MONTCLAIR, VA. — It was once Oldies as “XTRA 104” and after that was “Z104” in an era of the Spice Girls and TLC. Now, WPRS-FM has entered a new era for the National Capital Region by adopting a Tropical presentation, with reggaetón and bachata beats debuting Thursday as Urban One shifted its Black Gospel “Praise” format to an FM translator and far-suburban Class A FM.
The change puts “Praise” on 95.9 MHz in the immediate Washington, D.C., listening area; Urban One sibling WWIN-FM serves the adjacent Baltimore market, making listening in Howard County and parts of Prince George’s County difficult. That’s where WDCJ-FM 92.7 in Charles County, Md., could help, although the onetime home of the market’s NFL team cannot be heard inside the Beltway.
In place of “Praise” on 104.1 MHz, licensed to Waldorf, Md., is a Tropical format that Streamline Publishing has confirmed will be led by Pedro Biaggi. He is the veteran Hispanic radio personality who first arrived in Washington for mornings at WLZL “El Zol” in 2005 and departed 11 years later. That led to a five-year stint with the Univision affiliate in Washington, D.C., before joining Costa Media and the operation led by José Villafañe.
Speaking with Streamline Publishing, Villafañe confirmed that Biaggi has been released from his contract, allowing him to join Urban One. This signals that the company headquartered in the National Capital Region will be committing to a Spanish-language presentation in its home market — a major statement for a company known for superserving African American consumers.
WPRS will compete directly against Audacy’s WLZL for fans of artists including Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Prince Royce. For Costa Media, its “Qué Onnda” brand at 87.7 MHz is now regional Mexican, filling a void left by the recent end of “La Mera Mera” in the market by Hubbard Radio.
— With additional reporting by Carl Marcucci
