Texas Southern University’s 90.9 KTSU Houston has announced it will launch a new digital sub-channel “The Vibe” featuring a mix of Hip Hop, R&B and NeoSoul.
“The Vibe” comes courtesy of a Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant and becomes KTSU’s third brand following the 2019 launch of student-run “KTSU2 The Voice“.
The new brand will be led by longtime Houston personality Benjamin ‘Madd Hatta’ Thompson. Madd Hatta exited mornings at Radio One’s “97.9 The Box” KBXX at the start of this year. He had spent 27 years in the Houston market with runs in nights and as APD/MD at R&B “Majic 102.1” KMJQ and afternoon and mornings at KBXX. He will also continue to host his weekly syndicated The Madd Hatta’s Super Throwback Party, a podcast and a digital music channel.
Also joining KTSU for the new brand is former KIAH-TV Newsfix Content Manager Nakia Cooper as News and Digital Media Coordinator and Marketing and Community Engagement Director Holly Charles.
Texas Southern University’s Division of University Advancement is excited to announce the continued expansion of KTSU 90.9 FM with a new digital station. The Vibe will be the digital and innovative Urban Alternative station, powered by KTSU. The new format will appeal to Millennials and the Generation Z demographic, offering the latest in Hip Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul on the FM dial and through 24-hour online streaming. The Vibe is set to begin broadcasting and streaming this fall.
The non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting awarded KTSU the grant to start The Vibe in the Houston market after the ratings success and growth of KTSU 90.9 FM, which is one of the top 25 public radio stations in the country and #1 public radio station in the country with African American listenership audience. The Choice, known for its format of jazz, blues, oldies and gospel, has always championed other formats, which makes The Vibe a timely fit.
“KTSU 90.9 FM Radio was the first African American station to introduce hip hop to Houston listeners right here on the historic campus of Texas Southern University. How appropriate is it for us to extend our reach in 2020 by going back to the basics by reaching a new generation of listeners,” said Ernest Walker, KTSU General Manager.
KTSU Radio pulls out all the stops by selecting an all-star team of professionals to ensure the station’s success. Madd Hatta, a Houston radio legend and former host of 97.9 The Box Madd Hatta Morning Show, joins KTSU The Vibe as its new Content Director, bringing decades of radio expertise and appeal as hometown hero. He is joined by Marketing and Community Engagement Director Holly Charles and News and Digital Media Coordinator Nakia Cooper, a TSU alumna with more than a decade of experience as a Houston television newsroom leader.
“The Vibe is yet another platform created at Texas Southern University to celebrate and showcase amazing talent while hiring our alumni and the best of Houston. It all began with The Choice, our legendary station. We recently added KTSU 2 The Voice, our student operated digital operation, and now we are proud to welcome The Vibe. This third outlet will provide even more internship and career opportunities for our students,” said Melinda Spaulding, Vice President for University Advancement.
KTSU Radio, 90.9 has had a presence on the public radio spectrum for nearly 50 years and plans to raise its profile by filling a void in the Houston market with not only chart-topping music, but rising local and national artists, live and virtual performances and events, thoughtful programming, community outreach and an urban news perspective.
Details concerning information about programming and scheduling for The Vibe will be available on http://www.ktsuradio.com.
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Following a 20 year run as the host of the Madd Hatta Morning Show, broadcast veteran The Madd Hatta (né Benjamin Thompson) has fulfilled his contractual obligations to Radio One’s 97.9 The Box (KBXX-FM, Houston) and will now advise the programming team at Houston’s KTSU-FM on the campus of noted HBCU Texas Southern University. While his service to the station as Content Manager will take priority professionally, the Texas Radio Hall of Famer’s work on recording projects and the expansion of his branded content assets will continue.
The Madd Hatta began his broadcast career in college radio on WNAA-FM, on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC. “College radio gave me my start, “Hatta recalls, “and I’m looking forward to giving something back. I know this market, I know its music and I know this school. TSU is a great fit for where I am right now and where the University’s broadcast program is going.”
Hatta is the founder and CEO of Paid in Full Entertainment, a record label whose productions have included work from Paul Wall, Chamillionaire and 50/50 Twin, as well as performances by Hatta himself as “Mista Madd”. Details of his new project for Paid in Full are expected on September 1, 2020.
Short form and long form programming created and curated by The Madd Hatta will include The Madd Hatta Show Podcast/YouTube, a digital music channel, and The Madd Hatta’s Super Throwback Party, a weekly syndicated program launched in 2011 and now heard on terrestrial signals in Texas and Louisiana.
“There will always be an audience for great content regardless of how it reaches people,” observes Hatta. “And I believe there will always be great music, good people and important issues that deserve the public’s attention. That’s what I’m going to deliver, just like I always have. People will just be hearing me and my music on some new platforms, while I help build a great radio product at KTSU. And sleep in a little later. “
