RF23 - Black Radio Stations Dwindling.....

Blogger correction: I wanna correct the first few lines of this blog, I was told by a friend of mine of all the changes and the eventual sell of V100 aka The Beat. I then went to all access to get more information to form my opinion...Thanks for the correction, Kathy!


According to All Accesss and a friend telling me that V100 formerly known as "The Beat" was sold to become a rock station. I was a little taken back, surprised? maybe? but the truth of the matter is that the writing was on the wall, graffetti style for the past four or five years. The writing was placed by the ousting of comedian Steve Harvey. When Harvey was on the air competing strongly against KPWR's (Power 106) Big Boy. The station was ranked third and cornering a demographic of young, middle and old audiences that identified with Harvey. Harvey recognizing that he had that demographic and wanted to appease to all audiences by playing the type of music that satisfied the youngest of heart and bring back the memories of the older folks. KKBT disagreed and wanted to appease to the younger audiences forcing Harvey, in protest,to play music or raps that were degrading.

In an emotional ending for Harvey. They parted ways and this was the beginning of the end of KKBT.

Now to it's credit, KKBT tried to refill Harvey's spot with former Detroit Bad Boy, Chicago Bull and Los Angeles Laker, John Salley. It failed. Next, in an apparent "huh" moment, they picked up nationally syndicated Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden. As usual Joyner failed and Baisden managed to hold on to his afternoon spot until he heard through rumors that Radio One sold the L.A. market.

Now that the bottom has dropped for KKBT, it leaves Los Angeles with only three black urban radio stations: KJLH 102.3, KDAY (which in June, 2008 which will take the name The BEAT) and KPWR 105.9.

I guess Steve Harvey and Nephew Tommy got it right, when they triumphantly returned back to Los Angeles airwaves under Premiere Radio. They said that the K-D-A-Y meant:

K -ickin D-ey A-ss -Y-all

And that's what they did.



Chronicle The Beginning of the fall: 2005

I wrote this on Steve Harvey's last day on May 20, 2005:

Today a voice was silenced temporarily. A voice that everyone knows and when that voice was heard, brought laughter.

Realizing that most of us live in different parts of this great country. We, as black folk, have something and if not everything in common. When we bring up favorite comedians today..A list of maybe four or five names would come up. And the person on my list is Steve Harvey. You see right there, everyone just said "oh hell yeah, thats my boy!". The original member of the Kings of Comedy, host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, star of two good quality t.v. shows, "Me and the Boys" and the "Steve Harvey Show". One show depicting a single black man raising three sons. Hell it worked with Fred McMurray in "My Three Sons"..but the network, ABC, rejected the notion that a single black man could raise boys and the show was cancelled.

Next, on a lesser network, the WB, which has been accused of putting on black shows just to build it's (white viewer) base, Steve Harvey starred in his own show, named "The Steve Harvey Show" and Stevey Harvey's Big Time, a talent/variety show. This show depicting a talented musician going back to his old high school to teach and become a role model for his students. The show lasting longer than the first, then all of sudden it changed writers and ghetto stereo types rose out of it. And now this, here in Los Angeles, Steve held one of the most popular morning radio show spots for four and a half years. The key word being held, because now, this show is over.

When Steve Harvey first came on the radio waves here in Los Angeles, it started a wave of other radio stations to hire comedians to do radio shows. Sinbad and George Lopez for starters were hired and eventually cancelled. But Harvey being the third of four black morning radio shows hit home and became popular and I hate to say it, but it was Los Angeles..You either listened to one of the four radio shows, Big Boys neighborhood (Power 106), The Cliff and Janeane Morning Show (Hometeam, 102.3 KJLH), who ever was on 92.3 FM and Steve's show with his co-host Shirley Strawberry. I remember when he first signed on with his original co-hosts, it was billed the Steve Harvey Morning Show with the Angels and they were entertaining and most of all it was it was Steve Harvey being the man and the comedian he is. Then all of sudden, the show started to change, it was more hip hop music being played, then you heard less Steve and more music. The Angels were reduced to just an angel and the show started to suffer. And suffer it did. And despite the many changes the station managers and executives (Radio One) imposed on the show, Harvey stayed true and dug in. He didn't change himself. Why? because he couldn't. I believe that if he did, he wouldn't sleep at night nor style himself in the mirror, because of the man he is, would have turned into some sell out to himself and his fans.

Steve literally cared about the community, said Magic Johnson and those who called his final show today echoed the same sentiments and love. And it made me think to myself. Although I didn't agree with opinions or thought every joke was funny. I respected and showed respect to this man by listening to his final show. Hoping that his final show numbers blew away his competition. And by the way, his competition called and gave respect. So what does it say about a man, that went on despite it all. It shows strength and courage to be yourself, any damn way. It showed me and in the five hours he was on, that despite what people may think of me or my ideology. I'm going to follow the path, God is giving me. I'm going to keep my head up when I'm lambasted for my thoughts or my opinions. Because like Steve Harvey, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, being something or someone i'm not.