Coffee Break

Coffee Break: National Radio Day!

by Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala

August 20, 2026

The Wall of Boom by DJ Ross One, an art installation featuring 32 vintage boomboxes as a working sound system is displayed during a press preview at Sotheby's for their Inaugural HIP HOP Auction on September 10, 2020 in New York City. - A celebration of the history and cultural impact of Hip Hop, the sale reflects on the impact the movement has had on art and culture from the late 1970s through the "Golden Age" of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, and up to the present. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Wall of Boom by DJ Ross One, an art installation featuring 32 vintage boomboxes as a working sound system is displayed during a press preview at Sotheby's for their Inaugural HIP HOP Auction on September 10, 2020 in New York City. - A celebration of the history and cultural impact of Hip Hop, the sale reflects on the impact the movement has had on art and culture from the late 1970s through the "Golden Age" of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, and up to the present. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)Angela Weiss/Getty Images

We couldn’t let National Radio Day pass by without celebrating! The holiday is celebrated on August 20 each year to recognize the invention of the medium.

Radio brings us news, information, music discovery (like The Current!), friendly voices, connection, and so much more. Let’s celebrate radio…with songs about radio…that we’re going to play on the radio! :D

So for today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs that mention radio would you like to hear?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played
Wall of Voodoo- Mexican Radio
Joy Division- Transmission
The Soviettes- The Land of Clear Blue Radio
Ramones- Do You Remember Rock 'n Roll Radio
The Replacements- Left Of The Dial
The Modern Lovers- Roadrunner
The Vines- Don't Listen To The Radio