Ebro stepping down as Program Director of Hot 97 to focus on being on air personality

[Young/Nacho\Drawz]

Get rid of Angie, Flex and that token Spanish chick while you at it. Ebro crazy if he think he can have his little major/minor discussions anymore. Papoose gon' be like PD was the majors, you minor league now!

 

[TheYoungPolitician]

Oh and the next PD will probably be a white guy and the format will be more pop top 40..If nikkas think they gonna pick someone from the culture and this is a return to the glory days you might have it twisted...

This is probably the realest post so far.

If they do pick somebody that's of the culture, that would surprise me. I think HOT 97 will soon mirror its hyper-repetitive LA sister station POWER 106.

POWER 106 was so bad at one point in 2009 that people organized a protest rally outside of the radio station. The end result? Next year, YG "Toot It & Boot It" blew up along with E-40/Too Short "bytch" & Cali Swag District "Teach Me How To Dougie," all three records planted seeds for the sound of LA that's currently running the country. It took LA artists to become fed up with the only hip-hop station in the market (RIP 92.3 The Beat) for it to change. Kendrick, YG, ScHoolboy, Dom, Nipsey all had to fight to get airplay on POWER 106.

IMO artists like Bodega BAMZ, Troy Ave and Vado haven't really done shyt to get the airplay they currently get from HOT 97. Power 105.1 def ain't playing their records at the rate HOT is, because they know that would be bad for business. That's why Power does those "All NY Weekends" to appease nikkas...because Power & Clear Channel don't give a fukk for real. Do it on the weekends, and go back to playing what the rest of the country likes all week. HOT needs to do a better job of that and they'll be back on top. Radio stations used to envy HOT's playlist...not anymore.

What Ebro did was honorable at the very least. A guy from the West who made it at Hot 97, but just didn't have the heart to become a corporate snake who had to fire any one of his employees (that does come with the territory tho). He gets to keep a job at the station, presumably reverting back to Assistant Program Director (which he was for 5 years before becoming PD in 07) and still gets to do the morning show. You can tell he really likes Rosenberg, I think a lot of other PDs would've gave up on the ultra Hip-Hop white guy in the morning, but he brought him in so he's sticking by his guy. But his staff is wild old, and I'd hate to see HOT go down because it was too arrogant to change.

 

[Newark88]

And this what Flex doing, staying relevant outside the radio

Alert!!! FunkFlex Expo Coming Soon!!! Barber Battle,Sneakers,Gear,Technology And Music!!! For more info FunkFlexExpo@Gmail.Com

 

[kermit da hustla]

how is this a step backwards?

not a fan of ebro, but this is a good look for him. he gets more exposure, builds more fans, and continues to be a polarizing figure that generates controversy. becoming just a faceless and easily replaceable program director would have been a far worse move.

 

[Newark88]

This is probably the realest post so far.

If they do pick somebody that's of the culture, that would surprise me. I think HOT 97 will soon mirror its hyper-repetitive LA sister station POWER 106.

POWER 106 was so bad at one point in 2009 that people organized a protest rally outside of the radio station. The end result? Next year, YG "Toot It & Boot It" blew up along with E-40/Too Short "bytch" & Cali Swag District "Teach Me How To Dougie," all three records planted seeds for the sound of LA that's currently running the country. It took LA artists to become fed up with the only hip-hop station in the market (RIP 92.3 The Beat) for it to change. Kendrick, YG, ScHoolboy, Dom, Nipsey all had to fight to get airplay on POWER 106.

IMO artists like Bodega BAMZ, Troy Ave and Vado haven't really done shyt to get the airplay they currently get from HOT 97. Power 105.1 def ain't playing their records at the rate HOT is, because they know that would be bad for business. That's why Power does those "All NY Weekends" to appease nikkas...because Power & Clear Channel don't give a fukk for real. Do it on the weekends, and go back to playing what the rest of the country likes all week. HOT needs to do a better job of that and they'll be back on top. Radio stations used to envy HOT's playlist...not anymore.

What Ebro did was honorable at the very least. A guy from the West who made it at Hot 97, but just didn't have the heart to become a corporate snake who had to fire any one of his employees (that does come with the territory tho). He gets to keep a job at the station, presumably reverting back to Assistant Program Director (which he was for 5 years before becoming PD in 07) and still gets to do the morning show. You can tell he really likes Rosenberg, I think a lot of other PDs would've gave up on the ultra Hip-Hop white guy in the morning, but he brought him in so he's sticking by his guy. But his staff is wild old, and I'd hate to see HOT go down because it was too arrogant to change.

Ebro is loyal. I'll give him that. But his strongest attribute (loyalty to his team) can also be his weakest. Because if you notice, Hot 97 barely gets rid of any on air staff (with the exception of Kay Foxx). And Power 105.1 doesn't give a fukk about Hip Hop. Them being slick and tweaking their playlist to appease the R&B female demographic really hurt the market. NY radio is fukked!

 

[ucanthandlethetruth]

perfect admin coup setup for ebro to get the axe.
plus, get humiliated beyond repair.
duke talks all that corporate bullshyt.
yet, he is definitely in a position anyone with corporate know how knows is a setup for failure.
they gonna k fox, his ass.


art barr

And its gonna be beautiful to watch

 

[TheYoungPolitician]

how is this a step backwards?

not a fan of ebro, but this is a good look for him. he gets more exposure, builds more fans, and continues to be a polarizing figure that generates controversy. becoming just a faceless and easily replaceable program director would have been a far worse move.

I think that's how he views it. He's been in programming for 12 years at Hot and he was the first HNIC ever at the station (which makes me think they aren't looking for a black/latino person to be the next PD). He was on air in the previous markets he worked in, including mornings in Portland, OR. But that's Portland, and this is NYC. He was a co-host on Hot's morning show back in the mid-00's Smackfest era (aka the post-Star days), but now he's at the helm of a morning show that actually beats The Breakfast Club in the ratings routinely. He's done all the behind-the-scenes work he can do, and if he's ever gonna become a star, the time is now.

Ebro is loyal. I'll give him that. But his strongest attribute (loyalty to his team) can also be his weakest. Because if you notice, Hot 97 barely gets rid of any on air staff (with the exception of Kay Foxx). And Power 105.1 doesn't give a fukk about Hip Hop. Them being slick and tweaking their playlist to appease the R&B female demographic really hurt the market. NY radio is fukked!

I agree here too. Believe it or not, the station that could've saved all of this from happening was 98.7 Kiss FM.

Initially, the plan was to move Angie & Flex over to Kiss FM in an attempt to create a format that's a bridge between the Hot 97 listener and the WBLS listener--someone who doesn't care about a Troy Ave or BAMZ, but doesn't wanna hear Stevie Wonder, Luther and Ledisi all damn day. The format, called Rhythmic Adult Contemporary, currently is working in Boston & Seattle and coincidentally, woke up the Clear Channel "Hits & Hip Hop" stations in both cities and made them play more Rap. Here's what an average hour looks like:


9:03 PM T.I. Dead And Gone f/J. Timberlake
9:06 PM FLO RIDA Good Feeling
9:11 PM MARY J. BLIGE Real Love
9:19 PM PHARRELL WILLIAMS Happy
9:22 PM EMINEM The Real Slim Shady
9:29 PM RIHANNA Pour It Up
9:32 PM JAY-Z/JA RULE/AMIL Can I Get A...
9:35 PM KANYE WEST Gold Digger f/Jamie Foxx
9:40 PM JAGGED EDGE/NELLY Where The Party At?
9:44 PM PITBULL Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
9:48 PM PUFF DADDY/EVANS/112 I'll Be Missing You
9:52 PM 50 CENT Candy Shop

That's Angie & Flex's generation right there, and that version of Kiss FM would've shook New York up. That can't happen obviously because ESPN now runs 98.7 (Emmis still owns it, Disney pays them to use the frequency).

Now WBLS is one of the top five radio station in all of New York (up there with Z100, WCBS, etc)...why would they risk losing listeners to bring in Angie & Flex? Those two are pretty much stuck at Hot.

 

[PRVLG Sound Studios]

This is good news.
For anyone in NY,doing business in the industry..you'd know Ebro blocked and fukked over a lot of people from airplay in NY.
He's a big part of NY radio sounding Like southern radio. He continued the Payola radio scam until the station got investigated.
For many years, especially in the early 2000's that station was raping album budgets and the pockets of mixtape rappers wanting to come up. Ask Big Fendi,Whoo Kid,Green Lantern,Flex,and even Dj khaled.
Good Riddance.

 

[ltheghost]

Damn to go from the Boss to the worker.....damn..

 

[Newark88]

I think that's how he views it. He's been in programming for 12 years at Hot and he was the first HNIC ever at the station (which makes me think they aren't looking for a black/latino person to be the next PD). He was on air in the previous markets he worked in, including mornings in Portland, OR. But that's Portland, and this is NYC. He was a co-host on Hot's morning show back in the mid-00's Smackfest era (aka the post-Star days), but now he's at the helm of a morning show that actually beats The Breakfast Club in the ratings routinely. He's done all the behind-the-scenes work he can do, and if he's ever gonna become a star, the time is now.



I agree here too. Believe it or not, the station that could've saved all of this from happening was 98.7 Kiss FM.

Initially, the plan was to move Angie & Flex over to Kiss FM in an attempt to create a format that's a bridge between the Hot 97 listener and the WBLS listener--someone who doesn't care about a Troy Ave or BAMZ, but doesn't wanna hear Stevie Wonder, Luther and Ledisi all damn day. The format, called Rhythmic Adult Contemporary, currently is working in Boston & Seattle and coincidentally, woke up the Clear Channel "Hits & Hip Hop" stations in both cities and made them play more Rap. Here's what an average hour looks like:


9:03 PM T.I. Dead And Gone f/J. Timberlake
9:06 PM FLO RIDA Good Feeling
9:11 PM MARY J. BLIGE Real Love
9:19 PM PHARRELL WILLIAMS Happy
9:22 PM EMINEM The Real Slim Shady
9:29 PM RIHANNA Pour It Up
9:32 PM JAY-Z/JA RULE/AMIL Can I Get A...
9:35 PM KANYE WEST Gold Digger f/Jamie Foxx
9:40 PM JAGGED EDGE/NELLY Where The Party At?
9:44 PM PITBULL Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
9:48 PM PUFF DADDY/EVANS/112 I'll Be Missing You
9:52 PM 50 CENT Candy Shop

That's Angie & Flex's generation right there, and that version of Kiss FM would've shook New York up. That can't happen obviously because ESPN now runs 98.7 (Emmis still owns it, Disney pays them to use the frequency).

Now WBLS is one of the top five radio station in all of New York (up there with Z100, WCBS, etc)...why would they risk losing listeners to bring in Angie & Flex? Those two are pretty much stuck at Hot.

Elaborate to the people on this form about Hot 97 Morning show beating the Breakfast Club in the ratings because the perception is seemed otherwise. Plus it's funny that you mention Flex and Angie were originally gonna go to Kiss because my cousin (who DJ's) was telling me the exact same thing back in like 06/07. He told me back then that, that was the plan to bridge those two onto Kiss. But as you can see, that never matriculated.

 

[Zach Lowe]

His explanation is as believable as Lloyd Banks CD getting stolen during a 3 way and getting leaked on the internet. There's way more to the story and he's just saving face. Who would want to step down from that kind of money and control?

Sounds like Banks to me

 

[Still Benefited]

Thing is, Wendy Williams has fans. Ebro is a fukkboy nobody likes. And he alienated himself from NYC by playing "the bad guy". He 50'd himself

Exactly,who the fukk like Ebro?he might be able to troll people on the internet into clicking on videos of him sayin stupid shyt...but if he think he can troll us into watching a tv show with him on it just to hear him say dumb shyt he must be crazy...he suck on the morning show too,if we just want a nikka people hate why not have Lord Jamar be on there? At least he actually got a bunch of people who hate him AND he got people who actually like what he sayin and appreciate his knowledge and insight....I hate to salt drop on a bay nikka and say he should lose his job,but he from the bay aint he?he'll find another job

 

[tremonthustler1]

yeah, I know but La Mega and these other stations started making some real ratings noise during the reggaeton era, which was ridiculously popular and those stations switched their formats to accommodate. Before, it was heavy merengue/bachata/salsa. Then they (especially La Mega) tweaked their morning shows and spoke in Spanglish because a lot of Puerto Rican kids (and some Dominicans) don't read/write/speak Spanish as well as their parents because theyre Americanized as fukk and listen to alot of rap/R&B.

Spanish radio stations were eatin BEFORE reggaeton popped off.


93.1 Amor makes a killing off of playing old ass songs. It's like Hot97 eating off playing EPMD Crossover twice a day. Now there's more Spanish stations (due in part to the fact that Dominicans are NYC's biggest minority and in reality, Spanish speaking people still blast the radio like they never invented iPods. All it takes is commercial-free radio to have a party off the shyt they play alone.

 

[TheYoungPolitician]

Elaborate to the people on this form about Hot 97 Morning show beating the Breakfast Club in the ratings because the perception is seemed otherwise. Plus it's funny that you mention Flex and Angie were originally gonna go to Kiss because my cousin (who DJ's) was telling me the exact same thing back in like 06/07. He told me back then that, that was the plan to bridge those two onto Kiss. But as you can see, that never matriculated.

Yeah, I know it's shocking to some, but HOT 97's Morning Show usually beats The Breakfast Club in the key demographic (persons 18-34). The Breakfast Club hasn't billed themselves as New York's #1 Hip Hop Morning Show in quite some time--likely because they're nationally syndicated and since radio ratings & demo breakdowns aren't made available to the public, perception > reality.

I don't blame people, because The Breakfast Club is a better morning show than HOT's. HOT wins because it's New York-centric and the music mix is better. Taking Cipha out of the driver's seat and making him Morning Show Mixer was a smart move, albeit one of a long list of ideas lifted from its sister station POWER 106 (E-Man mixes every hour in Big Boy's Neighborhood). POWER actually flipped from Dance/Freestyle first in '93 and they (they being The Baka Boyz) created the slogan Where Hip Hop Lives that HOT 97 went on to make famous.

The HOT 97 issue isn't that hard to fix. Drop the NY records that obviously aren't going anywhere, promote the right NY records that are successful (I'll give Chinx credit, "Feelings" grew into a mild hit record), and drop the arrogance act. Flex's refusal to play big records from outside of NY without a NY rapper on it is foolish. Why does he think people wanna hear Chinx & French on Ty Dolla Sign's "Paranoid?" Or Troy Ave on "My nikka?" The days of needing a NYC rapper to hop on your out-of-the-region record to make it in NYC are long gone. It was damn near over when Asylum recruited Kiss to get on "Wipe Me Down" back in '07.

 

[Zach Lowe]

Get rid of Angie, Flex and that token Spanish chick while you at it.

These aren't the same?