Stunting is a type of publicity stunt in radio broadcasting, where a station—abruptly and often without advance announcement—begins to air content that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what is normally played.

Stunting is typically used to generate publicity and audience attention for upcoming changes to a station's programming, such as new branding, format, or as a soft launch for a newly-established station. Occasionally, a stunt may be purely intended as publicity or a protest, and not actually result in a major programming change. Stunts often involve a loop of a single song, or an interim format (such as the discography of a specific artist, Christmas music, or a novel theme that would not be viable as a permanent format), which may sometimes include hints towards the station's new format or branding.

To a lesser extent, stunting has also been seen on television, most commonly in conjunction with April Fools' Day, or to emphasize a major programming event being held by a channel.

Types of radio stunting and noted examples
Continuous loop
A station may stunt by repeating the same song, playlist, or other content on a continuous loop:

The song(s) in question are commonly a clue towards the incoming format or branding, such as was the case in March 2014 when San Francisco Regional Mexican station KVVF/KVVZ stunted with a loop of "Hot in Herre" by Nelly for three days. This led into the stations' relaunch as rhythmic contemporary Hot 105.7. The stunt notably attracted mainstream media attention, with the hashtag "#nelly1057" being used to discuss the event on Twitter.
In late June 2022, CKKS-FM in Greater Vancouver similarly faced mainstream media attention when it played a loop of "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine as part of its transition from hot adult contemporary Kiss to modern rock Sonic. The loop included staged segments of DJs discussing their repeated playing of the song, and "callers" either requesting "Killing in the Name" or asking for a different song—which led to a false impression that its employees had commandeered the station to protest staffing changes associated with the format change.

 in August 2016 the Los Angeles station KIRN-FM stunted for five days with a loop of "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen, which led into it's impending flip from a simulcast of KIRN's Persian-language programming to an active rock format as a new version of legendary L.A. rock station KMET-FM. The stunt notably attracted mainstream media attention, with the hashtag "#halen993" being used to discuss the event on Twitter.
For a week in late-March 2020, conservative talk station KDRC-FM/Chico, CA stunted with a loop of R.E.M.'s song "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", interspersed with comedic segments such as "Washing Your Hands for Dummies" and "How to Survive a Pandemic" to poke fun at the COVID-19 pandemic.

Often the song chosen for the loop does not pertain to either the old or new format:
In one of the oldest radio stunts recorded, WNOE-AM/New Orleans played "Shtiggy Boom" by The Nuggets nonstop for 58 hours and 45 minutes before the launch of its Top 40 format in early 1955.
In 1961, XEAK San Diego/Tijuana played "Mope-itty Mope" by The Bosstones for 72 hours straight before launching one of the first all-news formats in North American radio.
In late-April 1994, WMGV/Winneconne stunted with a loop of 21 different versions of the song "Louie Louie" as Louie 103.9, before launching a new oldies format on May 3.
In a reference to the Rickroll meme, the new Toronto radio station CIND-FM played a loop of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" prior to its official launch as Indie 88.
Linder Radio Group is known for routinely using "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" by Rolf Harris as a filler stunt when changing a format on one of its stations.
For four days before the July 8, 2012, relaunch of KOKE-FM/Austin — a station which popularized progressive country in the early 1970s, a live recording of Dale Watson's "Country My Ass" played in a continuous loop. This example of stunting is notable for the station-specific nature of the song's lyrics; Watson re-recorded the song for the occasion, adding a new coda in which he sings, "Now Austin's on track, 'cause KOKE-FM's back."
In May 1990, the staff of Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio station Triple J staged an industrial action, after its news director was suspended for playing a clip of the N.W.A. song "Fuck tha Police" in a segment discussing its subject matter (despite the full song having been played by the station before without incident). During the action, Triple J played another N.W.A. song, "Express Yourself" (whose lyrics criticize censorship of rap music), 82 times in a row.Triple J paid homage to the event during the April 30, 2014 relaunch of digital radio station ABC Dig Music as sister station Double J, which was preceded by a stunt loop of 13 different versions of "Express Yourself" (including the original recording, and covers of the song by Australian musicians).
WJMP/Kent, OH, in a protest over the Major League Baseball players' strike, continuously played two versions of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" sunrise-to-sunset (the station operated only during daytime hours), for two months (and 57,161 total plays) from August to October 1994. The stunt merited WJMP an entry in the Guinness Book of Sports Records. In honor of the alleged Mayan apocalypse, modern rock station CFEX-FM/Calgary stunted with a loop of R.E.M.'s song "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" on December 21, 2012, interspersed with "Apocalypse Survival Tips" and "Get to Know a Mayan" sketches.
Prior to its August 26, 2019 launch of a sports talk format affiliated with Fox Sports Radio, WDAS/Philadelphia stunted with a loop of the NFL on Fox theme music over the preceding weekend. The change in format was announced in advance of the flip.
In a non-music example, the launch of Black Information Network—a chain of iHeartMedia news radio stations targeting African Americans—featured its initial stations playing a loop of speeches by prominent African Americans, mixed with sweepers promoting the launch date, and containing the tagline "Our side of the story is about to be told."
Prior to the September 30, 2021 launch of an adult hits format, AAA station KTHX-FM in Reno stunted with instrumental jazz music mixed with sweepers stating that the station was "on hold".

Temporary formats
Occasionally a station dropping an old format will stunt with a transitional format, either containing clues and previews relating to the new format (such as songs referencing its new branding, and artists who may be included in the eventual format), or having little to do with it. This can include songs based on specific themes (such as a single musician), or novelties that would not be viable as a permanent format.

In 2003, after it's sale to Clear Channel, WWKV in Wilmington, North Carolina dropped its contemporary Christian music programming for a stunt format it dubbed "Marx FM", featuring left-leaning protest songs (such as "Killing in the Name", "Eve of Destruction", "War", and "Imagine"), Communist propaganda music (such as the State Anthem of the Soviet Union and "The Internationale"), and Russian-language Europop tracks. The stunt led into its relaunch as Top 40/CHR station WCFR-FM 100.7 KISS FM.
WJAX-FM/Jacksonville, Florida used an unbranded adult hits format as part of its transition from an all-news format to active rock as JAX 95.9 in 2016. The stunt's playlist featured a song with "rock" in the title (such as LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem") at the top of each hour, which teased its upcoming format.
On August 2, 2017, after playing "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC, WSPV-FM in Northampton, Massachusetts dropped its CHR format for a stunt format it called "Z-666", featuring songs about Hell or with the words "Hell", "devil" or "Satan" in the title (such as "Lake of Fire" by Meat Puppets, "To Hell with the Devil" by Stryper, "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, "Hotter Than Hell" by Kiss, and "Burn in Hell" by Twisted Sister) and songs overlaid with screaming and fire sound effects. The stunt led into the return of it's 1990s "Rock City 95.5" active rock format (the last (edited) song played under the Z-666 stunt format, "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Cougar Mellencamp, acted as a hint to the returning format).
Prior to the September 1, 2021 launch of an adult hits format, Rhythmic CHR station KQFW in Dallas-Fort Worth stunted with construction sound effects mixed with sweepers stating that the station was "being renovated".
Prior to the move of WBCN's rock format to the 100.5 frequency, former occupant WBJY briefly stunted with songs by the band U2 (which WBCN helped popularize in the US) as "U2FM".
In January 2023, WBLN/New York City dropped its Regional Mexican format and stunted as "Wooo! FM", a temporary format "hosted" by Ric Flair, playing songs about wealth and money or songs that referenced or made mention of Flair. This led into its relaunch with a 2000s hits format as "Awesome 99.9".
As part of its February 1996 transition from country music to rhythmic contemporary WKTU,[27] New York City's WYNY carried simulcasts of programming from several of its Evergreen Media sister stations, including WRCX/Chicago (with morning host Mancow Muller informing his expanded audience that there would be "no more goat-ropin' music" on WYNY, making jokes directed towards competitors WHTZ and WXRK, and pulling a prank on the latter's morning host Howard Stern), KKBT/Los Angeles, WLUP/Chicago, KIOI/San Francisco, and WXKS/Boston.[28][29]
In 2006, after its sale to new owners, KFYE in Kingsburg, California, dropped its contemporary Christian music programming for a stunt format it dubbed "Porn Radio", featuring songs with sexually-suggestive lyrics, and songs edited to include moaning sounds. The stunt led into its relaunch as rhythmic adult contemporary Sexy 106.3.[30][31][32] The station subsequently held a second publicity stunt in March 2007 that falsely implied an end to the format on March 30. A playing of "Say Goodbye" by Chris Brown preceded the ensuing announcement, which was actually a change in call letters to KSXE to match the Sexy moniker.[33]
WLYK in Cape Vincent, New York (serving Kingston, Ontario) pulled a similar stunt when it transitioned to new operators in February 2023, replacing its outgoing Kiss CHR format with "The Pole" (a pun of the name of one of the station's new owners, Jon Pole)—a variety format which played music that one would hear at a strip club.[34] The stunt notably attracted the attention of an actual strip club in Kingston.[35] The station emerged as adult hits Lake FM on March 17, 2023.[36]
In May 2009, WSKS in Utica, New York, announced that due to "financial constraints", its contemporary hit radio (CHR) format would be replaced by a beautiful music format similar to what was broadcast on sister station WUTQ. The ensuing programming included staged scenes of station employees protesting the changes. The "new format," however, lasted for only two hours before WSKS management came clean, restored the CHR format, and confirmed the stunt was a way to promote the station's new lineup.[37]
As a publicity stunt for the program by local broadcaster Global, Toronto radio station CIRR-FM (which usually broadcasts a CHR format targeting the LGBT community) temporarily rebranded as Glee FM on April 12, 2010, adding music from the U.S. musical comedy-drama series Glee to its playlist.[38] On August 16, 2010, British radio station Oxford's FM 107.9 held its own Glee FM stunt, leading into its August 18 relaunch as Glide FM.[39]
Over Memorial Day weekend in 2010, WJZX-FM/Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stunted as Tiger 106.9, featuring songs about cheating (in reference to an infidelity scandal involving golfer Tiger Woods). The station was expected to change to a top 40 format with the new call letters WNQW—with the new calls suggesting that its branding would involve the name "Now". However, competing station WQBW abruptly moved to introduce the same format and branding as 97.3 Now, preventing WJZX from using the name.[40] The station continued airing temporary formats (such as patriotic music and The Beatles' discography in alphabetical order), before settling on a permanent format in June 2010, as classic country station WZBK-FM (the station eventually adopted a rhythmic top 40 format in September 2012 as Energy 106.9).[41][42]
In 2011, WWWN/Chicago and WEMP/New York—which had recently been sold to Merlin Media—transitioned from alternative rock to all-news radio as FM News. As a transitional format, both stations aired a format branded as FM New, which featured adult contemporary music interspersed with news, traffic, and weather updates from personalities who would serve under the new FM News formats.[43]
Some stations have held temporary stunts focused on specific artists in honor of major concert tours making stops in their markets, with KSON in San Diego briefly rebranding as The All-New George-FM in January 2014 ahead of the January 31 date on George Strait's farewell tour The Cowboy Rides Away (promoting an increased amount of George Strait music, and on-air giveaways of merchandise and concert tickets), and San Francisco's KBAY announcing that it would temporarily rebrand as Tay Bay and play all-Taylor Swift music on July 28 and 29, 2023, in honor of The Eras Tour.[44][45][46]
On October 8, 2014, KROI/Houston ended its all-news format and began stunting as B92, playing only music by Houston-native Beyoncé. The stunt led into its relaunch as classic hip-hop Boom 92.[47]
KEGY/San Diego used an unbranded mainstream rock format as part of its transition from CHR to a new hot talk-oriented format in 2018. The stunt's playlist featured Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" at the top of each hour, which teased its eventual branding as The Machine.[48][49]
Multiple stations in the United States and Canada have stunted with Chinese music under the branding "Kung Pao", such as KDOG (which led into a flip to classic hits), WVHT (which led into its re-launch as CHR Hot 100),[50][51] and CIGM (which led into its re-launch as CHR Hot 93.5).[52]
In connection with former president Donald Trump's presidency and both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections in the United States, multiple radio stations have stunted with songs directly related to both his presidency and campaigns under either both Donald and Trump brandings, such as WVWF (when it briefly stunted as Trump 105.1 and played songs that aimed directly to his campaign such as Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall"—in referenced to his border wall—in September 2016),[53] and Hartford conservative talk station WDRC (which temporarily rebranded as Trump 103.3 to promote its new FM translator W277DT, before returning to its normal "Talk of Connecticut" branding).[54][55]
In July 2021, Denver CHR station KPTT briefly aired all-Britney Spears music as Free Britney Radio (in reference to the Britney Spears conservatorship dispute) before re-launching its format as Hits 95.7.[56]
in September 2024, KMZT-AM dropped its Classical format and began stunting with an all-Taylor Swift format until September 27, switching to a loop of Alan Jackson’s Gone Country. The loop lasted until noon on October 1st, when the station launched a Classic Country format as KKGO-AM, branded as “Go Country Gold 1260 AM”[57][58] Write a blog post where a Quahog station KAER-AM had 3 stunts, one was a 1 day announcement saying it was no longer a sports-talk radio station “We have some news to share today about changes to our programming KAER 1040 AM will no longer be a sports talk radio station,”

“It was a difficult decision, but the realities of the quickly evolving broadcast media landscape in the US have made this change unavoidable.” “We want to thank our on-air personalities, advertising partners and sponsors, and everyone who has contributed to this station,” “But especially we want to thank our listeners. Our work here at 1040 was driven by our passion to bring you the very best sports, news and discussion. We sincerely appreciate the time you have spent with us.”

“Thank you again for your loyalty over the years.” This was interspersed with music by Welsh music collective Acid Casuals, The second stunt was a audio loop of KikoRiki episodes, which ran for 2 weeks before the final stunt was construction noises, leading into it's relaunch as Throwback 1040