By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, August 9, 2015
After some painful on-air budget cutting last week, Radio One - which operates R&B station Majic 107.5/97.5 and hip-hop station Hot 107.9 - shifted existing air talent around to fill some of the slots.
Majic quickly replaced Carol Blackmon in its mid-day slot with Maria More from Hot 107.9. The station management left evenings, which had been led by Rene Miller, jockless for now.
Over at Hot 107.9, weekend and overnight jock Reec took over More's mid-day place and Mz Shyneka now has Emperor Searcy's afternoon slot.
Both stations had seen softer ratings and lower revenues the past couple of years, necessitating staff trimming.
Searcy - the last surviving on-air member of the station going back to its earliest Hot 97.5 days - was let go last month after 20 years. Blackmon was at Majic for six years; Miller, for two. Collectively, the three jocks have collected more than a half century of on-air experience on radio in Atlanta.
More joined Hot in 2008, was cut, then returned in mid-days not long after. Mz Shyneka has been a mainstay at Hot since 1999, starting as an intern. She had a late-night shift for many years and did the entertainment news for Searcy. Reec is a relatively new presence on the station though I'm not sure how long he has been there.
UPDATE: As for comments from any of the talent of management? Radio One now has a corporate communications person Yashima Azilove who funnels all interview requests and has the right to deny them all. She knows how to use business speak like "leverage" and "maximize."
Here was her email to me today:
Thank you for your continued interest in Radio One-Atlanta. Your outlined talent changes are accurate. No interviews regarding these shifts will be granted at this time, as we continue to work through each day-part on our stations in an effort to leverage our talent and maximize our listenership.
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