Radio Disney To Shut Down Early Next Year

On Thursday, Disney announced that its Radio Disney network would shut down early next year, Entertainment Weekly is reporting.

The announcement comes amid significant restructuring the company is undertaking to focus more on its streaming platform Disney+ and its television operations. The same day, the group announced an additional round of layoffs at its television group, with more than 100 executives affected. Thirty-six positions will be affected by the shutdown of Radio Disney.

Radio Disney launched in 1996 and focused on the pre-teen, and teenage demographic with pop music and songs made popular from Disney Channel shows. It helped boost the careers of stars like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, and more by giving them airplay early in their careers.

At one point, Disney owned 23 terrestrial stations. The company sold off all but KRDC-AM, a Los Angeles based station, in 2014. The remaining station is set to be sold in 2021.

Radio Disney Country, which launched in 2015 as a digital-only platform, will also be affected by the shutdown. The station will also be shut down early next year. Radio Disney in Latin America will not be affected.