thing ''Next Big Thing'' is the tenth studio album from American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in 2003 on MCA Nashville, and it features four singles: the title track, "Someday", "Young Man's Town", and "In These Last Few Days". The ...
feature which allows listeners vote on young unsigned artists' songs to be played. In 2013, the Radio Disney Music Awards began airing on the
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
. Sometime in 2009, in September at the latest, Radio Disney changed its logo to the one they still used until their closure. By 2009, Radio Disney was starting to reduce its station footprint to the larger markets to make the network more profitable. In January 2010, Radio Disney Group requested permission from the FCC to "silence" five of its owned-and-operated stations (along with a sixth station operating under a
local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
with another company) while the stations were being sold. Disney sold six AM stations and one FM station that year. In June 2013, Disney announced the sale of seven owned-and-operated stations in medium-sized markets, in order to refocus Radio Disney's broadcast distribution on the top-25 radio markets. On April 10, 2014, it was announced that Radio Disney's ''Top 30 Countdown'' would become a syndicated radio show, distributed by
Rick Dees Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...
' Dees Entertainment. Aha Radio,
Slacker A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early ...
and ShowMobile signed online carriage agreements with the network in mid-2014.


Shift to HD Radio and digital (2014-2020)

On August 13, 2014, Radio Disney's general manager Phil Guerini announced plans to sell all but one of its remaining owned-and-operated stations on or before September 26, 2014, in order to focus more on the network's programming, co-branded events, and digital outlets. Listenership reports indicated that the majority of Radio Disney's audience listened to the network via satellite radio and other digital platforms, and only 18% via terrestrial AM/FM radio. KDIS remained operational to serve as the originating station for the Radio Disney network, while the remaining stations would continue carrying Radio Disney programming until their respective sales were completed. The last five Radio Disney owned-and-operated stations for sale were sold on September 15, 2015 to
Salem Media Group Salem Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SALM; formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher formerly based in Camarillo, California (moved most operations to Irv ...
(who was the largest purchaser of the stations) for $2.225 million. On April 13, 2015, Disney announced that the Radio Disney network would move to
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
subchannels; the network will be distributed by
iBiquity iBiquity Digital Corporation is a company formed by the merger of USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio. Based in Columbia, Maryland, with additional offices in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and Auburn Hills, Michigan, iBiquity is a privately ...
via deals with broadcast companies (
CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
,
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
,
Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 8 ...
, etc.) with ad sales handled by its HD Radio Digital Network. A network representative that the move was intended to target families as in-car listeners. Eventually, those deals ended quietly after a few years. On August 6, 2015, Radio Disney was made available for listening on iHeartRadio. It was announced that on November 25, 2019, Disney has secured a deal with
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
to bring Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country to the company's
Radio.com Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national umbr ...
platform.


Decline and closure (2020–2021)

On December 3, 2020, Disney announced that both Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country would shut down in the first quarter of 2021 as part of its restructuring plan to focus more on producing content for the television networks and
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
, with KRDC being put up for sale. Radio Disney began to wind down operations on December 31, 2020 as their DJ's hosted their final shows, and was discontinued on
SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...
on that same date. Radio Disney Country was completely shut down at noon Pacific Time on December 31; KRDC subsequently returned to the main Radio Disney feed. On January 1, the station ceased its Top 40 format and switched to an automated throwback playlist which mainly consisted of songs from throughout the 24-year history of the network. The Radio Disney app and website shut down on January 22, 2021, while the station continued to broadcast on iHeartRadio until it was removed sometime during March. At that point, the station was only heard in the
Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
and
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
on terrestrial radio until April 14, 2021 at 10 am PT, when it was quietly discontinued and switched to a simulcast of sister station KSPN. The final song Radio Disney played prior to being switched was “ Unwritten” by
Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...
. Despite the station now being defunct, Radio Disney’s Instagram and Twitter remain active to promote other Disney movies and TV shows, mainly those airing on
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
.


Replacement services (2021–present)

On March 25, 2021, Disney launched Disney Hits, at the time exclusively on SiriusXM. Unlike Radio Disney, Disney Hits only include music from The Walt Disney Company's productions. In August 2022, Disney announced a partnership with Audacy Inc. to launch nine additional Disney-branded audio feeds through the Audacy mobile app, in addition to making Disney Hits available on that platform. The nine channels include jazz, a sing-along channel, decades channels devoted to the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, a "Disney Reimagined" channel, a Spanish language channel, a channel devoted to music from Disney Channel, and an LGBTQ-oriented "Disney Pride" channel. The announcement noted that additional Disney channels, including at least one Christmas music channel, would be added later in 2022.


Programming

Radio Disney played a large selection of songs from stars and programs on Disney Channel, along with popular songs from mainstream pop and R&B artists that are found on conventional radio stations. The network aired edited versions of some Top 40 songs (which remove profanity and any other suggestive content) to make them appropriate for younger listeners. The specialized
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...
favored music which often takes on a sound reminiscent of " bubblegum pop" of the 1960s and '70s.


List of former programs broadcast by Radio Disney

* ''Fearless Everyday'' – hosted by blogger and entrepreneur Alexa Curtis, is Radio Disney's first show to introduce topics like social media and mental health to listeners. * ''#ICYMI'' – ''In Case You Missed It'' * ''1 Hour of Nonstop Music'' – A One Hour Program that plays commercial free music. * ''More Music Monday'' – Non-stop commercial-free music on Mondays with no hosts. * ''Morning Update'' * ''Radio Disney Country Spotlight'' * ''Radio Disney Insider Show'' * ''Really Good Time'' – Hosted by DJ Lela B, the program features dance music including remixes of popular songs. In addition, Lela B also hosts the ''Weekend Warm-Up'' show which similar features remixes of songs. * ''The Radio Disney Top 3'' – ''The Radio Disney Top 3'', hosted by Morgan Tompkins, features the three most requested songs of the day, and after, a caller who is able to name all three songs will win a prize or super entry. * ''TBT Top 3'' * ''Radio Disney's Top 10'' ''(originally Top 30 Countdown and Radio Disney's Top 30)'' – The longest-running program, originally hosted only by Susan Huber, soon by Jake Whetter, later by Ernie D., and now by Richardo Ordieres. Songs that receive the most requests during the week are included on the countdown, played in descending order. In 2016, the Radio Disney Top 30, after being the longest-running program in the station, was shortened to only 10 songs. Around New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, a special version of the countdown featuring the 50 most requested songs of the year is broadcast. As of February 2018, it is hosted by various artists or other guest hosts. * ''Connect Family'' – Originally named ''Family Fun Day'', the program was retitled early in April 2007 as ''Connect Family'' (borrowed from the network's on-air campaign of the same name); it was formally hosted by Ernest "Ernie D." Martinez and Blake Kuhre. Between songs, parents and children would discuss with the DJs how they spend time with one another, their family life and play contests for children to win prizes and entries into Radio Disney contests. * ''For the Record with Laura Marano'' – A weekly one-hour show hosted by
Laura Marano Laura Marie Marano (born November 29, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role in the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' as Ally Dawson. Marano was one of the five original classmates in '' Are You Smarter than a ...
, chronicling her journey as she launches her career. This show closed in April 2016. * ''Frequency Jam'' – A Friday night program which debuted around 2002/2003, in which three songs would be played by DJs Ernest "Ernie D." Martinez or Brian Kuhre. The song with the most votes (via Radio Disney's website) would be the next song that would be played as the winner. ''Frequency Jam'' ended in February 2007 with the redesign of Radio Disney website. *''Morgan & Maddy in the Morning'' – hosted by Morgan Tompkins and Maddy Whitby started on April 1, 2013 * ''Nate and Megan in the Morning'' – A morning show hosted by Nate and Megan. *''Move It Party'' – Saturday weekend show hosted by Morgan Tompkins and Maddy Whitby * ''
Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Televi ...
'' – (Originally "Mickey and Minnie's Tune Time" from 1998 to February 2001) The program aired on Radio Disney weekdays during the school year from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. ET and was hosted by Robin, Tina, B. B. Good's
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...
and
Susan Huber Susan Huber is an American voice actor, voice actress who works with anime series at FUNimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime films. She is not related to fellow FUNimation voi ...
from its inception; it was also hosted by Betsy. Playhouse Disney was originally a two-hour block, but was later reduced to one hour; segments featured in the block included ''Circle Time Story'' (originally "Mickey and Minnie's Storytime Theatre" from 1998 to 2001), which featured read-along stories from Disney movies. Like the now-defunct Playhouse Disney block (succeeded by
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven y ...
) on
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
, it was targeted towards preschoolers. Songs for young children were played along with trivia contests.


Serial radio

In July 2010, Radio Disney debuted its first scripted serial called ''My Dream,'' a contemporary story utilizing a format reminiscent of serials from the 1940s. Unlike Depression-era radio serials that typically featured episodes lasting 15 to 30 minutes, episodes of ''My Dream'' runs for only 90 seconds and play multiple times throughout the day. ''My Dream'' stars Daphne Blunt as a 14-year-old girl trying to make a name for herself in the music industry while dealing with the usual struggles, responsibilities and emotional ups and downs of an everyday teen.


Features and contests

Radio Disney carried a number of features from interactive contests to informational programs.


Final features

* ''Music Mailbag'' – The hour-long Saturday program. After a new song selected for entry into Radio Disney's regular playlist was played, listeners were urged to call into the network's hotline or vote on its website to "Pick It" (make the song part of the network's playlist rotation) or "Kick It" (reject it as an entry into the playlist). By the time the station shut down, voting was conducted via Twitter as the station’s website was no longer used. * 60 Seconds With (actor/actress/artist name) – A segment featuring minute-long excerpts from interviews and celebrity "takeovers". * Grand Prize Drawing – Grand prize drawings often occur over the course of one to four weeks, depending on the contest. Contestants can win entries in a regular contest that contestant wins; contestants also periodically have the opportunity to win a "super entry", in which 100 entries for the drawing are entered into the contest. The winner of the grand prize will usually win a vacation, or a chance to meet a popular artist heard on Radio Disney or the opportunity to meet another celebrity. Drawings usually occur on a Friday. *Planet Premiere – A music artist sits down with Ernest "Ernie D." Martinez or Candice Huckeba as their newest album or song is played on Radio Disney. Before each song plays, the artist tells the listeners how the song was conceived, and what its meaning was. *Power Prize – The "Power Prize" occurs at least six times a day. A winner of a contest will not only win a super entry, but also a "power" prize. This started when Radio Disney stopped giving out prizes to every contest winner. *Radio Rewind – A segment of a song was played backward and callers would try to guess the name of that song. The song would usually be played forward after someone wins. * Sound File – The news on new music and artists (new entries appear weekly during the ''Top 10 Countdown''). * Super Entry – Winners of a contest receive 100 entries into the grand prize drawing. When the "super entry" first started, the winner would get 40 entries. * TBT Top 3 – ''Throwback Thursday Top 3'', A long time segment That Plays Throwback Songs, But not that far back. and after that, a caller would try to guess 3 songs, and a caller will win. * Title Text – A segment that a DJ says the first letter for each word of a song, and callers would try to guess the full words of the song, and will play after someone wins. (For Example: C, S, T, F,: Can't Stop the Feeling.)


Former features

*
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
for Kids – News updates from
ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
which featured child-appropriate news updates and features segments. * ABC Notebook * Aptitude Dude – voiced by Squeege. * Backwards Bop – A small excerpt of a song was played backward and callers would try to guess the name of that song. * Battle of the Cities – A trivia game hosted by Mark and Zippy. Two contestants from different cities would call in and the caller with the most answers wins. * Bumbling Bill's Safety Spotlight – Bumbling Bill and his friend Sally (
Susan Huber Susan Huber is an American voice actor, voice actress who works with anime series at FUNimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime films. She is not related to fellow FUNimation voi ...
) talk about what's safe and unsafe. In a running gag, Bumbling Bill would often
malaprop A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed to ...
Sally's name. This program ended near the beginning of 2006. * Celebrity Take with Jake – A pre-recorded segment hosted by Jake Whetter, providing celebrity news stories focusing on actors and music artists popular with the network's target demographic. * Code Word of the Day – The "Code Word of the Day" is given out about five times an hour. If a caller knows the code word when they calls Radio Disney's hotline (usually around 6:30 pm. ET), that person is awarded a prize. This program ended in mid 2017. * ESPN Sports for Kids - Sports news and some health tips. * Grandma Nature * Garage Door Derby – A contest hosted by DJ Aaron K. in which two callers would call in and participate in a race to see whose garage door closed the fastest. The first to say, "It's open!" or "It's closed!" would win a prize. * Gross Me Out – "Gross Me Out" was a longtime segment that talked about gross things which kids often like to hear. * Hairbrush Karaoke – Similar to the "Karaoke" game with DJ Kara. DJ Susan Huber would get a caller to sing karaoke on the radio, and then they would win a prize. This ended when Susan Huber left Radio Disney. *Hogwarts or Hogwash – A game played by DJ Aaron K. The correct caller must answer three out of four questions from the popular ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' book and/or film series as true or false, by saying "Hogwarts" for being true and "Hogwash" for being false. * Incubator – A segment played between songs or during commercial breaks featuring interviews with up-and-coming music artists. * Karaoke – A contest held by retired DJ
Kara Edwards Kara Edwards (born February 17, 1977) is an American voice actress working for the English versions of Japanese anime. She is also well known in the Charlotte, North Carolina area for her past career as a radio host. Career Edwards began her b ...
. She would sing one line of a song and the correct caller would sing the other. * Laugh Shack – Kids would call in and leave jokes on the network's voicemail (or "earmail") number. The jokes would then later be aired on the radio. * Let's Make a Deal – Another game/contest hosted by Mark and Zippy. This was a parody of the television game show of the same name. * NBT (Next Big Thing) – This segment was hosted by Jake Whetter, and is similar to the former ''Incubator'' feature. Each year since the contest launched in 2008, Radio Disney plays new songs by five up-and-coming music artist that are contestants; listeners are able to vote for which contestant moves on to the next round of the competition until a winner is chosen. * Theatre of the B-zarre – An interstitial segment that ended around mid-2006, in which Dr. B and a hairball-like creature named Critter talk about strange and creepy things. * The Adventures of Bud and Iggy – A contest that centered on two unheard characters, Bud and Iggy, who are always getting lost. Clues were given as to what city the two are lost in. This longtime contest ended near the end of 2003. * The Answer is Always "C." – The DJ would give a caller a multiple-choice question, or questions, but a winner would almost always be assured, as the answer was always the "C." choice. * The State Game – Three clues about a state were given out (the state nickname and two facts) and callers would try to guess what state it is. This game was played by B.B. Good and Sherry. * Thinkenstein: 2000 – A segment featuring Dr. Thinkenstein (voiced by
Clint Ford Clint Ford (born January 27, 1976) is an American screenwriter, actor, voice-over artist, and novelist. He is best known for his portrayal as the Klingon M'ven, of the Great House of Martok, in the video game, Star Trek Online. He is also kno ...
) a wild, hyperactive scientist with a Karloff-esque voice, who routinely examined technologies and breakthroughs that other scientists were currently working on to improve the future. He frequently discussed his findings with his computer assistant, "I.gor" (nicknamed "E-dot"). * Your Music, Your Way a.k.a. Your Music & Your Stars, Your Way


Radio Disney Music Awards

From 2001 to 2019, Radio Disney held an annual awards ceremony, the
Radio Disney Music Awards The Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA) were an annual awards show operated and governed by Radio Disney, an American radio network. Beginning in 2001, the show was originally broadcast only on Radio Disney, but later began being televised on Disne ...
, to honor popular music artists featured on the network. Similar to the
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
and
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
, teenagers would vote to select the winner of each category including Best Female Artist, Best Male Artist, Best Music Group, Song of the Year,
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
, Fiercest Fans, Artist with the Best Style, Most Talked About Artist and more.
Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
is the biggest winner with 21 awards and 35 nominations. There were no awards between 2009 and 2012, as well as 2020.


Radio Disney World Tours

In 2000 and 2001, Radio Disney launched two separate "world tours" that traveled to major U.S. cities including
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. In 2000, the tour featured up-and-coming talent (
No Authority No Authority, was an American boyband that was signed to Michael Jackson's record label MJJ music. They are known for their singles, "Don't Stop", "One More Time". "Girlfriend" (which was featured on the Trippin' soundtrack), "Can I Get Your Numb ...
, Myra) and then Radio Disney DJs, Mark and Zippy. The tour played in theatrical venues and had audiences of up to 2,000 people per show (there were four shows each weekend in each city).


Other networks


Radio Disney Networks

Radio Disney Networks is an American
radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio ( duplex communication) type ...
that is owned by
Disney Channels Worldwide Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development and production of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. The unit a ...
, Inc., a subsidiary of
Walt Disney Television Disney General Entertainment Content, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's General Enter ...
, a primary component of
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's Disney Media Networks segment. Radio Disney Networks broadcasts three separated digital channels, Radio Disney, Radio Disney Country and Radio Disney Junior, via radio station's HD channel or by online stream sites. The original Radio Disney network play music and other content aimed at preteens and young
teenagers Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...
; it can be described as a youth-targeted
contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
format with heavy emphasis on
teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...
s. Recently Radio Disney has become a Mainstream Top 40 Indicator reporter on Nielsen-BDS eventually being upgraded to monitored status with Nielsen-BDS. Radio Disney is also a monitored reporter on the Mediabase 24/7 Top 40 panel. The network is headquartered in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
. Radio Disney Junior was available via the Watch Disney Junior app in August 2014. On November 4, 2015, Radio Disney Networks launched a
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
-focused internet radio station, Radio Disney Country. Disney Channels Worldwide replaced its Watch app series with the singular, DisneyNow, which combines its TV and radio channels the week of September 29, 2017. On November 13, 2014, Radio Disney and Radio Disney Junior became available on Slacker Radio with Radio Disney's Top 30 Countdown starting on November 15, 2014.


Radio Disney Country

Radio Disney Country is a defunct
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
focused internet radio network that launched on November 4, 2015, and was initially exclusive to Radio Disney's own digital platforms. The service focused upon current songs, current and past material from popular artists, and pop songs featuring country musicians. Guerini explained that the format of the channel was meant to allow it to draw from a wider range of songs than traditional country radio stations, owing to the format's "
embrace Embrace may refer to: * A hug, a form of physical intimacy * Acceptance Music Bands * Embrace (American band), a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. * Embrace (English band), a post-Britpop band from West Yorkshire * Embrace (duo), a Dan ...
" of rock, hip-hop and pop-oriented songs (with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' noting its airplay of
Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popula ...
's Western-trap song "
Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...
" in 2019 as an example of this strategy). The network's launch coincided with the 2015 CMA Awards. Like its sister station, Radio Disney Country emphasized current hits and used little recurrent rotation. On June 9, 2017, Disney announced that it would expand the network's distribution to include other digital platforms, such as iHeartRadio and
TuneIn TuneIn is a global audio streaming service delivering live news, radio, sports, music, and podcasts to over 75 million monthly active users. TuneIn is operated by the company TuneIn Inc. which is based in San Francisco, California. The compan ...
, as well as curated playlists on
Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
and
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, and terrestrial radio with the flip of KDIS to the network as KRDC 99.1 FM and AM 1110 (the main Radio Disney network continued to be carried locally on a subchannel of
KRTH KRTH (101.1 FM, "K-Earth 101") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits format. KRTH's st ...
until late 2018 when its contract to carry the network expired). The station's ''Let the Girls Play'' segment premiered on December 5, 2018. In July 2019, Radio Disney Country opened a Nashville Music Row based studio. In July 2019, Disney agreed to license Radio Disney video content to Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation to telestream via a patented process the content to the web and the audio to a radio station, WIGO-AM, as ''The Radio Disney Hour'' (working tile). Radio Disney Country's targeted audience was women aged 18 to 34 years old. The network's mix of music would be every thing with 60% popular artists and 40% up and coming artists. It ceased in the afternoon of December 31, 2020.


Radio Disney Junior

On February 14, 2011, a Radio Disney Junior block was launched in tandem with the
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven y ...
on
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
block. The hour long block focused on music for the preschool age plus fun "audio theater" with Disney Junior characters.


Programming

* ''Magical World of Disney Junior'', Disney and Pixar movies music * ''Pirates & Princesses'', themed songs * ''Get Up and Move'', dedicated to health and wellness


Stations

Despite being music-oriented, the network was carried primarily on AM stations. The Walt Disney Company owned most of the network's affiliates, though some stations were operated through
local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
s that had varying degrees of local management. The last separately-owned Radio Disney affiliate,
WOLF The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, left the network on February 1, 2014. On August 13, 2014, it was announced that all of Radio Disney's remaining stations, excluding KDIS, were to be sold in an effort to focus more on digital distribution of the Radio Disney network. KDIS would be retained to serve as the originator of Radio Disney's programming, and its operations was assumed by the network's national staff. However, Disney later announced that it would syndicate Radio Disney through affiliations with
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
subchannels. Many former Radio Disney stations have diverse histories prior to the network affiliation. The
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
s of Radio Disney stations (particularly those owned by The Walt Disney Company) were variations on the Disney name and that of
Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...
and
Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...
; at least one appeared to be named for Goofy (WGFY), and another after
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
(WDW).


Radio Disney History of #1s

These songs hit No. 1 on Radio Disney's Top 50 Songs from 1997 to 2020. * 1997:
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...
* 1998:
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a 1997 song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song serves as the main theme to James Cameron's blockbuster film '' Titanic'', based on an account of the transatlantic ocean liner of the same name which san ...
* 1999:
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
(You Drive Me) Crazy * 2000: NSYNC
Bye Bye Bye "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by the American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from their third studio album ''No Strings Attached (NSYNC album), No Strings Attached''. The song was written and produced by Kristi ...
* 2001: NSYNCPop * 2002:
Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
Complicated * 2003:
Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
Why Not Why Not may refer to: Film and TV * '' Why Not? with Shania Twain'', an American TV show * '' Pourquoi pas!'' (''Why Not!''), a 1977 French film starring Sami Frey * ''Why Not?'', a 2019 short thriller movie directed by Buğra Mert Alkayalar ...
* 2004:
Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
Come Clean * 2005:
Bowling For Soup Bowling for Soup (abbreviated as BFS) is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing vo ...
1985 * 2006:
Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a ...
The Best of Both Worlds * 2007:
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...
SOS * 2008:
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...
Burnin' Up * 2009:
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
You Belong with Me "You Belong with Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her second studio album ''Fearless (Taylor Swift album), Fearless'' (2008). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and produced it with Nathan Chapman (record prod ...
* 2010:
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
featuring
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
Baby An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
* 2011:
Selena Gomez & the Scene Selena Gomez & the Scene was an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2008, its last lineup consisted of vocalist Selena Gomez, drummer Greg Garman, bassist Joey Clement, keyboardist Dane Forrest, and guitarist Drew Ta ...
Love You like a Love Song "Love You Like a Love Song" is a song by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene recorded for their third studio album '' When the Sun Goes Down'' (2011). It was released as the second single from the album internationally. The song was released ...
* 2012:
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
What Makes You Beautiful "What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, ...
* 2013:
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
Best Song Ever "Best Song Ever" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 22 July 2013 by Syco Music, Syco as the lead single from the group's third studio album, ''Midnight Memories''. The song was written and composed b ...
* 2014:
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
featuring
Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
Problem * 2015:
Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...
Stitches * 2016: DayaSit Still, Look Pretty * 2017:
Julia Michaels Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
Issues * 2018:
Marshmello Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. His songs "Silence", "Wolves", "Friends", " Happier", and " Alone" have been certified multi-platinum in several ...
& Anne-MarieFriends * 2019:
Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...
If I Can't Have You * 2020:
BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
-
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...


Albums

The Radio Disney Jams series CDs are various artists compilations of music featured on Radio Disney.


International

Internationally, there are Radio Disney stations in Australia, Chile, Japan, Poland, Argentina, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Peru. There are plans to resume broadcasting of a Disney-branded radio station in the United Kingdom, but this time under the 'Radio Disney' brand, aimed at a younger audience than its predecessor in the UK. On October 21, 2010, Radio Disney launched in Brazil. From October 1, 2013 to July 28, 2022, Radio Disney was available in Russia via Disney.ru. It plans to broadcast in the Philippines and Sweden in the near future.


Latin America

Radio Disney is available in Latin America via terrestrial broadcast. Similar to Radio Disney in the U.S., it broadcasts in Spanish to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and in Portuguese to
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Radio Disney Latin America is a separate operation and won't be affected by the decision to shutter Radio Disney in the United States.


Europe

Radio Disney planned to begin broadcasting on the digital radio platform in the United Kingdom by the end of 2008. On July 6, 2007,
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
, the communications regulator of the United Kingdom, announced that the 4 Digital Group, a consortium headed by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and featuring Emap, UTV,
British Sky Broadcasting Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
, Global Radio,
Carphone Warehouse The Carphone Warehouse Limited was a mobile phone retailer based in London, United Kingdom. In August 2014 the company became a subsidiary of Currys plc (previously named "Dixons Carphone"), which was formed by the merger of its former parent Ca ...
and
UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...
, had been awarded a license to run a new digital radio multiplex which would include Radio Disney as one of ten new national radio stations. On October 10, 2008, Channel 4 withdrew plans to launch 4 Digital, ending the probability of Radio Disney launching on the service. A similar station,
Capital Disney Capital Disney was a British digital radio station aimed at 8 to 16 year olds which used to broadcast across the UK on DAB Digital Radio in selected areas. Capital Disney launched on 16 September 2002 as a joint venture between GCap Media PLC ...
began broadcasting in 2002 on the DAB digital radio network, on Sky Digital (Digital Satellite) and various digital cable television providers in the UK. The station was a joint venture between the UK's
Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...
Group and Disney. The idea being to use
Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...
's programming experience to assist Disney in launching a radio station in the UK. In early 2007, both Capital Radio (by now called
GCap Media GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. O ...
) and Disney agreed to pursue different goals, and as a result, Capital Disney closed down on June 29, 2007.


See also

*
Radio Disney Group Radio Disney Group, LLC was a limited liability company that owned most of the Radio Disney radio stations operating in each U.S. state. Radio Disney Group was owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group and the headquarters were located in New Yor ...
*
Cumulus Media Networks Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which w ...
(formerly ABC Radio Networks and Citadel Media) *
List of children radio networks Children's radio networks are radio networks which are targeted to children. These networks attempted to form in the late 1980s to 1990s. The more notable ones Radio AAHS and Radio Disney, while Children's Radio Network was the first on the air. Ch ...
* ESPN Radio *
Nick Radio Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
– A similar radio network launched by
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
and iHeartMedia in 2013 *
Teen pop Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
* Bubblegum pop *
Rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
* Hip hop music


References


External links

*
Former DJ Dean Wendt interview, containing info about the early days of Radio DisneyRadio Disney on SiriusRadio Disney on XM Radio
{{Authority control American radio networks Disney Media Networks Disney music Franchised radio formats Radio broadcasting companies of the United States Sirius Satellite Radio channels XM Satellite Radio channels ABC Radio Networks Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in Los Angeles American companies established in 1996 American companies disestablished in 2021 Mass media companies established in 1996 Mass media companies disestablished in 2021 Radio stations established in 1996 Radio stations disestablished in 2021 Entertainment companies established in 1996 Entertainment companies disestablished in 2021 1996 establishments in California 2021 disestablishments in California Sirius XM Radio channels Defunct radio broadcasting companies of the United States Former subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company