1949 in radio

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The year 1949 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.

Events

2 January – The Jack Benny Program first appears on CBS after 16 years on NBC – one of the most visible results of CBS' "talent raids."^[1]
1 April – The facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland are transferred to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the former British colony joining Canada as its 10th province.
15 April – KPFA 94.1 FM in Berkeley, California, begins broadcasting as the first listener-sponsored radio station in the United States and the first of five stations founded by the Pacifica Radio network.
23 November – James Lindenberg branches into radio broadcasting with the launch of DZBC 1000 kilohertz, owned by Bolinao Electronics Corporation (the predecessor of ABS-CBN Corporation) in the Philippines.

January 9 – Screen Directors Playhouse premieres on NBC.^[1]
January 31 – Book at Bedtime debuts on the BBC Light Programme.
February 11 – Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (1949–1962) debuts on CBS.
February 27 – Broadway Is My Beat debuts on CBS.^[2]
April 4 – Ray's a Laugh debuts on the BBC Light Programme.^[3]
May 1 – The Adventures of Frank Race, a syndicated program, debuts in some markets.^[2]
May 7 – The Affairs of Peter Salem debuts on Mutual.^[2]
June 3 – Dragnet premieres on NBC.
June 29 – Candy Matson debuts on NBC West Coast.^[2]
July 3 – Four Star Playhouse debuts on NBC.^[4]
July 4
- Add a Line debuts on ABC.^[5]
- Leave It to Joan debuts on CBS.^[2]
- Young Love debuts on CBS.^[2]
August 25 – Father Knows Best debuts on NBC.^[2]
September 4 – Chance of a Lifetime debuts on ABC.^[2]
September 5 – Light-Up Time debuts on NBC.^[2]

January 25 – Bayerischer Rundfunk is reconstituted from Munich Radio in West Germany. This year it establishes the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
February 22 – KWPC-FM (99.7 FM) of Muscatine, Iowa, with a broadcasting power of 3,000 watts, signs on the air as a sister station of KWPC-AM (860 AM). Studios are located on the outskirts of Muscatine.
June 26 – WWON-FM/105.5-Woonsocket, Rhode Island, begins broadcasting at 390 watts. It is the sister station of WWON/1240 in the same community.
September 10 — WJMA/1340-Orange, Virginia, begins broadcasting with 250 watts full time.
December 11 – KALA/1400-Sitka, Alaska, begins broadcasting. The owner is Baranof Enterprises.^[6]
December 22 – WPEP/1570-Taunton, Massachusetts, begins broadcasting from studios atop the Roseland Ballroom, north of downtown Taunton.

January 2 – Cabin B-13 ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[2]
January 9 – WWDX-FM, Paterson, New Jersey, ceases broadcasting.^[7]
April 17 – Manhattan Merry-Go-Round ends its run on network radio (NBC Blue Network).^[2]
June 4 – The Adventures of Frank Merriwell ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[2]
June 5 – The Alan Young Show ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[2]
June 10 – Herb Shriner Time ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[2]
June 25 – Famous Jury Trials ends its run on network radio in the United States.^[2]
June 27 - Child's World ends its run on network radio (ABC).^[2]^: 152-153
July 3 – Mayor of the Town ends its run on network radio.^[2]
August 22 – Leave It to Joan ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[2]
September 4 – The Burl Ives Show ends its run on network radio (ABC).^[2]
September 25 – Call the Police ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[2]
September 26 – Add a Line ends its run on network radio (ABC).^[5]
October 28 – The Abe Burrows Show ends its run on CBS.^[2]
December 15 – Captain Midnight ends its run on network radio Mutual.^[2]
December 25 - The House of Mystery ends its run on network radio Mutual.^[2]^: 333

February 7 – Les Ross, né Meakin, English midlands DJ.
March 12 – David Mellor, English politician and radio presenter.
April 2 – Paul Gambaccini, American-born British music presenter.
April 20 – Paul Heiney, English broadcaster.
May 22 – Jesse Lee Peterson, American political radio host.
November 23 – Tom Joyner, American radio host
November – Neal Conan, American NPR host, producer, editor and correspondent, captured during the 1991 Gulf War by the Iraqi Republican Guard (died 2021)
December 12 – Bill Nighy, English actor.
Philip Dodd, English creative arts academic and broadcaster.
David Stafford, English writer and broadcaster.

January 9 – Tommy Handley, English comedian (born 1892).
February 15 – Patricia Ryan, American actress (born 1921); she was stricken with a severe headache the night before while performing in a broadcast of Cavalcade of America, and her husband found her dead the next morning at home.^[8]
June 10 – Sir Frederick Ogilvie, British broadcasting executive and university administrator (born 1893).

^ ^a ^b 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 978-0786438488. p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195076783.
^ Street, Sean (2002). A Concise History of British Radio, 1922–2002. Tiverton: Kelly. p. 103. ISBN 9781903053140.
^ Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0139326162.
^ ^a ^b Terrace, Vincent. (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786445134.
^ "KALA on Air" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 19, 1949. Retrieved 23 September 2014.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "WNNJ-FM" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 24, 1949. p. 80. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
^ "Death Claims Radio Actress". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. United Press. February 16, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved August 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.