1992 in radio

Last updated October 12, 2025

The year 1992 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

January - KUBE/Seattle completes its shift from Mainstream Top 40 to Rhythmic CHR.
January 15 - AC-formatted KZOL/Salt Lake City flips to modern rock as KXRK.
January 22 - Rebel forces occupy Zaire's national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government's resignation.
February - WPLJ in New York City completes its shift from Top 40 to hot adult contemporary. In addition, the station rebrands from "Mojo Radio" to the continuing "95-5 PLJ."
February 12 - Washington, D.C. area Top 40 radio station WAVA-FM changes to a religious format, which continues permanently.
February 18 - After over two decades as Baltimore's premier Top 40/CHR outlet (including a brief stint with disco and a few name and call letter changes), WBSB flips to Gold-based Hot AC as "Variety 104.3."
February 18 - The "Young Country" format debuts with KRSR 105.3 in Dallas dropping its hot AC format to become KRRM. The KRRM calls stood for "The Armadillo," but were just a placeholder for the KYNG calls, which it would acquire from a station in Coos Bay, Oregon.
February 21 - Associated Broadcasting Company is a radio station "Kool 106" (later 106.7 Dream FM) launched.
March 4 - WIKZ in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania flips from Contemporary hit radio as "Z-95" to soft adult contemporary as "The New MIX95".
April 20 - KKDJ/Fresno flips from album rock to modern rock.
May 22 - KMMK/Las Vegas flips from adult contemporary to modern rock as KEDG.
June 22 - Radio Wimbledon, the official radio station of the Wimbledon Championships (lawn tennis) in London, is launched.
August 1 - The FCC relaxes its longstanding rule allowing ownership of only one station per service per market. The new rules allow two stations per service per market and spur a big round of consolidation that would cash out owners like Noble Broadcast Group, Malrite Communications, Shamrock Communications and TK Communications.
September 7 - Classic FM (UK), a classical music broadcaster and Britain's first national commercial radio station, is launched.
September 8 - KJJO in Minneapolis, Minnesota flips from modern rock to country music.
October - Dallas/Ft. Worth gets its first duopoly as Alliance Broadcasting and KYNG take over KODZ "Oldies 94.9." The station is promptly flipped to a soft-leaning country format as KSNN "Sunny 95."
October 15 - Commercial radio comes to the Channel Islands with the launch of Island FM, followed 10 days later by the start of Channel 103.
October 26 - WAPW/Atlanta flips from CHR to Modern rock as "99X".
November 1 - KOAI/Dallas-Fort Worth drops its smooth jazz format as "106.1 The Oasis" to bring top-40 back to the market as KHKS "106.1 Kiss FM" (KEGL had left the format in the summer). In response, KCDU "CD 107.5" switches from classic rock to smooth jazz a day later, picking up the KOAI call letters and "Oasis" moniker and firing PD Gary Reynolds, who had been hired just two weeks earlier.
November 9 - WIBF/Philadelphia flips from ethnic to modern rock as "WDRE".
Late November - WHTE-FM's new branding goes live and becomes 101.9 FM in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area.
November - An appearance by survivor Christine Buckley on The Gay Byrne Show on RTÉ Radio 1 in the Irish Republic to discuss industrial schools brings an "overwhelming response" from others who feel they were victims of physical and emotional abuse in these institutions.^[1]
December 23 - American humorist David Sedaris makes his National Public Radio debut reading a radio essay on Morning Edition titled "Santaland Diaries," based on his experiences as an elf at Macy's department store during Christmas in New York City. It is a success with listeners and makes his name.^[2]
December 25 - KQLZ/Los Angeles drops their "Pirate Radio" branding and album rock format for modern rock as "100.3 FM."
December 31 (01:00) - Radio Luxemburg ceases to broadcast English-language programming.^[3]

Debuts

January 4 - ESPN Radio debuts as a weekend service (under the name "SportsRadio ESPN"), with Keith Olbermann, Tony Bruno and Chuck Wilson among the first group of hosts for the flagship program GameNight.
April - Country Countdown USA, a countdown program spotlighting the top 30 songs of the week, as reported by Radio & Records magazine. The show is hosted by Lon Helton, country editor for R&R, and features an in-studio interview with a currently popular country music singer or act.
October 10 - Billboard reintroduces the Crossover chart publishing its last chart after nearly 22 months. This time it is renamed the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart, which would later be christened as the Rhythmic Contemporary chart in 1997.

No dates

WTCX in Lakeville, Minnesota signs on the air with a hot AC format.
Armstrong & Getty show debuts

Closings

December 30 - English service of Radio Luxembourg closes down after 59 years of broadcasting.

Deaths

February 2 - Bert Parks, American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer (born 1914)^[4]
February 4 - John Dehner, American actor in radio, television, and films (born 1915)^[4]
February 15 - Marcos Rodriguez, Sr., Spanish radio pioneer, founder of KESS and Cuban entrepreneur (65)
March 18 - Ed Prentiss, American actor in radio, perhaps best known for portraying the title role on the radio version of Captain Midnight (born 1909?)^[5]
May 17 - Lawrence Welk, American musician, radio and television personality (born 1903)
June 23 - Joy Nichols, Australian-born musical comedy performer, dies in United States (born 1925)
July 9 - Eric Sevareid, American news reporter (born 1912)
October 16 - Shirley Booth, award-winning American actress and radio personality (born 1898)

References

↑ Buckley, Christine (May 19, 2009). "A long journey in search of justice for victims of abuse". The Irish Times . Dublin. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
↑ "Sedaris and Crumpet the Elf: A Holiday Tradition". NPR. December 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
↑ Ward, Stephen (December 27, 1992). "Radio Luxembourg signs off" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2019.{
1 2 Cox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3848-8.
↑ DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. p. 219.

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[1] Buckley, Christine (May 19, 2009). "A long journey in search of justice for victims of abuse". The Irish Times . Dublin. Retrieved December 12, 2009.

[2] "Sedaris and Crumpet the Elf: A Holiday Tradition". NPR. December 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

[3] Ward, Stephen (December 27, 1992). "Radio Luxembourg signs off" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2019.{

[coxotd-4] 1 2 Cox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3848-8.

[rs-5] DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. p. 219.

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