KTSU Waves in New Era and Faces Off With Local Favorites
KTSU Radio announces The Vibe Weekend Takeover and the launch of its new Urban Alternative Station The Vibe, over Labor Day Weekend. The Vibe, which offers the latest in Hip-Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul, will take over programming of the 90.9FM dial from 9am, Friday, September 4th through 5am on Sunday, September 6th, 2020. The new, innovative Urban Alternative Radio Station is powered by KTSU 90.9FM Radio and will stream online 24 hours/day at www.vibehouston.com, via The Vibe mobile app and from 8PM to 5AM on the 90.9FM dial. The new format, which targets Millennials and the Generation Z demographic aged 18 to 44, will engage audiences through chart-topping music, innovative live and virtual performances and events, thoughtful programming, an urban news perspective and community outreach, beginning Saturday, September 5th from 11am-1pm with The Movement Continues Drive-Thru Voter Registration event, partnering with the NAACP Houston and the Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals.
“90.9FM KTSU Radio has dominated the public radio spectrum for nearly 50 years and plans to raise the bar by filling a void in the Houston market with not only chart-topping music, but rising local and national artists, live and virtual performances and events, thoughtful programming, community outreach and an urban news perspective,” said KTSU General Manager Ernest Walker. “Most importantly, The Vibe will carry on the KTSU legacy of empowering and providing opportunities for TSU students and alumni, all while serving the community.”
TSU Radio has pulled together an all-star team of professionals to ensure the Radio Station ’s success. Houston favorite and former host of 97.9 The Box’s Madd Hatta Morning Show, Madd Hatta joins KTSUs The Vibe as its new Content Director. His 30-year career in music and radio includes a 20-year run as Houston’s most popular morning show host.
He is joined by the newly appointed Marketing and Community Engagement Director Holly Charles, whose community outreach as publicist, author, playwright, speaker on the African Diaspora and social equality, and philanthropist will compliment Hatta’s decades of radio expertise and appeal as hometown hero.
Rounding out the expert team is proud TSU alum, multi-award-winning journalist and News and Digital Media Coordinator Nakia Cooper. Cooper’s edgy, no-nonsense approach to journalism will brand the Radio Station as ground zero for trending urban news in entertainment, sports, politics, social justice and more.
The Radio Station and the Urban Alternative public radio format were developed with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people. Paragon Media Strategies and CEO/Founder Mike Henry provide market research and serve as consultants for The Vibe.
“The Vibe becomes part of KTSU’s rich legacy of cultural contribution to Houston,” Walker said. “KTSU 90.9FM Radio was the first African American Radio Station to introduce Hip-Hop to Houston listeners, right here from the historic Black campus of Texas Southern University. How appropriate it is in 2020 for us to go back to the basics, reaching a new generation of listeners with not only Hip-Hop, R&B and Neo Soul, but with innovation and digital expansion. We’d like to publicly thank the Corporation For Public Broadcasting for grant provisions which allow us the opportunity to reach a younger and more diverse audience.”
For more information about programming and scheduling for The Vibe, visit www.vibehouston.com .
