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 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2016) |
 | |
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Disney Branded Television |
| History | |
| Launch date | November 18, 1996 |
| Closed | April 14, 2021 |
| Coverage | |
| Availability | National, through broadcast stations, satellite radio, and internet radio |
| Affiliates | See list |
| Links | |
| Website | radio.disney.com at the Wayback Machine (archived December 29, 2020) |
Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The network broadcast music programming oriented towards children, pre-teens and teenagers, focusing mainly on current hit music and a heavy emphasis on teen idols (particularly those signed with Disney Music Group record labels, such as Hollywood and Walt Disney); compared to most CHR stations, Radio Disney was far more aggressive in playing only current hits and eschewed recurrent rotation.[1]
For many years Radio Disney affiliated with stations in markets of varying size, mainly large and mid-sized markets; however, by the early 2010s, Disney had begun to phase out the network's affiliations with terrestrial radio stations, and sold its owned-and-operated Radio Disney stations (with the exception of KDIS in Los Angeles) to third-parties, in order to focus more on its programming, marketing, creating revenue producing events and distribution of Radio Disney as an internet radio outlet on digital platforms.[2]
In 2015, Radio Disney partnered with iBiquity to distribute the network terrestrially via its HD Radio platform, and with iHeartRadio for further digital distribution.[3] In the same year, Radio Disney launched a spin-off service, Radio Disney Country, which carried a country music format catered towards a similar audience; in 2017, this service replaced the main Radio Disney service on KDIS, which was renamed KRDC. The network also lent its name to the Radio Disney Music Awards, an annual music awards presentation broadcast on television since 2014 by Disney Channel.
On December 3, 2020, Disney announced that Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country would be shut down in the first quarter of 2021.[4][5][6] On April 14, 2021, Radio Disney ceased broadcast when its last remaining terrestrial station, KRDC in Los Angeles, was quietly changed to a simulcast of KSPN 710 AM, an ESPN Radio frequency.
- ^ Ross, Sean (March 30, 2018). "America's All-Current CHR Superstation Is …". RadioInsight.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (August 13, 2014). "Exclusive: Radio Disney Moving Off Air to Digital". Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ "Radio Disney Launches on iHeartRadio". IHeartMedia (Press release). August 6, 2015. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 3, 2020). "Radio Disney Shutting Down Amid Restructuring". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ Low, Elaine (December 3, 2020). "Radio Disney, Radio Disney Country to End Operations in Early 2021". Variety. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Venta, Lance (January 1, 2021). "Radio Disney Begins Programming Shutdown". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.