Cumulus has flipped CHR “I97.5” KSZR Oro Valley/Tucson to Classic Hip-Hop “97.5 The Vibe“.

The station becomes the fifth Cumulus station to launch the format joining stations in Atlanta, Erie, Indianapolis, and Memphis. The previous CHR format registered a 1.9 share in the Winter Phase 1 Nielsen Audio ratings, well behind iHeartMedia’s market leading 93.7 KRQQ‘s 9.5 share.

Cumulus Media announces that KSZR-FM in Tucson is now the newest Classic Hip Hop station, 97.5 The Vibe. The station, formerly programmed as Top 40, turned on the Classic Hip Hop format today at 12:00 p.m. Pacific. 97.5 The Vibe launched with wall-to-wall music and will play a unique mix of hit music from the biggest stars from the early days of Hip Hop. 97.5 The Vibe has a totally unique take on Hip Hop, giving Tucson Hip Hop fans big old school Hip Hop hits, mixed with some R&B “throwbacks” from the ‘80’s, ‘90’s and early 2000’s. The newly branded station also launched its new website, http://www.975thevibe.com today. Westwood One, the leading provider of 24-hour radio formats, syndicates the Classic Hip Hop programming for KSZR.

Ken Kowalcek, Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Tucson said: “We are excited to deliver Tucson’s Party Station. There is a passionate energy for this music, which defined an entire generation. No one else in Tucson is playing these songs, so this is a huge opportunity for us and fills a real need in the market.”