1990 in radio

List of years in radio (table)
… 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 …
In television 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 In music 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 In film 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

The year 1990 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

• KJJO in Minneapolis, Minnesota transitions from active rock to alternative rock.
• KBLN in Dallas, Texas becomes KXEB.
• Daytimer KKDA in Dallas, Texas begins nighttime broadcasting.
• Emmis Communications sells several of their most noteworthy stations to offset losses from the purchase of the Seattle Mariners, including KXXX in San Francisco, WAVA-FM in Washington, DC and WLOL in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Nationwide Communications sells off WGAR 1220-AM in Cleveland, which was a direct simulcast of country WGAR 99.5-FM, to Douglas Broadcasting. WGAR-AM signs off at midnight on July 13 after airing a brief retrospective on the station, highlighted with tributes from station alumni Jack Paar and Don Imus. The station relaunches as WKNR a few minutes later, carrying a satellite-delivered oldies format, but would gradually assume an all-sports lineup in less than a year.
• June – KNRJ/Houston flipped from Rhythmic CHR to Alternative Rock. The Alternative format would last only 5 weeks, and was promoted as a temporary format while the station's owners, Nationwide Communications, began researching the market for a new format.
• July 20 – Nationwide's KNRJ flips to Hot AC as KHMX, "Mix 96.5."

Debuts

• Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt debuts with Chippie, a radio program on computer topics.

Deaths

• July 30 - Karl Weber, actor in old-time radio
• Bill Cullen, radio personality, American game show host (born 1920)
• William S. Paley, the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States (born 1901)

See also

• radio broadcasting