It's every Beyoncé fan's dream: Bey-day, all day, 24-7. So if you're in the broadcasting area of Houston's KROI 92.1 FM, you may want to tune in. The struggling Houston radio station ceased news operations, and the station's 47 employees are now jobless. But the station is airing Beyoncé's music 24-7 until it switches to its new, unannounced format.
Yashima Azilove, vice president of corporate communications for Radio One, said that poor Nielsen Audio and Arbitron ratings were the reason for the shutdown. "We set out three years ago to make history," Azilove said. "There was a void in the marketplace, so we launched the first FM all-news station in the market. We invested significant dollars, as well as human capital, to make it work, but after three years, the marketplace has spoken. We have had continued poor ratings and significant financial losses. It was an unfortunate but necessary decision to transition our format."
What better artist to play all day than Houston-bred Beyoncé? But how long will it last? Azilove didn't give a timeline. She simply said, "Stay tuned."