Changes are in the air for WILD, Hot 97’s listeners

Yawu Miller

For years WILD listeners have complained about the limitations of the station’s AM license, which required that it cease broadcasting at sundown.

In the latest of a series of changes to the station that began when the black-owned Radio One network purchased the station in 2000, WILD has now merged with Radio One’s WBOT to form a new entity — WILD FM.

Listeners who were accustomed to the hip hop-heavy format on Hot 97.7 will now share the airwaves with the classic soul format that has been WILD’s mainstay for decades.

“It’s the best of WILD and the best of Hot 97 combined into one,” said Alfredo Fonseca, director of marketing for the station. “People will still hear the same music they heard on Hot 97, only not as much.”

Meanwhile, listeners who tune their dial to 1090 AM will hear 1090 Praise, WILD’s all-gospel station. The 1090 station will continue to air Nation of Islam Minister Don Muhammad’s weekly broadcast on Sunday, but the fate of the talk show Say it Loud has not yet been decided, according to Fonseca.

Another change affecting the 97.7 station is the signal. The station is now broadcasting from the Blue Hills, boosting the power of its signal in the Greater Boston area. The station formerly broadcasted from Abington, which beamed a weaker signal to Boston.

Reaction to the changes has been supportive, so far, according to Fonseca.

“We’re getting a good reaction so far,” he said. “We did some research. It came back that this is what the market was really looking for.”

Fonseca says the new mix will include classic acts like Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass as well as newer artists like Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Beanie Man and Usher.

The station is keeping the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, which occupies its 6 to 10 a.m. slot. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the station will play music with no deejay.

From 2 to 6 p.m., deejay Reggie Beas takes over. From 6 to 10 p.m., it’s deejay Chubby Cubb.

Core artists that can be heard on 1090 PRAISE include Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, The Williams Brothers and Dorothy Norwood.