Formerly known as Houston’s only all-news FM radio station, news junkies tuning into the Radio One owned 92.1 earlier this week discovered that the station has gone under; shocking fans and staff alike. In its place? All Beyonce, all day.
Per the News 92 website:
We’d like to thank the News 92 staff for their outstanding service, our advertisers and each of your our listeners and web visitors for your support. This difficult decision is a result of sustained poor ratings performance and significant financial losses over the past three years despite the substantial financial and human resources we invested. Unfortunately, the market hasn’t shown a sustainable appetite for news radio, but each of you motivated us daily to produce a high-quality news program. Together, we made history.
As Beyonce is a Houston native, while the change is being considered drastic to some, to others it’s just good business sense.
According to Yashima Azilove of Radio One, “She’s Queen Bee. In looking to make a transition, we go back to what we know. We know urban radio. We’re in Houston, the combination seemed like a winning one.”
Update: This station has since been relaunched as Radio One affiliate Boom 92.1 and now features a “Classic Hip Hop” only format.