2005 in radio

The year 2005 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

• April 29 - KFRC 610 AM in San Francisco, switches formats as a result of ownership change. KFRC becomes KEAR, the "Sound of the New Life", a listener-supported, gospel/religious only station. It had been previously KFRC from September 1924 to this date. KFRC continued to broadcast on its sister station 99.7 FM.
• November 9 – Mediaweek announces that radio personality Bob Kingsley was stepping down as host of American Country Countdown, after being associated with the program for 31 years (27 of them as host). His last countdown program airs December 24. Kix Brooks (one half of the country music superstar duo Brooks & Dunn) was slated to take over in January 2006.[1]

Kingsley's new radio program, "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40," debuts December 31 (featuring the 2005 year-end countdown).

• December 1 - XM Radio Canada launches.
• December 3 - Sirius Canada launches.
• Digital Radio Mondiale conducted an extensive test of using the 11 meter (26 MHz) shortwave band for local digital shortwave radio broadcasts in Mexico City during July. [2]
• Triple J has the first J Award in 2005, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the station's establishment.

Debuts

• May 2 - Radio Lynx began syndicating the Doug Basham program.
• December 31 - Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 debuts
• Dicky Barrett, former singer with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones became the host of his own radio show, The Mighty Morning Show on Los Angeles's Indie 103.1. The show runs until March 22, 2006.
• Jack FM debuts in several cities such as KCBS-FM Los Angeles on March 17, and WCBS-FM New York on June 3.

Closings

• Democracy Radio folds November 4 when founder Tom Athans joins management staff of Air America Radio.
• Seattle radio hosts Robin and Maynard were fired from KQBZ on November 9.
• Susquehanna Radio Corporation absorbed into Cumulus Media

Deaths

• Ruth Bennett, 100, disc jockey, mother of radio host Alex Bennett, allegedly the world's oldest album-oriented rock disc jockey on KMEL (1982-1983) at the age of 77.
• Gordon Baxter, 81, well-known radio personality in Southeast Texas, author and columnist.
• Earl Cameron, 89?, Canadian broadcaster and anchor of The National (1959–1966)
• Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto, 74, sports commentator in New Orleans for over 50 years.
• Karl Haas, 91, U.S. classical music radio program host of Adventures in Good Music
• Jonathan James-Moore, 59, former BBC Radio head of light entertainment, cancer. [3]
• Bill King, 78, American sports broadcaster.
• Bob McAdorey, 69, Canadian television and radio broadcaster
• Tracey Miller, 51, radio host, pioneer of women's sports broadcasting, brain cancer. [4]
• Glenn Mitchell, 55, Public Radio broadcaster, radio talk show host.
• Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, 91, Polish journalist and highly decorated World War II hero, head of the Radio Free Europe Polish section
• Neil Strawser, 78, CBS Radio correspondent and anchor [5]
• Dr. Don Rose, 70, American radio personality.
• Hallam Tennyson, 85, British radio producer and great-grandson of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, suspected victim of murder
• Chuck Thompson, 83, Baltimore Orioles broadcaster, complications of massive stroke
• John Timpson, 77, ex-presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, natural causes. [6]
• Pierre van Ostade, 88, Dutch radio and television personality. [7].
• Tommy Vance, 63, British radio DJ and TV host, stroke
• Allan Waters, 84, Canadian broadcasting icon
• Georgie Woods, 78, Philadelphia radio broadcast "legend", due to be inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.