1981 in radio

List of years in radio (table)
… 1971 ^. 1972 ^. 1973 ^. 1974 ^. 1975 ^. 1976 ^. 1977 … 1978 1979 1980 -1981- 1982 1983 1984 … 1985 ^. 1986 ^. 1987 ^. 1988 ^. 1989 ^. 1990 ^. 1991 … In music: 1978 1979 1980 -1981- 1982 1983 1984 In television: 1978 1979 1980 -1981- 1982 1983 1984 In home video: 1978 1979 1980 -1981- 1982 1983 1984
Related time period or subjects
… 1978 ^. 1979 ^. 1980 - 1981 - 1982 ^. 1983 ^. 1984 … … 1950s ^. 1960s ^. 1970s -1980s- 1990s ^. 2000s ^. 2010s … 19th century ^. 20th century ^. 21st century …
Art ^. Archaeology ^. Architecture ^. Literature ^. Music ^. Science +...

The year 1981 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

September 22 - WCAU-FM in Philadelphia debuts a new Hot Hits format called "98 Now!" which sweeps the local ratings and inspires parent company CBS to look at converting its other FM stations to similar formats.
October — "The Weekly Country Music Countdown," a three-hour weekly countdown program featuring the top 30 country hits of the week as reported by Radio & Records magazine. Hosted by radio personality Chris Charles, the show is the first successful rival to "American Country Countdown."