Good Karma Brands has announced it will launch Black Talk “101.7 The Truth” 1510 WRRD Waukesha/101.7 W269DL Milwaukee WI later this year.

While no programming information has been released, the company states the brand will “feature local shows with authentic conversations about news and current events, a celebration of Black culture, information created by and for the Black community with an emphasis on empowerment, family, faith and community.”

Cherie Harris, who previously has worked as an Account Executive for WKKV, Radio Disney and WITI-TV in Milwaukee, has joined the company as General Manager of the new station. Kyle Wallace will serve as Operations Manager. Currently an admissions counselor at Marquette University, Wallace has served as a part-time producer at Good Karma’s “ESPN Milwaukee” 94.5 WKTI since 2016.

Good Karma began operating WRRD/W269DL at the start of September following the folding of Mike Crute’s Liberal Talk “Talk 101.7” with the station currently simulcasting the national ESPN Radio lineup off of 540 WAUK Jackson WI. Crute’s New WRRD LLC applied last month to eliminate two of the three towers used by the AM while dropping power from 23kW day/20kW critical hours down to 250 watts day. The move is being done to allow the station to sell off five acres of its land including the two towers to be decommissioned to be sold.

Good Karma Brands is excited to announce the launch of 101.7 The Truth, a local radio home for Milwaukee’s Black community. 101.7 The Truth, which will launch in 2020, will feature local shows with authentic conversations about news and current events, a celebration of Black culture, information created by and for the Black community with an emphasis on empowerment, family, faith and community.

Craig Karmazin, Good Karma Brands founder and CEO said: “At Good Karma Brands, we believe every voice matters – but as the events of this past year unfolded, we realized there were underrepresented voices that had so much to say and needed to be heard. We believe there is a unique opportunity for us in Milwaukee to launch a station that can make a real impact across the city, and within our company. I’m excited to see how the station grows and evolves and look forward to meeting the strong demand for compelling and targeted content for Milwaukee’s Black community.”

“As a locally owned media company, we are proud to serve our local communities – to inform and entertain our listeners, support our advertising partners, and employ teammates,” said Steve Wexler, vice president and market manager, Good Karma Brands Milwaukee. “With the launch of 101.7 The Truth, we are making good on our promise to serve our community in a deeper and more meaningful way, and to specifically serve our Black neighbors and friends who make up nearly 40% of Milwaukee’s population. I’m thrilled to launch this station with our talented hometown team.”

Good Karma Brands welcomes two leaders to manage the station’s inception and growth: Cherie Harris, who will be 101.7 The Truth’s General Manager, and Kyle Wallace who will serve as Operations Manager.

“I am thrilled to join Good Karma Brands and build a new home for Milwaukee that has been sorely missing. We are going to put together a meeting place – a place for honest and real debate, as well as welcoming conversation, and a place for celebration and connection within the Black community,” said Harris. Harris is a veteran of Milwaukee radio and television, as an account manager at WKKV-FM (V-100), Radio Disney and WITI-TV (FOX6). She has a Master’s in Business and Administration from Cardinal Stritch University and a degree in Communications and Broadcast Journalism from UW-Whitewater.

Kyle Wallace joins 101.7 The Truth as Operations Manager from Marquette University, where he was an admissions counselor. Wallace has been with the Good Karma Brands family in a part time capacity since 2016. He has an undergraduate degree in Communication from UW- Whitewater and a Master of Arts in Sports Management from Central Michigan University.

“We have already started the search for the voices that will make 101.7 The Truth a destination for the stories and experiences that are relevant to the Black community,” Wallace said. “We have the resources to make sure that our new station really is a local marketplace for ideas and commerce. This isn’t a nationally-syndicated project, it’s home-grown.”

101.7 The Truth is recruiting now for several positions, including talk hosts, producers, news reporters, as well as sales and marketing coordinators. Career descriptions can be found at: http://www.goodkarmabrands.com/careers.

101.7 The Truth is operated by Good Karma Brands, the locally-owned media and marketing company that also owns Newsradio 620 WTMJ, 94.5 ESPN and 540 ESPN.