Cumulus’ “Radio 103.9” debuts with new team in NYC

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WFAS-1Cumulus announced the new team that debuted this week with the new WNBM-FM, “Radio 103.9”, featuring New York’s best mix of R&B with an urban adult format. Radio 103.9 PD Ken Johnson is joined by APD/Music Director Raphael George, with Ghost as Creative Services Director and Aliya Faust as Web and Social Content Coordinator.


Radio 103.9 local on-air personalities include Sharon “La Loca” Montero, whose midday show, “La Loca” airs from 10:00a.m. until 3:00p.m. weekdays, and Marc Clarke, whose nighttime show, “Hangin’ Downtown” airs from 7:00p.m. until midnight weekdays. “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” kicks off Radio 103.9 mornings from 6:00a.m. until 10:00a.m., and “The D.L. Hughley Show” follows “La Loca” from 3:00p.m. until 7:00p.m. Both shows are part of the Cumulus partnership with Reach Media.

Ken Johnson

Ken Johnson

The launch of Radio 103.9 extends the station’s signal to reach listeners across the New York metropolitan area, including 80% of the region’s African American population. Radio 103.9 will include a heavy focus on community engagement, with the station’s on-air talent participating in local events and collaborating with leading community service organizations.

Johnson  is a 30-year radio programming professional who has programmed and consulted successful stations in markets including Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, NC. Johnson also served as Cumulus’ Vice President of Urban Programming. He previously served as Director of Urban Programming for ABC Radio Networks; Director of Urban Programming, Clear Channel-Philadelphia; and Operations Manager, Music Formats, Cumulus Birmingham, AL.

Raphael George
Raphael George

George has years of music research experience and previously served as Assistant Program Director at Radio One’s WPHI in Philadelphia. He started his radio career at WHUR Washington, DC, and has worked at stations including WILD in Boston and WYBC in New Haven. George was also Associate Director of Charts for Billboard and was Director of Sales for Nielsen BDS.

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost, Radio 103.9 Creative Services Director, is a veteran production and imaging professional who was most recently Multi-Format Imaging Director for Pat Garrett Creative Services. He also did multi-format radio imaging for Dr. Dave Ferguson/Loose Cannon Communications, and for his own company, Ghostimaging. Ghost has radio production experience across all major U.S. markets, and was Creative Services Director at WHUR in Washington, DC.

Aliya Faust
Aliya Faust

Aliya Faust, Radio 103.9 Web and Social Content Coordinator, was most recently Promotions/Digital Assistant for Radio One-Philadelphia stations WWPZ (Praise 103.9), WPHI (Hot 107.9) and WRNB (Old School 100.3). She is a journalist and editor whose work has been featured on VIBE.com and VibeVixen.com and in Kontrol magazine.

La Loca
La Loca

Sharon “La Loca” Montero, host of midday show “La Loca”, joins Radio 103.9 from Power 95.3 in Orlando. She is a Dominican-American personality who has worked with MTV, BET and CHR and Hip Hop stations including WFLZ/93.3 and WBTP/95.7 THE BEAT, in Tampa Bay, FL, and WJHM/102 Jamz in Daytona Beach/Orlando, FL. Most recently, La Loca was selected to appear on NBC’s Escape Routes. She was also tapped to host the Red Bull Thre3style Finals in Orlando, Florida.

Marc Clarke
Marc Clarke

Marc Clarke, host of nighttime show, “Hangin’ Downtown”, is a media fixture on both radio and television. Clarke is widely known for his three years hosting the top-rated “Hang Suite” on Howard University’s WHUR 96.3 in Washington, DC. Clarke was also host of the award-winning “Marc Clarke and the Big Phat Morning Show” on WERQ/92Q in Baltimore, and was morning show host for KMJM/Majic 108 in St. Louis.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Please remember not to duplicate the long talking and cackling like the Steve Harvey show. a lot of “us” want to up beat music, not just the slow music but up beat R&B and some hip hop. Just don’t fall into the typical R&B morning shows with nothing but talking & laughing. Everyone just turns to SIRRUS, other pay radio or CDs. Trust me… the station will fail if you try to duplicate WBLS. We liked the old WBLS before they changed the format and hosts. We all loved KISS and there was a good balance of talk and music. The morning was ok but again less laughing and cackling. Most of us are driving and commuting. When KISS music was piped into a business it was after the morning show….remember no one wants to hear all the laughing and “color” jokes etc….

  2. The station can be hardly heard in nyc as it is, that’s why wbls already has taken hourly jabs at this new station, plus it will sound like any other so called urban adult contemporary station, and that is simply the same 10 nationally charted songs, and classics repacked as the filler, what is quietly never talked about is the fact that black music is independent music always has been and still is, and today’s commercial radio will not allow for new independent music to be played, unless it’s fronted by a major label in some shape or form, and that has spelled doom for black music and the quality of it the last 20 years in the usa.

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