12/13 UPDATE: Funkmaster Flex is taking over mornings at Hot 97 – at least for now. Radio Ink has the details.
Major changes appear to be underway in New York City radio, as two of its biggest Hip-Hop morning shows have gone silent. It started at MediaCo’s Hot 97 (WQHT), with the apparent end of Ebro in the Morning and quietly spread to a competing station before the day’s end.
On Friday, Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenberg each confirmed that their morning show, a fixture of WQHT since 2012, has ended in its current form. All references to Ebro in the Morning were quickly removed from Hot 97’s website, and Ebro posted a heated explanation on social media, implying that he was let go by MediaCo at least in part for his political beliefs, and telling people to follow Ebro in the Morning on YouTube for the show’s next chapter.
That animosity appears to be shared amongst the former co-hosts. At the end of a lengthy post on Instagram, Rosenberg wrote, “And to the people who used to be at Hot and the few that remain who truly care about the brand and the culture – I hope I mostly made you proud.” When Rosenberg joined the station, it was owned by Emmis Communications. WQHT was sold to MediaCo in 2019.
Adding to the intrigue, Audacy-owned rival 94.7 The Block (WXBK) quietly removed morning host Miss Jones and evening personality Ed Lover from the station’s website later in the day. Jones had previously done mornings on Hot 97 with Star & Buc Wild and later, DJ Envy.
Friday’s announcements are the latest in a string of high-profile schedule changes at Hot 97 this year. In September, the station confirmed a new weekday lineup that shifted Funkmaster Flex to a new timeslot and removed DJ Enuff from the weekday roster. Flex himself had fueled confusion weeks earlier with a social media post implying retirement, a post later clarified by MediaCo as a little promotional misdirection for the schedule refresh.
