Styles Media officially assumed control of KZAB/Los Angeles and simulcast partner KZBA/Riverside at noon Monday, flipping KZAB from Tropical to a hip-hop format that encompasses the genre’s 25-year history as “93.5 K-DAY.” A two-minute documentary featuring Rick Party, who has signed on as the station voice, kicked off the format. “This isn’t just a brand-new radio station,” Party said. “This is a living history of hip-hop.” The station’s inaugural hour featured songs from such artists as NWA, LL Cool J, 2PAC, DJ Quik, 50 Cent, Lil’ Flip and Snoop Doggy Dogg. “How many times can you get to do this?” Styles Media Managing Member Don McCoy told R&R. “There’s no market like this. My whole life has been a ‘get ready’ for this moment.” Styles Media Chief Programming Officer Anthony Acampora is overseeing the station’s launch. The original KDAY was one of the nation’s first stations to embrace hip-hop, airing at 1580 kHz from the early 1980s until its 1991 sign-off. KZBA is temporarily dark and that station’s new format is set to debut soon.
Props to Dutch of F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants for bringing it to my attentiona and props to DPGC 23 of the WCRydaz board for posting the article.
