Lack of variety in Houston Urban Radio

[DaTrain]

Houston is one of the top 10 radio markets but unlike most other radio markets, we have one hip hop/RnB station (which is watered down anyway) and one R&B/Classic Soul station. It is not fair that other radio markets like Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Detroit have at least two hip hop stations and two RnB/classic soul stations and one gospel station in some cases. On a local scale, it is not fair that we're limited to only three Black radio stations - like most cities we should at least have four or five. Not to mention 97.9 has a two hour playlist loop or less and unfairly banned Trae due to that situation with Radio One, which is wrong. 102 got rid of their Sunday Classic Soul program, now it went from a traditional R&B/Classic Soul station to a corporate average station as a result. I know we had Power 97.5, 98.5 Kiss and the other hip hop stations that had potential to stay around like Hot 97.1 or Party 104.9/93.3. It's funny how the city has 3 country/western stations, 10 Mexican stations and 5 Rock stations.

I'm no fan of today's watered down hip POP but it would be nice to fill the void. 97.9 and 102 can use some "middle ground" competition with a urban station that plays current RnB, Neosoul and the stuff neither station hardly plays: stuff from the 1980s and 1990s (97.9 plays 2000-present while 102 plays 1960's, 1970 and very few 80's and 90's tracks), like old school hip hop in its golden age, more underground H-town artists (97.9 lost its luster in this) and lots of 1990s era RnB music - it would be nice to hear some New Jack Swing RnB on Houston radio a lil more since Power 97.5 has been gone for years now.

Examples of other markets:

Atlanta - WVEE, WHTA (hip hop/RnB), WALR, WAMJ (RnB/soul)

Washington DC - WKYS, WPGC (hip hop RnB) / WMMJ, WHUR (RnB soul)

San Francisco/Oakland - KMEL, KYLD (hip hop RnB) / KBLX, KISQ (RnB soul)

Chicago - WGCI, WBBM, WPWX (hip hop RnB) / WVAZ / WSRB (RnB soul)

Detroit - WJLB, WHTD (hip hop RnB) / WDMK, WMXD (RnB soul)

Dallas - KBFB, KKDA (hip hop RnB) / KSOC, KRNB (RnB soul)

Philadelphia - WUSL, WPHI (hip hop RnB) / WRNB, WDAS (RnB soul)

I know Blacks are not the only target audience for this but different strokes for different folks.

[citykid09]

I agree with you. I would like to see at least one new station very soon. Without competition 97.9 and 102.1 can suck as much as they want because there are no other stations to listen to. With no competition you will not get quality.

Lets have fun with a few scenarios:

Hot 95.7 flips to just Hip Hop & R&B and keeps its name.

or

101 the Beat

or

Power 104.1

[hbcu]

I agree totally....try doing business with them..lol

What has happened to Love 94? 98.5? Help me!!!

102 is generic or corporate R&B......they play the same damn songs over and over and over and over....on Friday's, they used to bring in a live DJ who would spin stuff they refuse to play but I think he's gone also...how many times can someone play Maxwell, Jenifer Hudson, etc. in a day?

Before 97.9, 102.1 was the station to listen to as they played all types before shifting rap to 97.9...102.1 still played a great variety of music before the corporate takeover and bland hosts

97.9? Don't even listen to it...

KCOH 1430 plays the best variety as they'll spin some tunes but it's an AM signal and won't play music until 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 5 a.m....but KCOH has been for sale forever so it could go any day..

[feufoma]

You still listen to land-based radio? Check out Sirius/ XM-it has multiple R&B/ Soul formats from which to choose. Commercial free... I think it's only $16 per month.

[JJVilla]

It's all about the benjamins...or audience at least.

Look at where almost all of those cities are located--all non-Southwestern states. Plus the access to XM, internet radio and interest in more Spanish music has shifted the taste of former listeners that had NO choice before. This true for me and many people I know in town. I agree that competition would be great and welcome.

[LTAWACS]

I wasnt aware people still listened to the radio in Houston... it;s all trash.

[Trae]

Yeah, Houston needs one more hip-hop/RnB station and another classic RnB station. Sad how a top ten market has horrible radio stations. 97.9 and 102.1 went into the crapper without competition. And when we had that Party 104.9 station (that then went to Party 93.3), they played a bunch of Reggaetone bullcrap because it was owned by Telemundo. What are the chances Houston gets more urban stations?

[DaTrain]

Yeah, Houston needs one more hip-hop/RnB station and another classic RnB station. Sad how a top ten market has horrible radio stations. 97.9 and 102.1 went into the crapper without competition. And when we had that Party 104.9 station (that then went to Party 93.3), they played a bunch of Reggaetone bullcrap because it was owned by Telemundo. What are the chances Houston gets more urban stations?

I'm confident Houston has a good chance of getting two more urban competitors. We do have a huge Black population to support those opportunities. Right now the music played is slanted toward the teenboppers/young adults and people who grew up in the Motown era. So that means folks who grew up on late 80s and 90s music in the Old School Hip Hop and New Jack Swing eras don't have a choice here (unless you're listening to noon lunch mixes or on Friday and Saturday nights).

I'm glad I'm not the only one on here who has issues with Majic 102. I know people here in town who only defend the station because 97.9 is worse off than 102 is. But even if 102 plays more than 97.9, they tend to limit their playlist to Luther, Anita, Marvin Gaye, Aretha or the Temptations. Plus I recently noticed from listening to online R&B Classic Soul stations in other cities that 102 MISSED OUT on new songs or otherwise start playing a new song two months late than the other cities. Laziness.

I mean look at Praise 92.1. They play contemporary gospel music but thankfully it has competition from two more gospel stations which are mostly on the AM dial like KYOK 1140 and KWWJ Gospel 1360. Both of those stations play traditional gospel.