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Radio Disney is an American radio network that is owned by The Walt Disney Company, under the Disney–ABC Television Group operating subsidiary Disney Channels Worldwide. It broadcasts music and other content aimed at preteens and young teenagers; it can be described as a youth-targeted contemporary hit radio format with heavy emphasis on teen idols. Recently Radio Disney has become a Mainstream Top 40 Indicator reporter on Nielsen-BDS eventually being upgraded to monitored status with Nielsen-BDS. Radio Disney is also a monitored reporter on the Mediabase 24/7 Top 40 panel. The network is headquartered in Burbank, California.
Radio Disney is formatted like a traditional radio station, featuring prize giveaways (in which listeners can enter via telephone, the internet and since 2008, text messaging) and occasional in-studio interviews called "Takeovers," which usually occur during the weekday late-afternoon timeslot. Radio Disney is Disney's second foray into radio; in late 1955, Walt Disney started The Magic Kingdom radio show—running Monday through Fridays and [1] which was heard on ABC Radio from 11:35 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The broadcasts originated from the new Disneyland Park in Anaheim.
For many years Radio Disney affiliated with stations in markets of varying size, mainly large and mid-sized markets; however, since the early 2010s, it has started to withdraw from areas located outside of the 25 largest radio markets, owing to those listeners tuning in via either their website or mobile phone/tablet applications, along with the low adoption rate of HD Radio, which many Radio Disney stations have on their AM signals to match FM audio quality. On August 13, 2014, Disney announced that it would sell its remaining Radio Disney stations, with the exception of KDIS in Los Angeles.[2] A few months later, however, Disney announced that it would begin to syndicate Radio Disney through affiliations with HD Radio subchannels.
It is also the last-surviving radio network to come from or is at least a descendant of the Golden Age of Radio (other than CBS Radio) as ESPN Radio operates independently from RD's owners through ESPN Inc.
Radio Disney was launched on November 18, 1996 (coinciding with the 68th anniversary of the debut of Steamboat Willie) at 5:58 a.m. Eastern Time; the first song ever played on the network was "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. The initial studio was Studio #8 at the now former ABC Radio Networks location in Dallas, Texas (today the same facility hosts the studio of The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show). The network's initial slogan was "We're All Ears", that was used heavily in on-air jingles. Radio Disney started with songs that were played on Top-40 stations, as well as popular oldies and songs from various cartoon series and movies. Some media analysts likened the Radio Disney product to a mix of child-friendly artists and contests with music, formatics and pacing borrowed from legendary ABC-owned Top-40 stations of the past like WABC or WLS, which had long abandoned their younger audiences for adult-oriented talk formats.
Artists featured on the network in its early years included 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, Queen, Bowling For Soup, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child, Hanson, Mandy Moore, 'N Sync, A-Teens, Aaron Carter, Dream Street, Hoku, Eiffel 65, Jump5, 3LW, and the Spice Girls. The station became popular amongst children, teens and tweens. In 2000, music artists like Lil' Romeo, No Secrets, Play, and others became popular because of their airplay on the network. The network's new (but short-lived) slogan around this time was changed to "Music and Prizes That Rock!" Later in 2000, Radio Disney raised its age limit for eligibility to win prizes and sweepstakes from 12 to 14 years.
Near the end of 2001, Radio Disney's playlist began to be closely tied with singer/actors from original programs seen on co-owned cable network Disney Channel, starting with Hilary Duff and Raven-Symoné. This was followed later in the decade by Miley Cyrus, Mitchel Musso, and more recently with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Bridgit Mendler and others. This has caused a bit of controversy as some feel that most actors from Disney Channel are simply trying to start a singing career.
Around this time, Radio Disney unveiled its current slogan, "Your Music, Your Way". In 2002, the network launch its inaugural Radio Disney Music Awards, a music awards ceremony that has been held every year since.
In 2004, Disney paid the former Children's Broadcasting Corporation (which operated fellow children's radio network Radio Aahs) $12.4 million in a lawsuit settlement. Disney had collaborated with Radio Aahs for a time prior to the launch of Radio Disney as a direct competitor to the Minneapolis-based company, which reached about 30 stations at its height; Aahs' former owners sued for damages on claims of a breach of contract.
2006 marked the network's 10th anniversary; Radio Disney rebroadcast its first hour of programming from November 18, 1996 on June 6, 2006 at around 4:58 p.m. ET on stations in select markets such as WQEW. Also, as part of the 10th anniversary, Radio Disney held the "Totally 10 Birthday Concert" on July 22, 2006 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.[3] It also included a simultaneous live webcast on the Radio Disney website. A second concert was held in Dallas, Texas on November 18, 2006 at the Dallas Convention Center.[4]
In February 2006, The Walt Disney Company announced the divestiture of much of its radio holdings to Citadel Broadcasting, although Disney chose to retain ownership of Radio Disney, ESPN Radio and their respective owned-and-operated stations. Operational duties of Radio Disney were transferred to the company's Disney–ABC Cable Networks Group division, which otherwise operates Disney's cable television properties, except for ESPN (Disney's broadcast and cable properties were later folded into the Disney–ABC Television Group).
Since the network's debut, Radio Disney was part of the ABC Radio Networks' satellite music group. This changed in June 2007, when Disney retained the network and ESPN Radio in the sale of the ABC Radio division to Citadel Broadcasting. In November 2008, Radio Disney relocated its main operations from Dallas, Texas to Burbank, California.
Radio Disney added more songs from Disney Channel original programs as well as music produced from other teen music groups to its playlist rotation in recent years, several of which are associated with Disney Music Group labels Walt Disney Records, Buena Vista Records and Hollywood Records. The Playhouse Disney preschool music block was also cut back from two hours to one, with the block being renamed Radio Disney Junior in 2011 in accordance with the launch of the Disney Channel preschool block and standalone cable channel.
In January 2010, Radio Disney requested permission from the FCC to "silence" five of its owned-and-operated stations (along with a sixth station operating under a local marketing agreement with another company) while the stations were being sold.[5] On January 28, 2010, sale agreements were announced for two of the stations.
In June 2013, Disney announced the sale of seven owned-and-operated stations in medium-sized markets, in order to refocus Radio Disney's broadcast distribution on the top-25 radio markets.[6] By February 2014, it had terminated its affiliation agreements with stations not owned by Disney-ABC.
On April 10, 2014, it was announced that Radio Disney's Top 30 Countdown would become a syndicated radio show, distributed by Rick Dees' Dees Entertainment.[7]
On August 13, 2014, Radio Disney's general manager Phil Guerini announced plans to sell all but one of its remaining owned-and-operated stations on or before September 26, 2014, in order to focus more on the network's programming, co-branded events, and digital outlets; listenership reports indicated that the majority of Radio Disney's audience listened to the network via satellite radio and other digital platforms, and only 18% via terrestrial AM/FM radio. KDIS will remain operational to serve as the originating station for the Radio Disney network.[2][8] The stations will remain on air and continue to carrying Radio Disney programming until their respective sales are completed.[9] The last five Radio Disney owned-and-operated stations for sale were sold on September 15, 2015 to Salem Media Group (who was the largest purchaser of the stations) for $2.225 million.[10]
On April 13, 2015, Disney announced that the Radio Disney network would become syndicated through affiliations with HD Radio subchannels; the new network will be distributed by iBiquity, with ad sales handled by its HD Radio Digital Network unit. A network representative that the move was intended to target families as in-car listeners.[11]
On June 12, 2015, Radio Disney announced that will launch a digital network based in Country Music (called Radio Disney Country) in November. Radio Disney Country will be only available on digital platforms and the Radio Disney App.[12][13] The launch will be on November 4.[14]
On August 6, 2015, Radio Disney was made available for listening on iHeartMedia's iHeartRadio platform. Radio Disney Vice President, Programming and General Manager Phil Guerini said, “By teaming up with iHeartRadio and its portfolio of platforms, we will be able to expand our content reach to millions of additional listeners that consume radio via digital streaming.” iHeartRadio Chief Product Officer Chris Williams said, “Increasing the variety of family-friendly programming is a priority and Radio Disney is sure to be a hit with parents and kids alike.”[15][16][17]
Radio Disney plays a large selection of songs from stars and programs on Disney Channel, along with popular songs from mainstream pop and R&B artists that are found on conventional radio stations. The network airs edited versions of some Top 40 songs (which remove profanity and any other suggestive content) to make them appropriate for younger listeners. The specialized radio format favors music which often takes on a sound reminiscent of "bubblegum pop" of the 1960s and '70s.
In July 2010, Radio Disney debuted its first scripted serial called My Dream, a contemporary story ulitizing a format reminiscent of serials from the 1940s. Unlike Depression-era radio serials that typically featured episodes lasting 15 to 30 minutes, episodes of My Dream runs for only 90 seconds and play multiple times throughout the day.[21] My Dream stars Daphne Blunt as a 14-year-old girl trying to make a name for herself in the music industry while dealing with the usual struggles, responsibilities and emotional ups and downs of an everyday teen.[22]
Since 2002, Radio Disney has held an annual awards ceremony, the Radio Disney Music Awards, to honor popular music artists featured on the network. Similar to the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, children vote to select the winner of each category including "They're The One" (Best Music Group), "Ultimate Breakout Star" (Biggest Viral Artist), "The Bestest" (Song of the Year) and Funniest Celebrity Take (celebrity interview) and "So FANtastic" (Fiercest Fans). Artists who have won awards in past ceremonies include Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Cheetah Girls.
Radio Disney carries a number of features from interactive contests to informational programs.
Radio Disney has had a number of different DJs since its launch in 1996. Below are a number of DJs along with their years of employment. Many Radio Disney DJs left the network around 2008, when Radio Disney moved its broadcasts and operations to Burbank, California.
In 2000 and 2001, Radio Disney launched two separate "world tours" that traveled to major U.S. cities including Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. In 2000, the tour featured up-and-coming talent (No Authority, Myra) and then Radio Disney DJs, Mark and Zippy. The tour played in theatrical venues and had audiences of up to 2,000 people per show (there were four shows each weekend in each city).
A live stream of Radio Disney's programming is available at RadioDisney.com and is also available under the Pop/Top 40 section of the iTunes radio tuner. Streams are also available via the Radio Disney mobile app for Apple iOS devices and on Xbox 360 consoles via the iHeartRadio application. Since August 6, 2015, it is also available on iHeartRadio application.
Radio Disney was also made available as a special feature on the Blu-ray release of Hannah Montana: The Movie via Disney BD-Live as well as the PSP game, Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show.
From 1997 to 1999, the network was streamed digitally in RealAudio format on the Disney.com website. The service was discontinued in 1999, only to resurface a short time later as a pre-installed streaming channel on QuickTime 4's streaming media list. The service disappeared again around 2000 in concurrence with the release of Quicktime 5. In March 2006, the stream resurfaced again in a Windows Media Player format as Radio Disney 2.0. It was then later revamped in a Flash format complete with lyrics and previously played songs. In October 2011, a stream of Radio Disney was made available in Canada on Family.ca, the website of cable network Family Channel (which received much of its U.S. programming from Radio Disney's sister cable television network Disney Channel prior to Sept 2015). However this has been discontinued due to DHX Media(Family Channel) losing rights to Corus Entertainment and the launch of Disney Channel in Canada for the first time ever on September 1, 2015.[23][24]
Radio Disney is available on Sirius XM Radio in digital audio in both the United States and Canada on channel 79. It was carried previously on Music Choice on the digital cable tiers of most television providers. Music Choice replaced Radio Disney on September 18, 2007, with its own channel, Kidz Only!, which is similar in format to Radio Disney, but with a less interrupted music format.[25][26] Radio Disney could be heard previously on DirecTV channel 867, until the satellite provider switched its digital music programming from XM Radio to Sonic Tap on February 9, 2010. A few digital cable providers with radio services offer Radio Disney as a live radio broadcast selection, although other providers (like Dish Network) do not.
Despite being music-oriented, the network is carried on AM stations. The list below is accurate as of 3 September 2015. Despite their current standing, many of these stations have diverse histories. Many of the current call signs of Radio Disney stations (particularly those owned by The Walt Disney Company) are variations on the Disney name and that of Mickey and Minnie Mouse; at least one appears to be named for Goofy, and another is named for Walt Disney World (WDW).
The Walt Disney Company owns all of the network's affiliates; in the past, some stations were operated through local marketing agreements that had varying degrees of local management, but the last separately-owned Radio Disney affiliate, WOLF in Syracuse, New York, left the network in 2014.
Notes:
The Radio Disney Jams series CDs are various artists compilations of music featured on Radio Disney.
Internationally, there are Radio Disney stations in Australia, Chile, Japan, Poland, Argentina, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. There are plans to resume broadcasting of a Disney-branded radio station in the United Kingdom, but this time under the 'Radio Disney' brand, aimed at a younger audience than its predecessor in the UK. On October 21, 2010, Radio Disney launched in Brazil. Since October 1, 2013, Radio Disney is available in Russia via Disney.ru.[52] It plans to broadcast in the Philippines and Sweden in the near future.
Radio Disney is available in Latin America via terrestrial broadcast. Similar to Radio Disney in the U.S., it broadcasts in Spanish to Argentina,[53] Chile,[54] Nicaragua,[55] Ecuador,[56] Guatemala, Paraguay,[57] Uruguay,[58] Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica[59] and Mexico.[60][61]
Radio Disney planned to begin broadcasting on the digital radio platform in the United Kingdom by the end of 2008.[62] On July 6, 2007, Ofcom, the communications regulator of the United Kingdom, announced that the 4 Digital Group, a consortium headed by Channel 4 and featuring Emap, UTV, British Sky Broadcasting, Global Radio, Carphone Warehouse and UBC, had been awarded a license to run a new digital radio multiplex which would include Radio Disney as one of ten new national radio stations. On October 10, 2008, Channel 4 withdrew plans to launch 4 Digital, ending the probability of Radio Disney launching on the service.[63]
A similar station, Capital Disney began broadcasting in 2002 on the DAB digital radio network, on Sky Digital (Digital Satellite) and various digital cable television providers in the UK. The station was a joint venture between the UK's Capital Radio Group and Disney. The idea being to use Capital Radio's programming experience to assist Disney in launching a radio station in the UK. In early 2007, both Capital Radio (by now called GCap Media) and Disney agreed to pursue different goals, and as a result, Capital Disney closed down on June 29, 2007.
Christian radio, Atlanta, Contemporary Christian Music, Miami, Dallas
Christianity, Ontario, Pay television, British Columbia, Sikhism
Public Radio International, American Public Media, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Pacifica Radio, Morning Edition
Radio Disney, The Young and the Restless, Kansas, YouTube, United States
Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, Disney Channel, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift
Radio Disney, Frequency, HD Radio, Kink, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Chicago Tribune, Radio Disney, Illinois, Wbbm-fm, Chicago metropolitan area
Fifth Harmony, Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, R5 (band)