Houston's New Radio station is “93.7 The Beat”

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment owned station KKRW has flipped to a Hip Hop format as "93.7 The Beat." Houston has only been serviced by one Hip Hop station for a few years, which is Radio One's 97.9 The Box. The Beat should provide some competition for The Box which has been mired in some controversy over the years. Namely the no airplay of  rapper Trae Tha Truth on The Box and the firing of DJ Brandi Garcia after she played a song of a banned artist at a non-station event. The station kicked off the new format with Beyonce & Jay-Z’s “Drunk In Love,” Destiny’s Child “Soldier,” and French Montana “Ain’t Worried About Nothin.”

The station's flip to Hip Hop has angered a few listeners of the former Classic Rock format, which is always the case; however in most cases the number of those angry folks are far exceeded by the number of people who were simply not listening. Despite that fact, Houston's ABC 13 has a news report [below] on the number of people who will miss out on the Classic Rock format.





Here is [audio] of 93.7 The Beat's format change that takes on 97.9 The Box


Here is the official release:
    Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Houston announced today the launch of a new radio station, 93.7 The Beat, H-Town's REAL Hip Hop and R&B, effective immediately.

    93.7 The Beat will feature music from today's biggest artists including Kanye West, Drake, Chris Brown, J.Cole, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Houston's own Beyonce and more. The Beat will give Houston listeners one of a kind access to up-close artist experiences, exclusive premieres, world-class on air personalities and opportunities to be part of bigger than life events and promotions.

    "93.7 The Beat is ready to write a new chapter in Houston radio history. We're defining what real hip hop and R&B is," said Eddie Martiny, President and Market Manager, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, Houston. "Many of the biggest stars in this format live in Houston, so to move the station in this direction was a natural choice. In addition, The Beat format will perfectly complement the five other radio stations in our cluster by making us more attractive and diverse to our advertising community."

    Fans can listen to 93.7 The Beat, via the station's website, www.937thebeathouston.com, as well as on iHeartRadio, Clear Channel's all-in-one digital radio service. Follow them on Twitter: @937thebeat