1996 in radio

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The year 1996 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

• February 5–9 - WYNY ends its country format and began to simulcasts its Clear Channel stations outside New York, KKBT in Los Angeles on February 6, WLUP-FM in Chicago on February 7, KIOI in San Francisco on February 8, and WXKS-FM in Medford-Boston on February 9.
• March 8 - KZZP in Mesa-Phoenix returns its automatic Top 40/CHR format.
• July 29 - WWWE in Cleveland, Ohio (long nicknamed "3WE") reverts to their original WTAM call letters, now branded as "WTAM 1100."
• August 15 - Adult Complementary station KHHT Denver (now KQKS) changed its name to K-HITS 107.5
• October - Radio4all.net is founded.
• October 30 - KPTY debuts as Arizona's Party Station after stunting played for 3 hours under the name "Steve".
• November 18 - Radio Disney begins broadcasting.
• WBOB and KQQL, both in Minneapolis, Minnesota are sold to Chancellor Communications.
• The United Auto Workers invest in United Broadcasting Network, which later became I.E. America Radio Network. UAW's president at the time, Stephen Yokich, saw UBN as a way to promote the union's ideals and counter conservative radio talk show hosts.
• KILT in Houston, Texas flips to sports.
• River City FM is sold to The Radio Network.

Debuts

• February 10 - Just 11 years after it signed off at 92.3, WKTU returns to the New York City airwaves on 103.5.
• November 14 - The Buzz 105.1 debuts after stunting its Showtunes Broadway music.
• Doug Banks begins national syndication of morning radio show
• Los Angeles radio listeners picked up two new stations, Rhythmic Adult Contemporary KIBB ("B100.3") and Dance-intensive KACD/KBCD ("Groove Radio 103.1"). Both would last only 2 years.
• KHTS-FM ("Channel 93.3")/San Diego debuts with a Dance Top 40 format on Labor Day. They would evolve to Mainstream Top 40 in August 1998.
• Phantom FM begins broadcasting as a pirate station.

New radio shows

• April - Alan Parker, Road Warrior (BBC Radio 1)
• July - Comedy Quiz (BBC Radio 4)
• November
  • Beaumarchais (BBC Radio 4)
  • The Kelly and Kline Show (The Buzz 105.1)
• hardDrive (United Stations Radio Networks)
• Tonight with Vincent Browne (RTÉ Radio)

Deaths

• March 25 - John Snagge, British newsreader and commentator (born 1904)
• August 7 - Bill Hanrahan, American radio and television announcer (born 1918)
• October 28 - Morey Amsterdam, veteran American television and radio actor and comedian (born 1908)
• December 11 - Willie Rushton, English comedian, actor, radio and television personality and cartoonist (born 1937)