1979 in radio

Print ad for radio station WMMS/Cleveland

List of years in radio (table)
… 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 …
In television 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 In music 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 In film 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

The year 1979 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.

Events

• September: KDWB-FM in Minneapolis, Minnesota breaks away from their Top 40 AM sister, becoming album-oriented rock as "K101".
• October 8-November 3: The engineers and airstaff of WCCO-AM-FM-TV go on strike.
• October 22: Pittsburgh court receives a $7 million libel lawsuit from county politician Cyril Wecht over remarks the city controller made of him during a radio interview.

Debuts

• Undated: WIXK-FM signs on the air.
• February 5: Sears Radio Theater debuts on CBS.
• November 5: The radio news program Morning Edition premieres on National Public Radio.
• Undated: In Albuquerque, New Mexico, long time rocker KRST flips to country music, becoming the city's first FM country radio station. KRST is still playing country music.

Endings

• November 4 - KUAC Ends AM after 12 years. It's replaced by Morning Edition (see Above in Debuts)

Births

• May 4 - Wes Butters, British broadcaster
• July 23 - Peter Rosenberg, American radio personality

Deaths

• April 9: Staats Cotsworth, 71, actor perhaps best known for playing the title role in Casey, Crime Photographer.
• October 27: Charles Coughlin, 88, Canadian-born Roman Catholic priest who used radio to reach a mass audience during the 1930s. This radio program included praises of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.