The year 1945 saw a number of significant happenings inradio broadcasting history.

• 30 January –Adolf Hitler makes his last public speech to be delivered personally, on broadcast radio, expressing the belief that Germany will triumph inWorld War II.
• 15 March – TheAcademy Awards are broadcast on the radio in their entirety for the first time, onABC and theArmed Forces Radio.
• 23 March – TheOrchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise is reformed under the auspices of the French national public service broadcaster.
• 8 April –Buchenwald concentration camp prisoner Gwidon Damazyn sends pleas for help over a clandestinely-constructedshortwave radio transmitter inmorse code to the approachingThird United States Army.^[1]
• 12 April
  • The death of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt interrupts programming on radio networks in the United States. On CBS,John Charles Daly interrupts his narration ofWilderness Road to read the wire message.
  • CBS correspondentEdward R. Murrow accompanies elements of theThird United States Army to the liberation ofBuchenwald concentration camp, making a memorable broadcast on 15 April on his experience ("I saw it, but will not describe it.")^[2]
• 15 April –BBC correspondentRichard Dimbleby accompanies theBritish 11th Armoured Division to the liberation ofBergen-Belsen concentration camp, making one of the first reports from there.^[3] His description of what he sees ("the world of a nightmare") is so graphic, the BBC declines to broadcast his dispatch for 4 days, relenting only when he threatens to resign.

• 1 May – This evening,Reichssender Hamburg'sFlensburg substation, the lastshortwave radio station remaining on the air in Germany, interrupts a concert to announce thedeath of Adolf Hitler. The first place in the United Kingdom to hear of this is theBBC Monitoring Service atCaversham Park nearReading, Berkshire.President of GermanyKarl Dönitz gives a broadcast this night declaring that it is his task to save the German people "from destruction by Bolshevists."^[4]
• 2 May – During theBattle of Berlin, theRed Army occupies theHaus des Rundfunks, headquarters of theReichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft broadcasting organization.
• 4 May – Radio Hamburg begins broadcasting from the British occupied zone of Germany, withWynford Vaughan-Thomas speaking from "Lord Haw-Haw"'s studio for the BBC. On 22 September, the station becomesNordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR), the zone's official broadcasting organisation, set up byHugh Greene,^[5] and in November theNorth German Radio Symphony Orchestra plays its first concert.
• 5 May – Supporters of theCzech Resistance on the staff ofCzech Radio encourage thePrague uprising, leading to theBattle for Czech Radio.^[6]
• 6 May –Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") delivers her lastpropaganda broadcast toAllied troops (the first was on 11 December 1941).
• 7 May – The last German communication to be decoded atBletchley Park is from a military radio station atCuxhaven closing down.^[7]Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, Leading Minister in the rumpFlensburg Government, makes a broadcast announcing the German surrender. This evening theBBC in the United Kingdom announces that the following day will be a holiday, Victory in Europe Day.
• 8 May –Victory in Europe Day in Western Europe. At 12:30President of GermanyKarl Dönitz broadcasts on his country's surrender to the nation. At 15:00BST in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister,Winston Churchill, makes a speech to the nation on theBBC from10 Downing Street, and at 21:00 KingGeorge VI speaks to the British Empire from Buckingham Palace. Wynford Vaughan-Thomas reports fromLüneburg andFrank Gillard fromKassel.^[8] On 9 May (Moscow Time) the surrender is announced onRadio Moscow byYuri Levitan.^[9]
• 28 May – U.S.-born Irish-raisedWilliam Joyce ("Lord Haw-Haw") is captured by British forces on the German border a month after recording his final (rambling and audibly drunk) propaganda broadcast. He is later charged with high treason in London for his earlier English-language wartime broadcasts on German radio, convicted, and then hanged in January 1946.
• 29 July – TheBBC Light Programme radio station is launched, concentrating on the broadcasting ofmainstreamlight music andentertainment, superseding theBBC General Forces Programme within the United Kingdom using itslongwave frequency from theDroitwich Transmitting Station.
• 7 August – Radio Tokyo first reports, unspecifically, onthe previous day's bombing of Hiroshima.
• 15 August –Hirohito surrender broadcast: EmperorHirohito's recorded announcement of the unconditionalsurrender of Japan is broadcast onRadio Tokyo a little after noon (Japan Standard Time).^[10] This is probably the first time anEmperor of Japan has been heard by the common people. Delivered in formalclassical Japanese, without directly referring to surrender and following official censorship of the country's weak position, the speech is not immediately easily understood by ordinary people.
• 5 September –Iva Toguri D'Aquino, aJapanese American suspected of being wartime radio propagandist "Tokyo Rose", is arrested inYokohama.
• 11 September –Radio Republik Indonesia starts broadcasting.
• 1 November –Telechron introduces the model 8H59 Musalarm in the United States, the firstclock radio.
• Radio Filharmonisch Orkest founded inHilversum (Netherlands) byAlbert van Raalte.

• 6 January –The Saint debuts onNBC.^[11]
• 8 January –A Man Named Jordan debuts on CBS' West Coast network.^[11]
• 15 January –House Party (1945–1967) debuts onCBS.^[11]
• 15 January -The House of Mystery debuts on Mutual.^[12]: 333
• 28 January –The Eddie Bracken Show debuts on NBC.^[12]
• 29 January –Lionel Barrymore becomes the host ofLux Radio Theater, replacingCecil B. DeMille.
• 21 February –Brownstone Theater debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 22 February -Hercule Poirot debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 3 March –Superman encountersBatman andRobin for the first time. This occurs on theMutual Network.
• 9 March –Those Websters debuts onCBS.
• 6 April –This Is Your FBI debuts onABC.^[11]
• 7 April –Calling All Detectives debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 9 April –Cimarron Tavern debuts onCBS.^[12]
• 15 April –Breakfast with Dorothy and Dick debuts onWOR.^[12]
• 16 April –Barry Cameron debuts onNBC.^[12]
• 21 May –Constance Bennett Calls on You debuts onABC.^[12]
• 22 May –Auction Gallery debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 7 June –The Adventures of Topper debuts onNBC.^[12]
• 10 June –Abbott Mysteries debuts on theMutual Network.^[12]
• 10 June –The Adventures of Father Brown debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 12 June -An Evening with Romberg debuts on NBC.^[12]: 235
• 17 July –The Amazing Nero Wolfe debuts on theDon Lee Network.
• 10 August –The Adele Clark Show debuts onABC.^[13]
• 21 August –The Jack Smith Show debuts onCBS.^[12]
• 27 August –Mommie and the Men debuts onCBS.^[14]
• 3 September –Joanie's Tea Room debuts on CBS.^[12]
• 12 September – The second version ofSongs by Sinatra debuts onCBS.^[12]
• 5 October –Meet the Press debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 20 October –Break the Bank debuts onMutual.^[12]
• 25 October – The syndicated version ofThe Avenger debuts.^[12]
• 8 November –Island Venture debuts onCBS.^[12]
• 26 November –Bride and Groom debuts onABC.^[12]

• 3 January –Arthur Hopkins Presents ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[12]
• 4 January –Major Bowes Amateur Hour ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[11]
• 26 February -Happy Island ends its run on network radio (Blue Network).^{[12]: 218-220}
• 16 March –The American Women's Jury ends its run on network radio (Mutual).^[12]
• 30 March –The Dreft Star Playhouse ends its two-year run onNBC.^[12]
• 7 April –Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts ends its run on network radio (Blue Network).^[12]
• 20 April –Stage Door Canteen ends its run on network radio.^[12]
• 31 May –The Frank Morgan Show ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[12]
• 4 June –Author's Playhouse ends its run on network radio (NBC Red Network).^[12]
• 25 June -Everything for the Boys ends its run on network radio on NBC.^{[12]: 237-238}
• 6 July
  • Bright Horizon ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[12]
  • Chick Carter, Boy Detective ends its run on network radio (Mutual).^[12]
• 29 July –The Adventures of Father Brown ends its single-summer run onMutual.^[12]
• 25 August –Calling All Detectives ends its run on network radio (Mutual).^[12]
• 13 September –The Adventures of Topper ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[12]
• 23 September –Brownstone Theater ends its run on network radio (Mutual).^[12]
• 13 October –America in the Air ends its run on network radio (CBS).^[12]
• 11 November –The Army Hour ends its run on network radio (NBC).^[12]
• 30 November –The Amazing Nero Wolfe ends its run on network radio (Don Lee Network).

• 2 January –Baxter Black, American cowboy, poet, philosopher, large-animal veterinarian and radio commentator (died2022).
• 9 January –Bill Heine, American-born British radio presenter and cinema owner (died2019).
• 12 February –Luiz Carlos Alborghetti, Italian-Brazilian radio commenter, showman and political figure (died2009).
• 8 March –Micky Dolenz, American actor, musician, television and theatre director and radio personality, best known as drummer/vocalist in the 1960s made-for-television band,The Monkees.
• 30 March –Johnnie Walker, born Peter Dingley, British DJ (died2024).
• 2 May –Gene Deckerhoff, radio play-by-play announcer of theNFL'sTampa Bay Buccaneers.
• 25 May –Dave Lee Travis, born David Griffin, British DJ.
• 6 April –Neal Boortz, American talk radio host and commentator.
• 12 April –Glenn Hauser, American radio host.
• 17 June –Art Bell, American broadcaster, talk show host and author, known primarily as the founder and longtime host of the paranormal-themed radio programCoast to Coast AM (died2018).
• 22 August –Pete Atkin, English singer-songwriter and radio producer.
• 23 August –Peter Donaldson, Egyptian-born British newsreader (died2015).
• 19 September –Brendan Balfe, Irish radio presenter.
• 24 September –Lou Dobbs,CNNnews anchor andmanaging editor forLou Dobbs Tonight, host ofLou Dobbs Minute on radio.
• 28 October –Simon Brett, English radio producer and scriptwriter and detective fiction writer.
• 13 December
  • Herman Cain, African-American conservative newspaper columnist, businessman, political candidate, radio talk-show host and chairman and CEO ofGodfather's Pizza (died2020).
  • Kathy Garver, American actress, author and online radio hostess.
• Ernie Rea, Northern Irish religious broadcaster.

• 12 April –Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32ndPOTUS who gave radio addresses known asFireside chats.
• 18 September –C. H. Middleton, English gardening broadcaster (born 1886).
• c. October –Frederick Wilhelm Kaltenbach, American-born Nazi propagandist (born 1895).

• 1945 in radio
• Radio stations established in 1945
• Radio by year

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2013