The year 1999 in radio involved some significant events. __TOC__

Events

*January 4 -

KOZN KOZN (1620 AM) is a sports station licensed to Bellevue, Nebraska and serving the Omaha metropolitan area. It is owned by NRG Media, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with studios located at Dodge Street and 50th Avenue in Midtown Omaha, and ...

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

dropped its

modern AC 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 present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

format and began stunting with ocean waves. The following morning, KOZN flips to

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 present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

as "Star 102", and adopted the new call letters "KSRC." *January 5 - About an hour after KOZN debuted its new format,

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

er KNRX/Kansas City dropped its 5-year-old format and begins stunting with a loop of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

's "

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

." The following afternoon, the station flips to

urban oldies Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

as "K107." *January - KHYS/Houston flips from

Rhythmic CHR Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, a ...

rhythmic oldies Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispan ...

*January - WPYO/Orlando signs on with a dance-leaning Rhythmic CHR format *February 27 - KMGR/Salt Lake City flips from adult standards to Rhythmic CHR as KUUU *March 15 - KRBV/Dallas-Fort Worth flips from

Urban AC Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

to Rhythmic CHR *March 26: Billionaire

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, whic ...

gives

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

its first

Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as 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. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

station as KXL-FM becomes

KXJM KXJM (107.5 FM, "Jam'n 107.5") is a commercial radio station licensed to Banks, Oregon and serving the Portland metropolitan area. KXJM's studios and offices are in Tigard and the transmitter is located in Portland's West Hills. The statio ...

("Jammin' 95.5"). *April 5 - KHOT/Phoenix flips from Rhythmic Oldies to Regional Mexican *April 19 - WZJM/

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

drops its 14-year-old rhythmic-leaning Top 40/CHR format as "Jammin' 92.3" for

(as "92.3 The Beat"). *May 4 -

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

' official merger with

Jacor Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion. Jacor Communica ...

is consummated. *May 13 - WXXM/Philadelphia flips from Modern AC "Max" to Rhythmic Oldies as WEJM, "Jammin' Gold" *May 14 -

WENZ Wenz may refer to: Broadcasting * WENZ, a radio station (107.9 FM) licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States People * Alfred Wenz (1919–1944), a German soldier * Fred Wenz aka Frederick Charles Wenz (born 1941), a baseball player * Peter Wenz ( ...

/Cleveland flips from modern rock to

mainstream urban Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso ...

as "Kiss 107.9." *May 20 - WZLE/ Lorain flips from

Christian contemporary Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

to Top 40/CHR as "KISS 104.9", targeting

Greater Cleveland The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland as it is more commonly known, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census results, the five-county ...

. WZLE owner Clear Channel subsequently filed a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...

order against WENZ claiming rights to the KISS-FM brand in Ohio; WENZ ultimately rebranded as "Z-107.9" on September 1. *May 21 - KVOD/

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

flips from classical to

as "Jammin' 92.5." *May 22 - KESY/

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

flips from Soft AC to Top 40/CHR as KQCH, "Channel 97.7." *May 24 - WJJJ/

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

flips from

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the ...

as "104.7 The Beat." *June 4 - KGUM/ Agana signs on with an

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

format, branded as "The Rock 105.1." *June 30 - WPLL/Miami flips from

Modern AC 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 present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

to rhythmic oldies as "Mega 103.5." *July - Capstar and Chancellor officially complete their merger, with the newly combined company being renamed AMFM, Inc. *July 2 - WLCE/Buffalo flips from Modern AC to rhythmic oldies as WBUF, "B92.9." *August - KLAL/Little Rock evolves from

top Top 40/CHR *August 6 - WWXY and WWYX (now

WPNA-FM WPNA-FM (103.1 MHz) is a Polish radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by The Polish National Alliance, through licensee Alliance Radio, LLC. The station is licensed to Highland Park, Illinois and its transmitter is located in Arlington ...

)/Chicago flip to an 80's hits format, branded as "The 80s Channel." *August 28 -

WAKS WAKS (96.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Akron, Ohio, known as "96.5 KISS-FM" and featuring a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. Owned by iHeartMedia, WAKS's studios are located off Rockside ...

/Tampa flips formats from Top 40/CHR to hot AC as "Mix 100.7"; the station assumes the WMTX calls, while the WAKS calls are transferred to the former WZLE/Lorain. *September 1 -

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ont ...

Is Created By

Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications company which provides telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Shaw provides home telecommunications services primarily in Alberta and Br ...

*September - CBS and Viacom announced a $37 billion merger *October 2 - 810

WHB WHB (810 AM) is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Union Broadcasting and it airs an all-sports radio format. For most of the 1950s through the 1970s, while it was broadcasting at 710 AM ...

flips to Sports Talk *October 4 - Clear Channel announces a nearly $23.5 billion merger with AMFM, creating America's largest radio group. The deal would close the following year after selling off surplus in multiple markets. This would be the largest broadcast deal in American history, a record that would stand until Clear Channel itself was bought out by private equity in 2007. *November 4 - WYXR (now

WRFF WRFF (104.5 FM, "ALT 104.5") is a commercial FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasts an alternative rock radio format. The studios are in Bala Cynwyd. WRFF has an effective radiated ...

)/Philadelphia flips from Hot AC to "Rock Adult Contemporary", branded as "Alice 104.5" *December 1 - WZBA flips from Country music to Rock AC as "100.7 The Bay" *December 17 - KYCW-FM/

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 region o ...

flips from Country to All-80s Hits

Debuts

*October 23 –

The BJ Shea Morning Experience BJ & MIGs mornings is a morning drive time radio show on 99.9 FM KISW in Seattle, Washington, owned by Audacy (previously Entercom). The show airs Monday through Friday, 6–10 a.m. PST and is also available as a stream and a downloadable podcast ...

makes its debut on KQBZ in Seattle, Washington.

Closings

*April 17 – The

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. ra ...

name was retired by owner

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

, with remaining affiliates switching to

CNN Radio CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...

in a deal with

Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner ( ...

. On that same day, "

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first tw ...

"-branded newscasts (by this point, "Mutual" and "NBC" newscasts were produced and anchored by

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 Broad ...

personnel) were also limited only to 5 a.m. – 10 a.m. on weekday mornings, with CNN Radio newscasts airing at all other times.

Deaths

* January 11 – Frank Parker, 95, American singer and television personality * January 30 –

Ed Herlihy Edward Joseph Herlihy (August 14, 1909 – January 30, 1999)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . was an Ameri ...

, 89, American radio and television announcer for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . * April 16 – Regis Cordic, 72, American radio personality and actor * May 9 – Shirley Dinsdale, 72, American

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

and television and radio personality of the 1940s and early 1950s * December 15 –

George Elrick George Elrick (29 December 1903 – 15 December 1999), 'The Smiling Voice of Radio', was a British musician, impresario and radio presenter, probably best known for presenting the popular record request show ''Housewives' Choice'' during the 195 ...

, 95 Scottish bandleader and DJ * Ted Mallie, 74, American radio and television announcer

References

{{reflist

Events

Debuts

Closings

Deaths

References

See also