1978 in radio

List of years in radio (table)
... 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 ... 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 ... 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 ...
In music 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 In television 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 In home video 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
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The year 1978 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.

Events

• May 6 – Bob Kingsley, producer of the syndicated "American Country Countdown," takes over as host. He replaces Don Bowman, who had hosted for the first 4½ years. Kingsley will helm the program for 27 years.
• July – WHTT of Moline, Illinois but with studios in Davenport, Iowa switches call letters to WXLP and changes its format from country to album-oriented rock. The station adopts the nickname "97X."
• September 18 – In television, American situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), featuring the misadventures of the staff of a struggling radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• October 7 – "American Top 40" expands from three to four hours. Several new features are added to the program, which is reaching its peak in popularity.

No dates

• Likely fall – WEMO (101.3 FM) of East Moline, Illinois switches its adult contemporary/MOR format to country music, and changes its call letters to WZZC. The new station, an ancestor to WLLR, stabilizes an FM country music format, which – except for a brief run in 1977-1978 on WHTT-FM (96.9 FM) – had been absent from the Quad Cities market for more than five years.
• Bill Ballance leaves KGBS for KFMB in San Diego, where he is to remain for fifteen years.

Debuts

• 8 March – The first episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - the radio series later to be turned into a book, a television programme, a game, and a film - is broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
• 3 July – The radio play Pearl by John Arden is first performed.
• 24 December – In Sweden, pirate radio station Radio FM in Stockholm goes on air.

Closings

• 29 January - Adventure Theater (a children's program, not to be confused with Adventure Theater, a 1956 anthology series on NBC) ends its run on network radio.
• 31 December – In Sweden, Frukostklubben ends.

Births

• May 18 - Carolina Bermudez, radio personality on the syndicated Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo program originating from New York on WHTZ (Z100)