Radio Disney

Radio Disney
Type Radio network
Country United States
Availability National, through broadcast stations, satellite radio, and iHeartRadio
Slogan Your Music, Your Way
Headquarters Burbank, California
Owner The Walt Disney Company
Parent Disney Channels Worldwide
(Disney–ABC Television Group)
Launch date
 November 18, 1996 (1996-11-18)
Affiliates See list
Official website
 www.radiodisney.com

Radio Disney is an American radio network that is owned by The Walt Disney Company, under the Disney–ABC Television Group operating subsidiary Disney Channels Worldwide. It broadcasts music and other content aimed at preteens and young teenagers; it can be described as a youth-targeted contemporary hit radio format with heavy emphasis on teen idols. 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.

Radio Disney is formatted like a traditional radio station, featuring prize giveaways (in which listeners can enter via telephone, the internet and since 2008, text messaging) and occasional in-studio interviews called "Takeovers," which usually occur during the weekday late-afternoon timeslot. Radio Disney is Disney's second foray into radio; in late 1955, Walt Disney started The Magic Kingdom radio show—running Monday through Fridays and [1] which was heard on ABC Radio from 11:35 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The broadcasts originated from the new Disneyland Park in Anaheim.

For many years Radio Disney affiliated with stations in markets of varying size, mainly large and mid-sized markets; however, since the early 2010s, it has started to withdraw from areas located outside of the 25 largest radio markets, owing to those listeners tuning in via either their website or mobile phone/tablet applications, along with the low adoption rate of HD Radio, which many Radio Disney stations have on their AM signals to match FM audio quality. On August 13, 2014, Disney announced that it would sell its remaining Radio Disney stations, with the exception of KDIS in Los Angeles.[2] A few months later, however, Disney announced that it would begin to syndicate Radio Disney through affiliations with HD Radio subchannels.

It is also the last-surviving radio network to come from or is at least a descendant of the Golden Age of Radio (other than CBS Radio) as ESPN Radio operates independently from RD's owner through ESPN Inc.

History

1996–2001: The beginning

Radio Disney was launched on November 18, 1996 (coinciding with the 68th anniversary of the debut of Steamboat Willie) at 5:58 a.m. Eastern Time; the first song ever played on the network was "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. The initial studio was Studio #8 at the now former ABC Radio Networks location in Dallas, Texas (today the same facility hosts the studio of The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show). The network's initial slogan was "We're All Ears", that was used heavily in on-air jingles. Radio Disney started with songs that were played on Top-40 stations, as well as popular oldies and songs from various cartoon series and movies. Some media analysts likened the Radio Disney product to a mix of child-friendly artists and contests with music, formatics and pacing borrowed from legendary ABC-owned Top-40 stations of the past like WABC or WLS, which had long abandoned their younger audiences for adult-oriented talk formats.

Artists featured on the network in its early years included 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, Queen, Bowling For Soup, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child, Hanson, Mandy Moore, 'N Sync, A-Teens, Aaron Carter, Dream Street, Hoku, Eiffel 65, Jump5, 3LW, and the Spice Girls. The station became popular amongst children, teens and tweens. In 2000, music artists like Lil' Romeo, No Secrets, Play, and others became popular because of their airplay on the network. The network's new (but short-lived) slogan around this time was changed to "Music and Prizes That Rock!" Later in 2000, Radio Disney raised its age limit for eligibility to win prizes and sweepstakes from 12 to 14 years.

2001–2007: Era of Disney Channel stars

Former Radio Disney logo, used from 2001-2007.

Near the end of 2001, Radio Disney's playlist began to be closely tied with singer/actors from original programs seen on co-owned cable network Disney Channel, starting with Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Raven-Symoné. This was followed later in the decade by Miley Cyrus, Mitchel Musso, and more recently with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Bridgit Mendler and others. This has caused a bit of controversy as some feel that most actors from Disney Channel are simply trying to start a singing career.

Around this time, Radio Disney unveiled its current slogan, "Your Music, Your Way". In 2002, the network launch its inaugural Radio Disney Music Awards, a music awards ceremony that has been held every year since.

In 2004, Disney paid the former Children's Broadcasting Corporation (which operated fellow children's radio network Radio Aahs) $12.4 million in a lawsuit settlement. Disney had collaborated with Radio Aahs for a time prior to the launch of Radio Disney as a direct competitor to the Minneapolis-based company, which reached about 30 stations at its height; Aahs' former owners sued for damages on claims of a breach of contract.

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 p.m. 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.[3] It also included a simultaneous live webcast on the Radio Disney website. A second concert was held in Dallas, Texas on November 18, 2006 at the Dallas Convention Center.[4]

In February 2006, The Walt Disney Company announced the divestiture of much of its radio holdings to Citadel Broadcasting, although Disney chose to retain ownership of Radio Disney, ESPN Radio and their respective owned-and-operated stations. Operational duties of Radio Disney were transferred to the company's Disney–ABC Cable Networks Group division, which otherwise operates Disney's cable television properties, except for ESPN (Disney's broadcast and cable properties were later folded into the Disney–ABC Television Group).

2007–2014

Former Radio Disney logo, used from 2008-2010.

Since the network's debut, Radio Disney was part of the ABC Radio Networks' satellite music group. This changed in June 2007, when Disney retained the network and ESPN Radio in the sale of the ABC Radio division to Citadel Broadcasting. In November 2008, Radio Disney relocated its main operations from Dallas, Texas to Burbank, California.

Radio Disney added more songs from Disney Channel original programs as well as music produced from other teen music groups to its playlist rotation in recent years, several of which are associated with Disney Music Group labels Walt Disney Records, Buena Vista Records and Hollywood Records. The Playhouse Disney preschool music block was also cut back from two hours to one, with the block being renamed Radio Disney Junior in 2011 in accordance with the launch of the Disney Channel preschool block and standalone cable channel.

In January 2010, Radio Disney 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 with another company) while the stations were being sold.[5] On January 28, 2010, sale agreements were announced for two of the stations.

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.[6] By February 2014, it had terminated its affiliation agreements with stations not owned by Disney-ABC.

2014–present: Downsizing, focus on digital

On April 10, 2014, it was announced that Radio Disney's Top 30 Countdown would become a syndicated radio show, distributed by Rick Dees' Dees Entertainment.[7]

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 remains operational to serve as the originating station for the Radio Disney network.[2][8] while the remaining stations would continue carrying Radio Disney programming until their respective sales were completed.[9] The last five Radio Disney owned-and-operated stations for sale were sold on September 15, 2015 to Salem Media Group (who was the largest purchaser of the stations) for $2.225 million.[10]

On April 13, 2015, Disney announced that the Radio Disney network would become syndicated through affiliations with HD Radio subchannels; the new network will be distributed by iBiquity, with ad sales handled by its HD Radio Digital Network unit. A network representative that the move was intended to target families as in-car listeners.[11]

On June 12, 2015, Radio Disney announced a digital-exclusive spin-off channel known as Radio Disney Country; launching on November 4, 2015, the channel primarily airs country music, with a wide focus on new and old material from popular artists, pop songs featuring country acts, and newer material (including singles and album cuts) from younger, up and coming act (such as Lucy Hale, better known for her role on the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars). 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" of rock and pop-oriented songs.[12]

On August 6, 2015, Radio Disney was made available for listening on iHeartMedia's iHeartRadio platform. Radio Disney Vice President, Programming and General Manager Phil Guerini said, “By teaming up with iHeartRadio and its portfolio of platforms, we will be able to expand our content reach to millions of additional listeners that consume radio via digital streaming.” iHeartRadio Chief Product Officer Chris Williams said, “Increasing the variety of family-friendly programming is a priority and Radio Disney is sure to be a hit with parents and kids alike.”[13][14][15]

Programming

Radio Disney plays 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 airs 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 favors music which often takes on a sound reminiscent of "bubblegum pop" of the 1960s and '70s.

List of programs broadcast by Radio Disney

Current programs

Former programs

Radio Disney Junior logo.

Serial radio

In July 2010, Radio Disney debuted its first scripted serial called My Dream, a contemporary story ulitizing 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.[18] 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.[19]

Radio Disney Music Awards

Since 2002, Radio Disney has held an annual awards ceremony, the Radio Disney Music Awards, to honor popular music artists featured on the network. Similar to the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, children vote to select the winner of each category including "They're The One" (Best Music Group), "Ultimate Breakout Star" (Biggest Viral Artist), "The Bestest" (Song of the Year) and Funniest Celebrity Take (celebrity interview) and "So FANtastic" (Fiercest Fans). Artists who have won awards in past ceremonies include Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Cheetah Girls.

Features and contests

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

Current features

Former features

Greyson Chance being interviewed during "Celebrity Take with Jake".

DJs

Radio Disney has had a number of different DJs since its launch in 1996. Below are a number of DJs along with their years of employment. Many Radio Disney DJs left the network around 2008, when Radio Disney moved its broadcasts and operations to Burbank, California.

Radio Disney World Tours

In 2000 and 2001, Radio Disney launched two separate "world tours" that traveled to major U.S. cities including Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. In 2000, the tour featured up-and-coming talent (No Authority, 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).

Availability

Online stream

A live stream of Radio Disney's programming is available at RadioDisney.com and is also available under the Pop/Top 40 section of the iTunes radio tuner. Streams are also available via the Radio Disney mobile app for Apple iOS devices and on Xbox 360 consoles via the iHeartRadio application. Since August 6, 2015, it is also available on iHeartRadio application.

Radio Disney was also made available as a special feature on the Blu-ray release of Hannah Montana: The Movie via Disney BD-Live as well as the PSP game, Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show.

From 1997 to 1999, the network was streamed digitally in RealAudio format on the Disney.com website. The service was discontinued in 1999, only to resurface a short time later as a pre-installed streaming channel on QuickTime 4's streaming media list. The service disappeared again around 2000 in concurrence with the release of Quicktime 5. In March 2006, the stream resurfaced again in a Windows Media Player format as Radio Disney 2.0. It was then later revamped in a Flash format complete with lyrics and previously played songs. In October 2011, a stream of Radio Disney was made available in Canada on Family.ca, the website of cable network Family Channel (which received much of its U.S. programming from Radio Disney's sister cable television network Disney Channel prior to Sept 2015). However this has been discontinued due to DHX Media(Family Channel) losing rights to Corus Entertainment and the launch of Disney Channel in Canada for the first time ever on September 1, 2015.[20][21]

The stream is also available in version 3.0 of the Disney Infinity game for multiple gaming platforms. In the "Toy Box" builder, there is a placeable object called the Radio Disney Player that replaces the background music with the live stream of the station. You must be logged in to a North America Disney.com account to play the stream.[22]

Subscription radio and television

Radio Disney is available on Sirius XM Radio in digital audio in both the United States and Canada on channel 79. It was carried previously on Music Choice on the digital cable tiers of most television providers. Music Choice replaced Radio Disney on September 18, 2007, with its own channel, Kidz Only!, which is similar in format to Radio Disney, but with a less interrupted music format.[23][24] Radio Disney could be heard previously on DirecTV channel 867, until the satellite provider switched its digital music programming from XM Radio to Sonic Tap on February 9, 2010. A few digital cable providers with radio services offer Radio Disney as a live radio broadcast selection, although other providers (like Dish Network) do not.

Stations

Despite being music-oriented, the network was carried primary on AM stations. The Walt Disney Company owned most of the network's affiliates, though some stations were operated through local marketing agreements that had varying degrees of local management. The last separately-owned Radio Disney affiliate, WOLF in Syracuse, New York, 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 will be retained to serve as the originator of Radio Disney's programming, and its operations will be assumed by the network's national staff.[2][8] However, Disney later announced that it would syndicate Radio Disney through affiliations with HD Radio subchannels.[25][26]

The list below is accurate as of March 28, 2016. Many former Radio Disney stations have diverse histories prior to the network affiliation. The call signs of Radio Disney stations (particularly those owned by The Walt Disney Company) were variations on the Disney name and that of Mickey and Minnie Mouse; at least one appeared to be named for Goofy (WGFY), and another after Walt Disney World (WDW).

Owned and operated stations
City Station Frequency Owner Notes
Los Angeles, California KDIS 1110 The Walt Disney Company (flagship)
HD Radio Affiliates
City Station Frequency Owner Notes
New York, New York WBMP 92.3-HD3[27] CBS Radio
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WXTU 92.5-HD3[27] CBS Radio
Wilmington, Delaware WJBR-FM 99.5-HD2 Beasley Broadcast Group
Lakeland/Tampa, Florida WLLD 94.1-HD2[27] Beasley Broadcast Group
Boca Raton/Miami, Florida WKIS 99.9-HD3[27] CBS Radio
Fayetteville/Whiteville, North Carolina WZFX 99.1-HD2[27] Beasley Broadcast Group
Boulder City/Las Vegas, Nevada KCYE 102.7-HD2[27] Beasley Broadcast Group
Aiken, South Carolina/Augusta, Georgia WKXC-FM 99.5-HD2[27] Beasley Broadcast Group
Puerto Rico WXYX 100.7-HD2[27] Raad Broadcasting Corporation
WELX 101.5-HD2[27] La Equis Broadcasting Corporation
WXLX 103.7-HD2[27] Radio X Broadcasting Corporation
WSEX 98.1-HD2[27] Amor Radio Group Corporation
Former Radio Disney stations
Callsign Frequency Location Years of affiliation Comments
KADZ 1550 Arvada/Denver, Colorado –2003 Station was shut down in 2003.
KALY 1240 Albuquerque, New Mexico Sold in 2010; later carried similarly-formatted JENNiRADIO but now has an oldies format
KBEE 860 Salt Lake City, Utah 1996–2001 Affiliation moved to KWDZ in 2001
KDEF 1150 Albuquerque, New Mexico Affiliation moved to KALY
KDIS 710 Los Angeles, California –2003 Swapped with then ESPN Radio 1110 in 2003.
KDDZ 1690 Denver, Colorado 1999-2015 Went silent in December 2015
KDIS-FM 99.5 Little Rock, Arkansas –2013 Sold in 2013; format changed to religious programming in 2014.
KDIZ 1440 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 1996-2015 Sold to Salem Media Group in 2015; Went silent on December 11, now broadcasting business talk (programming moved from KYCR)
KDZR 1640 Portland, Oregon 2003-2015 Switched to conservative talk as Talk 1640
KEBC 1560 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2004–2013 Dropped Radio Disney for a comedy format in March 2013.
KDYS 1520 Lafayette, Louisiana 1997-2004 Originally a Radio Aahs affiliate; dropped Radio Disney upon station sale in 2004.
KIID 1470 Sacramento, California -2015 Sold to Punjabi American Media LLC.
KKDD 1290 San Bernardino/Riverside, California –2012 Changed to Contemporary Christian music format in April 3, 2012.
KMAP 1050 Bakersfield, California
KMIC 1590 Houston, Texas 1999-2015 Dropped Radio Disney on January 13, 2015 to temporarily go dark. Sold to DAIJ Media.[28]
KMIK 1580 Phoenix 1998-2015 Sold to Gabriella Broadcasting Licensee on October 20, 2015. Station went silent as a result.
KMKI 620 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 1996-2015 Sold to Salem Media Group on September 15, 2015.[29] After a brief moment simulcasting KWRD-FM (from September 18 until September 25, 2015), the station flipped to Business News/Talk (assuming the former programming of KVCE).[30]
KMKY 1310 Oakland, California 1998-2015 Sold to Radio Mirchi, went silent on October 13, 2015.
KMUS 1380 Tulsa, Oklahoma –2010 Sold in 2011; changed to Spanish.
KOIL 1020 Omaha, Nebraska
KORL 690 Honolulu, Hawaii Affiliate originally operated under the call letters KQMQ
KPHN 1190 Kansas City, Missouri –2013 Sold in 2014; format changed to religious programming.
KQAM 1480 Wichita, Kansas –2009 Sold in 2009; format changed to talk radio.
KRDY 1160 San Antonio, Texas –2013 Sold in 2013; format changed to Spanish religious programming in 2014.
KRNN 1380 Little Rock, Arkansas Affiliation moved to FM dial KDIS-FM
KRYS 1360 Corpus Christi, Texas
KSON 1240 San Diego, California Station became a Vietnamese/ethnic station in 2004
KWDZ 910 Salt Lake City, Utah 2003-2013; 2014-2015 Had been up for sale since 2013.[6] Dropped Radio Disney on August 17, 2013 to remain silent.[31] The station resumed operations on August 14, 2014,[32] but resumed Radio Disney in October. Was sold to Citicasters Licenses (iHeartMedia).[33] Went silent again on July 17, 2015.[34]
KWTX 1230 Waco, Texas
KXTP 970 Duluth, Minnesota
KYDZ 1180 Omaha, Nebraska Originally used the KOIL call sign; affiliation moved to (and KOIL reused on) 1020 AM
WAJD 1390 Gainesville, Florida –2010
WALL 1340 Middletown, New York –2010 Format changed to oldies.
WAMF 1300 Fulton, Oswego County, New York –2012 Dropped WOLF simulcast, in favor of classic country in October 2012.
WBWL 600 Jacksonville, Florida –2010 Sold in 2010; format changed to talk radio.
WBBQ 1340 Augusta, Georgia
WBHR 660 Sauk Rapids/St. Cloud, Minnesota
WBVA 1450 Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia Disaffiliated from Radio Disney due to contractual issues.
WBYU 1450 New Orleans, Louisiana 2003–2011 Closed down September 26, 2011.[35]
WCHY 1290 Savannah, Georgia
WDDZ 1250 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2011-2015 Sold to Salem Media Group in 2015, flipped to Conservative Talk on May 13, 2015 as "AM 1250 The Answer".
WDWD 590 Atlanta, Georgia 1996-2015 Sold to Salem Media Group in 2015, flipped to Christian Talk on May 11, 2015 as "Faith Talk 590".
WDYZ 990 Orlando, Florida 2001-2015 Dropped Radio Disney on March 18, 2015. Sold to Salem Media Group in 2014.[36]
WCOG 1320 Greensboro, North Carolina –2010 Sold in 2010; format changed to sports radio.
WGFY 1480 Charlotte, North Carolina 1998-2015 Sold to Charlotte Advent Media Corporation in 2015. Went silent on May 5, 2015, before returning to the air on June 9, 2015, with a Christian talk format.
WDDY 1460 Albany, New York 2002–2013 Sold in 2013; format changed to religious programming in 2014.
WDDZ 550 Providence, Rhode Island 2001–2010 Sold in 2010, format changed to business radio. Call letters reused for Pittsburgh affiliate.
WDDZ 1500 Zion, Illinois 1998–2000 Former simulcast of WRDZ; call letters reused for Providence affiliate.
WDRD 680 Louisville, Kentucky –2010 Sold in 2010; before to the sale, the station flipped to the sports radio format as an ESPN Radio Owned-and-operated station.
WDZK 1550 Hartford, Connecticut –2011 Sold in 2010; format changed to religious programming in 2011.
WDZN 100.1 Cumberland, Maryland –2011 Changed to rock format in July 2011.
WDZY 1290 Richmond, Virginia –2013 Sold in 2013; format changed to religious programming in 2014.
WDSS 1680 Grand Rapids, Michigan –2008 Disaffiliated from Radio Disney on August 7, 2008.
WEOK 1390 Poughkeepsie, New York 2005–2010 Format changed to oldies.
WFDF 910 Farmington Hills, Michigan 2002-2015 Sold in 2014 to The Word Network;[37] format changed to religious programming in 2015.[38]
WGSM 740 Long Island, New York 1996–1998 Disaffiliated from the network when WQEW became the market's Radio Disney affiliate in late December 1998.
WHKT 1650 Norfolk, Virginia –2010 Sold in 2010; format changed to talk radio.
WHRC 1450 Providence, Rhode Island Originally known as WDYZ (reused for Orlando affiliate). Sold in 2001; affiliation moved to WDDZ.
WJDY 1470 Salisbury, Maryland
WKEW 1400 Greensboro, North Carolina Affiliation moved to WCOG in 2001
WKSH 1640 Milwaukee, Wisconsin –2013 Sold in 2014; format changed to religious programming.
WKYG 1230 Parkersburg, West Virginia
WMBO 1340 Auburn, New York 2000s–2013 Former simulcast of WOLF; previously known as WKGJ and WWLF before reverting to its original WMBO call sign. The station flipped to oldies.
WMKI 850 Birmingham, Alabama 1997–1999 Call letters reused for Boston affiliate and call letters reverted to WYDE
WMKI 1260 Boston, Massachusetts 1997-2015 Sold in 2015; Station is now owned by Salem Media Group. Dropped the Radio Disney affiliate on September 3, 2015 and went silent in anticipation for a change of format. Format changed to Business news. And the call letters changed to WBIX.[39]
WMNE 1600 West Palm Beach, Florida –2009 After sale to Travis Media, resumed broadcasting on May 6, 2010[40] as an ethnic radio station, and changed call letters to WHTY as of June 2.
WMYM 990 Miami, Florida -2015 Sold in 2015; went silent on June 11, 2015.
WMYR 1410 Fort Myers, Florida
WNEX 1400 Macon, Georgia
KKDZ 1250 Seattle, Washington August 1997-September 21, 2015
WOLF 1490 Syracuse, New York 2000s–2014 Dropped Radio Disney on February 1, 2014 to remain silent.[41] The station resumed operations on January 6, 2015[42] as WNDR-FM simulcast.[43]
WOLF-FM 96.7 Oswego, New York Former simulcast of WOLF; now WCIO, a simulcast of (the current) WCIS-FM
WOWW 1430 Memphis, Tennessee –2012 Format changed to news/talk in March 2012.
WPGA 980 Macon, Georgia
WQEW 1560 New York City, New York 1998-2015 Was the only Clear-channel station owned-and-operated by Radio Disney. Dropped the affiliation on February 17, 2015 and went silent in anticipation of a change in format. Was sold to Family Radio in 2014.[44] Returned to the air February 27, 2015 as WFME (AM) with religious programming from Family Radio.
WQUA 102.1 Mobile, Alabama -2005 Sold in 2005.
WRDZ 1300 Chicago, Illinois 1998-2015 Dropped Radio Disney on October 30, 2015.[45] Sold to Polnet Communications on December 2, 2015. Became Polish radio station.[46]
WSDZ 1260 St. Louis, Missouri 1996-2015 Sold to Salem Media Group in 2015. Went silent in December 11, 2015.
WRDZ-FM 98.3 Indianapolis, Indiana 2003-2015 Sold in 2015; format changed to Country.[33] As 2014, WRDZ-FM was the only Radio Disney owned-and-operated station broadcasting on FM.[47]
WWCS 540 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania –2010 Affiliation moved to WDDZ.
WWJZ1 640 Mount Holly, New Jersey/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1999-2015 Sold to Starboard Media Foundation Inc.[48]
WWMI 1380 Tampa, Florida 1999-2015 Flipped to Business Talk as 1380 The Biz
WWLF-FM 100.3 Sylvan Beach, New York Former simulcast of WOLF; originally known as WBGJ. Now known as MOViN' FM
WYNK 1380 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
WVOA-FM 105.1 DeRuyter, New York August 14–28, 2009 WOLF (AM) simulcast was during 2 weeks;[49] format changed to country music.
WWMK 1260 Cleveland, Ohio 1998-2015 Sold on 12/24/2014 but continued to broadcast Radio Disney up until 4/24/2015. Flipped to a Catholic format on May 7 branded AM 1260 The Rock.[50][51]

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 and Mexico. 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. Since October 1, 2013, Radio Disney is available in Russia via Disney.ru.[52] 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,[53] Bolivia ,Chile,[54] Nicaragua,[55] Ecuador,[56] Guatemala, Paraguay,[57] Uruguay,[58] Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica[59] and Mexico.[60][61]

Europe

Radio Disney planned to begin broadcasting on the digital radio platform in the United Kingdom by the end of 2008.[62] On July 6, 2007, Ofcom, the communications regulator of the United Kingdom, announced that the 4 Digital Group, a consortium headed by Channel 4 and featuring Emap, UTV, British Sky Broadcasting, Global Radio, Carphone Warehouse and UBC, 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.[63]

A similar station, Capital Disney 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 Group and Disney. The idea being to use Capital Radio'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) and Disney agreed to pursue different goals, and as a result, Capital Disney closed down on June 29, 2007.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Magic Kingdom Radio
  2. 1 2 3 Lafayette, Jon (August 13, 2014). "Exclusive: Radio Disney Moving Off Air to Digital". Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Booth, William (August 6, 2006). "In the Concert Hall, It Smells Like Tween Spirit". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ Radio.disney.go.com
  5. ↑ Radio Disney Takes Six Stations Silent
  6. 1 2 Graser, Marc (June 4, 2013). "Radio Disney Stations Up for Sale (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Rick Dees to Syndicate Radio Disney Top 30 (Exclusive)". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Radio Disney to Sell the Majority of Its Stations". Billboard. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "NERW Extra: No Signoffs for Disney AMs". Northeast Radio Watch. Retrieved 27 September 2014. (subscription required)
  10. ↑ Salem Acquires Radio Disney’s Final Five - Radio Insight
  11. ↑ "Radio Disney Launches on AM/FM Push on New HD Networks". Billboard. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "This is Radio Disney Country’s secret weapon for launching a new country station". Washington Post. November 4, 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  13. ↑ "Radio Disney Launches on iHeartRadio". iHeartMedia. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Radio Disney Added to iHeartRadio". Radio World. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Radio Disney Launches on iHeartRadio". Radio Ink. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ "What relation does Playhouse Disney have to Radio Disney?".
  17. ↑ "Radio Disney Junior To Launch February 14". Disney Channel. February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  18. ↑ ABC News
  19. ↑ The Hollywood Reporter
  20. ↑ http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=3055
  21. ↑ http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2967
  22. ↑ http://help.disney.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Why-am-I-unable-to-use-the-Radio-Disney-Toy
  23. ↑ Music Choice channel
  24. ↑ Music Choice lineup change
  25. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6531686/radio-disney-am-fm-hd-networks
  26. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/92692/radio-disney-to-launch-on-up-to-60-hd-radio-subchannels/
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 National Stations (Family) - HD Radio
  28. ↑ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  29. ↑ http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/145622/oregon-fm-license-sold-puerto-rico-am-donated
  30. ↑ Biz-talk KVCE/1160 AM moving to 620 AM - DFW.com
  31. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Resumption of Operations - KWDZ". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  33. 1 2 iHeart Acquires Pair From Disney Including Indianapolis FM - Radio Insight
  34. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 29, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  36. ↑ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101664639&formid=314&fac_num=23442
  37. ↑ Radio Disney Sells WFDF/Detroit To The Word Network - All Access
  38. ↑ WFDF Detroit Joins The Word Network - Radio Insight
  39. ↑ http://www.wbixboston.com/
  40. ↑ Tillotson, David (June 21, 2010). "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  41. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations/Request for silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. February 7, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Resumption of Operations - WOLF". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. January 6, 2015.
  43. ↑ Fybush, Scott (January 12, 2015). Salary Controversy Ousts Public TV Exec. NorthEast Radio Watch.
  44. ↑ "NERW Extra: Disney Off in NYC". Northeast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA", fcc.gov. November 6, 2015. Accessed November 17, 2015
  46. ↑ http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/143974/radio-disney-sells-wrdz-a-chicago-to-polnet
  47. ↑ Schoettle, Anthony (August 23, 2014). "Demise of Radio Disney causing static; local station in play". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  48. ↑ http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/144435/prices-disclosed-for-alpha-digity-max-media-seven-
  49. ↑ "WVOA Flips to Radio Disney". CNYRadio.com. 2009-08-19.
  50. ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/91562/disney-sells-wwmk-cleveland/
  51. ↑ http://am1260therock.com/sample-page/history/
  52. ↑ Радио Disney - Disney.ru (Russian)
  53. ↑ Radiodisney.disneylatino.com
  54. ↑ Radiodisney.cl
  55. ↑ Radiodisney.com.ni
  56. ↑ Radiodisney.com.ed
  57. ↑ Radiodisney.disneylatino.com
  58. ↑ Radiodisney.com.uy
  59. ↑ Radiodisney.co.cr
  60. ↑ Radio Disney ya tiene presencia en México - El Universal (Spanish)
  61. ↑ Radio Disney transmitirá en México - Azteca Noticias (Spanish)
  62. ↑ Channel4.com
  63. ↑ Guardian.co.uk

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