Overview of the events of 1949 in radio
The year 1949 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.
Events
Debuts
Programs
Stations
- 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.
Closings
Births
- 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.
Deaths
- 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).
References
- ^ 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 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.