The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2019) |
The following is a list of events affecting radio broadcasting in 2020. Events listed include radio program debuts, finales, cancellations, and station launches, closures and format changes, as well as information about controversies.
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Upcoming events
January
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WWIZ West Middlesex, Pennsylvania/Youngstown, Ohio, which dropped Oldies on October 25, 2019 amid speculation of a format flip, returned to Oldies after playing Christmas music. | [1] |
| KSKI-FM Sun Valley, Idaho, which dropped Adult Album Alternative on November 1, 2019, returns with Alternative. | [2] | |
| W233CM/WYCT-HD2 Pensacola, which began filling the Holiday void with Christmas music in November 2019, went straight to stunting with “Baby Shark” ahead of a potential flip. Its previous ESPN Radio format had already relocated to WEBY/W256DL in August 2019. | [3] | |
| WLGX Louisville, who also joined the list of stations stunting with Christmas music after dropping the ratings-challenged Adult Top 40 “100.5 Kiss-FM” on November 27, 2019, after four years (and also joined AC rival WVEZ in bringing Holiday music to the Kentuckiana area), went to stunting with looping various songs as it prepares for a new format TBA. | [4] | |
| 2 | Urban One's Reach Media will move Rickey Smiley's syndicated morning show from R&B/Hip-Hop outlets to Urban AC and Adult R&B stations, where it will replace Tom Joyner's program due to the latter's retirement. Smiley's replacement at R&B/Hip-Hop will be a new program hosted by Smiley's co-host Headkrack. | [5] |
| As a result of Rickey Smiley's move to Urban AC stations, R&B/Hip-Hop WEDR Miami will replace his program with a local show hosted by Love & Hip Hop: Miami stars Trick Daddy and Trina, which will also play into the VH1 reality-based series' storylines. Smiley will continue to be heard in the market as it moves over to Adult R&B sister WHQT. | [6] | |
| 6 | A new format (TBD) will replace the Nash Icon Country format at WNUQ Sylvester/Albany, Georgia under the new ownership of Tripp Morgan’s Pretoria Fields Collective Media, which acquired the station from Cumulus Media’s Mainstay Station Trust in October 2019. The station is being billed as "Q102 The Queen Bee" and will take the new callsign WPFQ. | [7][8] |
| TBA | WNWV Elyria/Clevland, which dropped its nine-year run with Smooth Jazz on November 15, 2019 (its second tenure with the format, the first from 1987 to 2009), followed by a surprise announcement that the air staff was let go on December 6, effectively ending what was the last major market commercial outlet in the United States to offer a Smooth Jazz format, is expected to debut a new format once it ends a post-Christmas day simulcast with its Akron Country sister WQMX, whose signal can also be heard in Cleveland. | [9][10] |
February
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 16 | Entercom's Kansas City outlets, Country WDAF-FM and Sports sister KCSP, will officially become the new home and flagship station for the Kansas City Chiefs, ending a 30-year run at Cumulus Media Classic Rocker KCFX. Under the new deal WDAF-FM will carry all Chiefs games broadcasts with play-by-play voice Mitch Holthus remaining in place, while KCSP will carry weekly press conferences, a Monday night Chiefs Kingdom Radio Show hosted by Holthus with interviews with players and coaches, live broadcasts from training camp, and appearances by Chiefs players and staffers on station programming. With the AFC West franchise joining the lineup, it also gives KCSP a monopoly on Kansas City's top two professional sports teams that also includes the rights to Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals.[11] |
Debuts
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 27 | Skyview Networks will begin syndicating an afternoon and weekend version of Rhythmic Top 40 KPWR Los Angeles' Nick Cannon's morning program to Top 40/CHR, Rhythmic Top 40, and R&B/Hip-Hop stations across the United States and to international regions. The move also brings Cannon back to radio syndication after having to withdraw in 2012 for health reasons.[12] |
Recent deaths
January
| Date | Name | Age | Notability | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2 | Marian Finucane | 69 | Irish broadcaster (RTE) | [13] |
References
- ^ “ WWIZ Returns To Oldies” Radio Insight, January 1, 2020
- ^ "KSKI Moves To Alternative" from Radio Insight (January 1, 2020)
- ^ "WYCT Debuts Christmas Radio 94.5" from Radio Insight (November 5, 2019)
- ^ “ WLGX Louisville Drops Kiss-FM For Christmas” from Radio Insight (November 27, 2019)
- ^ "Rickey Smiley To Succeed Tom Joyner In January 2020" from Radio Insight (June 28, 2019)
- ^ "Trina and Trick Daddy To Host Morning Show In Miami" from Miami Herald (October 25, 2019)
- ^ "Q102 The Queen Bee To Launch In Albany GA" from Radio Insight (November 20, 2019)
- ^ "TARA DYER STOYLE: 2020 will be Year of The Queen Bee" from Albany Herald (November 20, 2019)
- ^ "Has 107.3 The Wave Cleveland Crested?" from Radio Insight (December 4, 2019)
- ^ "A Format Change for 107.3 The Wave Could Be On the Horizon" from Cleveland Scene (December 3, 2019)
- ^ "Entercom’s WDAF-FM/KCSP Spears The Kansas City Chiefs" from Radio Insight (December 5, 2019)
- ^ Venta, Lance (December 4, 2019). "Skyview Networks To Launch Nick Cannon Into Daily Syndication". Radio Insight. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Irish Times RTE broadcaster Marian Finucane dies aged 69 Irish Times, January 2, 2020