Radio Disney

 

On August 13th, Disney announced it would be ending it's Radio Disney network on nearly all of it's mostly AM radio stations and selling the stations to concentrate on the network's digital platforms, such as online and satellite.

The stations affected are:

98.3 WRDZ-FM Plainfield/Indianapolis (their only FM station.)

590 WDWD Atlanta 

620 KMKI Plano/Dallas 

640 WWJZ Mount Holly NJ/Philadelphia 

910 WFDF Farmington Hills/Detroit 

990 WMYM Miami 

990 WDYZ Orlando 

1250 KKDZ Seattle (See below for more info on KKDZ)

1250 WDDZ Pittsburgh 

1260 WWMK Cleveland 

1260 WSDZ Belleville IL/St. Louis 

1260 WMKI Boston 

1300 WRDZ La Grange/Chicago 

1310 KMKY San Francisco 

1380 WWMI St. Petersburg 

1440 KDIZ Golden Valley/Minneapolis 

1470 KIID Sacramento 

1480 WGFY Charlotte 

1560 WQEW New York 

1580 KMIK Tempe/Phoenix 

1590 KMIC Houston 

1640 KDZR Lake Oswego/Portland 

1690 KDDZ Arvada/Denver

The stations will leave the air until they are sold. It's currently unknown if there will be a single buyer of all or if stations will be sold one by one. But one thing is guaranteed; the formats will change.

Radio Disney however is keeping it's flagship station, 1110 KDIS Los Angeles, but the rest are to be sold.

This brings to an end to the longest running AM children's radio network chain. Radio Disney was one of many networks started in the 1980s, '90s and 2000s to rescue failing 2nd tier, mostly AM radio stations with unique programming unavailable on most FM radio stations (such as hard rock, LGBT programming, personal motivation, progressive talk, business talk and others.) In Disney's case, programming for pre-teens.

However, they weren't the first network to cater to children. There were earlier networks, such as Radio AAHS (pronounced "Radio Oz", founded in 1990 and based at 1280 WWTC Minneapolis - now a conservative talk station.) Radio AAHS also offered a monthly magazine with a CD or cassette tape.

Radio AAHS entered into a early deal with Disney which quickly turned sour, as Disney was quietly preparing it's own radio network (unbeknownst to Radio AAHS.) It's been said the only reason Disney entered into the deal was to learn all they could about Radio AAHS's successful children's radio programming model. And then use it to their advantage and shutting out it's benefactor.

Seattle based KidStar was an aspiring competitor to Radio AAHS. Founded in 1993 and based at 1250 KKDZ Seattle, KidStar offered similar programming to Radio AAHS, but KidStar was a bit edgier, offering more rock based music selections than the mostly kiddie-tune Radio AAHS. There were plans to expand into a full network, like Radio AAHS, but they were quickly dashed as Disney began flexing it's muscles with Radio AAHS. 

Both the Radio AAHS network and KidStar relied on advertising from giants of kid marketing, such as Disney, Warner Bros., Mattel and General Mills. However as Disney became more powerful in the children's radio format at an alarming rate, these accounts quickly dried up by the time Radio Disney was launched in 1996 and there was no way tiny KidStar could compete with the Disney empire. KidStar had no other option than to sell it's one and only station, KKDZ Seattle to Radio Disney in 1997.

Radio Disney is scheduled to end programming on their affiliate stations around September 26th.

(UPDATE: Radio Disney will continue to operate on all it's current stations until each are sold. - L.W.) 

98.3 WRDZ-FM Plainfield/Indianapolis 590 WDWD Atlanta 620 KMKI Plano/Dallas 640 WWJZ Mount Holly NJ/Philadelphia 910 WFDF Farmington Hills/Detroit 990 WMYM Miami 990 WDYZ Orlando 1250 KKDZ Seattle 1250 WDDZ Pittsburgh 1260 WWMK Cleveland 1260 WSDZ Belleville IL/St. Louis 1260 WMKI Boston 1300 WRDZ La Grange/Chicago 1310 KMKY San Francisco 1380 WWMI St. Petersburg 1440 KDIZ Golden Valley/Minneapolis 1470 KIID Sacramento 1480 WGFY Charlotte 1560 WQEW New York 1580 KMIK Tempe/Phoenix 1590 KMIC Houston 1640 KDZR Lake Oswego/Portland 1690 KDDZ Arvada/Denver

Read more at: http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/89717/radio-disney-to-sell-all-but-one-station/

98.3 WRDZ-FM Plainfield/Indianapolis 590 WDWD Atlanta 620 KMKI Plano/Dallas 640 WWJZ Mount Holly NJ/Philadelphia 910 WFDF Farmington Hills/Detroit 990 WMYM Miami 990 WDYZ Orlando 1250 KKDZ Seattle 1250 WDDZ Pittsburgh 1260 WWMK Cleveland 1260 WSDZ Belleville IL/St. Louis 1260 WMKI Boston 1300 WRDZ La Grange/Chicago 1310 KMKY San Francisco 1380 WWMI St. Petersburg 1440 KDIZ Golden Valley/Minneapolis 1470 KIID Sacramento 1480 WGFY Charlotte 1560 WQEW New York 1580 KMIK Tempe/Phoenix 1590 KMIC Houston 1640 KDZR Lake Oswego/Portland 1690 KDDZ Arvada/Denver

Read more at: http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/89717/radio-disney-to-sell-all-but-one-sta