Veteran sports columnist, television personality and radio host Rob Parker is teaming with three former athletes to launch “Sports Rap Radio” via an LMA of Audacy’s 1270 WXYT Detroit.
The Detroit News reports that the new brand, which will feature an all-Black host lineup, plans to launch in mid-May. Parker, who currently co-hosts Fox Sports Radio’s “The Odd Couple” with Chris Broussard, will also continue in that role with that program airing on WXYT from 7-10pm following 12 hours of local programming from 7am to 7pm.
Parker told the newspaper that his partners in the new station are former NBA player turned agent BJ Armstrong, and former collegiate athletes Dave Kenney and Maurice Ways. The station will operate out of the Audacy Detroit studios and continue to carry overflow play-by-play from “97.1 The Ticket” WXYT-FM, but have its owns sales team. WXYT currently airs programming from Audacy’s “Bet QL” Sports Betting network.
He said that the intent is to eventually evolve the brand into a network of stations in the top 20-25 black markets. In regards to the staff at launch he said, “It will be young people getting opportunities and former athletes, from Detroit or with ties to Detroit.”
Parker previously was a columnist for the Detroit Free-Press, Detroit News, and WDIV-TV and was the first host hired at 1130 WDFN when it launched its Sports format in 1994. He later co-hosted “Parker and the Man” with Mark Wilson on WDFN, WXYT-FM, and 1200 WCHB between 1998 and 2007 and again in 2014 and hosted a show at WEPN New York while working for ESPN’s First Take.
