For our full report on Hot 97—and what laid-off workers have to say about it—go here.
New York's Hot 97 has long been one of the most important hip-hop radio stations in the U.S., breaking new artists, influencing trends, and unleashing career-defining freestyles from artists like Black Thought and Dipset, as well as hosting annual Summer Jams that have made hip-hop history. (See: Jay Z vs. Nas and Mobb Deep.)
The decline of terrestrial radio and the rise of streaming music have somewhat weakened the station's platform, but it's still an important institution to the culture of New York, even as the most recent Nielsen ratings show it with a slightly lower share than Power 105. The station had lately seemed like it was making positive moves to appeal to a younger generation, including tapping Bronx icon The Kid Mero to host its vaunted morning show after the ouster of some older, well known personalities like Ebro, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez last year. A February press release from the station's owner, MediaCo, touted Mero in the Morning's rise to the third-most-popular morning show among adults aged 18-54.
But recent statements by current and former Hot 97 workers, including Mero, convey that all may not be well at the station.