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The year 1983 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

• August 2 - WHTZ (Z100) in New York City debuts, soon becoming one of the most influential CHR stations in the US. Z100 has competition in the format from 95.5 WPLJ, which flipped from album-oriented rock to CHR shortly beforehand, but it is Z100 which gains the lion's share of the attention by literally going from "worst to first" in the ratings.
• KABG in Cambridge, Minnesota becomes KXLV
• KDWB-FM in Minneapolis, Minnesota flips from album-oriented rock to CHR, a format it still carries today.
• Emmis Broadcasting purchases CHR-formatted WLOL in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• WCCO-FM in Minneapolis, Minnesota flips from adult contemporary to CHR, then back again (as WLTE) later that year.
• December 12 - After 25 years of ownership, Gene Autry sells KSFO 560 AM to King Radio Broadcasting which owned KYA 1260 AM and 93.3 FM.
• December 12 - KYA moves broadcasts solely onto 93.3 FM, leaving 1260 AM (which they owned since 1926 and was sold to Bonneville International) which became a simulcast of KOIT FM, at midnight.

Debuts

• April 15 - American Public Radio is founded (becomes Public Radio International in 1994).
• Joe Castiglione joins the Boston Red Sox broadcast team, teamed with Ken Coleman
• Jam Radio, the University of Hull's student radio station becomes the first student station to obtain a medium wave license.

Closings

• March 16 - The Transmitter Ismaning, the last wooden radio tower in Germany, is demolished.
• KMEL ends its weekly countdown show, hosted by 78-year old Ruth Bennett, mother of the station's former morning host Alex Bennett.

Births

• August 16 - Colin Griffiths, TV presenter and DJ
• October 10 - Alyson Hau, Hong Kong radio DJ

Deaths

• March 16 - Arthur Godfrey, 27-year host of Arthur Godfrey Time on CBS, as well as host of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (on radio from 1946-1956; on TV from 1948-1958). One of history's most influential broadcast personalities.