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Music History Events: Radio

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February 5, 1931 Eddie Cantor makes his debut radio appearance, singing on Rudy Vallee's Fleischmann Hour.

December 10, 1927 The Nashville radio show "WSM Barn Dance" becomes "The Grand Ole Opry."

February 18, 1927 The "first great voice of the air," Jessica Dragonette, makes her radio debut on Cities Service Concerts.

November 15, 1926 The first network radio broadcast, four-and-a-half hours of varied performances from New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel and other remotes around the country, airs on the new National Broadcasting Company (soon to be known as NBC).

September 9, 1926 The Radio Corporation of America, later known as RCA, launches its new radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (later known as NBC).

August 20, 1920 In Detroit, what will become WWJ (950 AM) becomes the first radio station in America to start broadcasting.

November 22, 1907 The world's first radio company, the Marconi Wireless Company of America, is incorporated in New Jersey.

July 9, 2017 The radio station Mansfield 103.2 in England is hijacked by a transmitter hacker who engages in some monkeyshines, saying, "I'm a w--ker, I'm a w--ker" in a Nottinghamshire accent before playing the "The Winker's Song (Misprint)" by Ivor Biggun, a paean to self-pleasure that repeats the phrase over and over.More

October 28, 2016 The BBC Radio show Desmond Carrington: The Music Goes Round ends after 36 years when the host retires at age 90.

April 27, 2014 BBC Radio Devon DJ David Lowe (not to be confused with the composer of the same name), plays an early version of "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" on his program, which results in his resignation due to the racial slurs in the lyrics.

February 15, 1995 The Los Angeles, California, heavy metal radio station KNAC goes off the air and is replaced by the Spanish radio station KBUE on the same channel - 105.5FM. The station signs off at approximately 1:59PM after playing Metallica's "Fade to Black." Three years, later KNAC goes back on the air, this time on the internet at KNAC.com.

February 4, 1989 Thanks to radio-station rediscovery, Sheriff hit #1 in America with the ballad "When I'm With You," which peaked at #61 when it was first released in 1983. The band, which has been defunct since 1985, never get back together.

February 14, 1987 KTWV in Los Angeles switches from Rock to Smooth Jazz, becoming the first radio station to adopt that format. Smooth Jazz stations - heavy on Kenny G, David Sanborn, and David Lanz - soon pop up all over the country, offering a relaxing choice for at-work listening.

March 7, 1979 The Police get a badly needed break when they play the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas, where the radio station KLBJ has been playing their single "Roxanne," the first station in America to do so. The song starts to catch on, and seven weeks later peaks at #32, giving the band their first hit.

November 7, 1967 The radio station KSHE 94.7 FM in St. Louis flips format from easy listening to rock, starting with "White Rabbit." The move helps spread the sounds and ethos of the counterculture to the midwest, and KSHE becomes a major force in the movement.

March 8, 1963 "Please Please Me" by The Beatles shows up at #40 on the Chicago radio station WLS' weekly Silver Dollar Survey, marking the first time a Beatles song makes a radio station survey in America. WLS very likely became the first US radio station to play a Beatles song when they put "Please Please Me" on the air.

December 2, 1961 The Beach Boys earn their first airplay when the Los Angeles radio station KFWB plays their song "Surfin'."

October 17, 1940 Frank Sinatra hosts the weekly radio program Fame and Fortune, which gives amateur songwriters the chance to compete for $100 and a publishing deal with NBC Music.

September 8, 1935 The Hoboken Four, featuring a 19-year-old Frank Sinatra, appear on NBC's popular radio program Major Bowes and His Original Amateur Hour. They sing the Mills Brothers song "Shine" and earn the most votes in the history of the show, with 40,000 people calling in.

November 28, 1925 The "WSM Barn Dance" debuts on the Nashville radio station WSM. Two years later, the show is rechristened "The Grand Ole Opry."

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