Alpha Wins Throwback Custody Battle

A lot can happen in this business in the space of ten days — on April 13, Alpha Media announced James Steele as new PD of Alternative 103.3 The APP (KTFM-HD2)/San Antonio. Steele was scheduled to transfer to the Alamo City from the APD/afternoon drive/Imaging post at Top 40 sister WXYK (107.1 The Monkey)/Biloxi, MS. However… yesterday we received word that Steele is now staying put in Biloxi… and here’s why: The normally stable San Antonio market was rocked last week with two major format flips that were a) incredibly similar, and b) spaced uncomfortably close together — last Wednesday, iHeartMedia flipped KZEP from Rhythmic to Spanish Top 40 as 104.5 Latino Hits; shortly thereafter, Univision dropped Classic Hip Hop on KMYO and launched a similarly targeted Spanish hits station, 95.1 Latino Mix. With the Classic Hip Hop hole suddenly available, the powers-that-be at Alpha Media made the decision to quickly to fill it before someone else did, and on Friday flipped The APP to the company’s “G”-branded Classic Hip Hop format as G103.3, San Antonio’s Throwback Station.

Alpha Media VP of Programming Phil Becker commented, “As the other San Antonio operators show their lack of commitment to Classic Hip Hop, Alpha Media sees this as an opportunity to super-serve those who truly love the format.” The New G103.3 will be under the command of Pat “DJ Grooves” Cerullo, who also programs Rhythmic KTFM (Energy 94.1) and Adult Hits KJXK (102.7 Jack FM). Cerullo remarked, “As someone who grew up as a P1 to this format, it was a no-brainer to make the switch to Classic Hip Hop when the opportunity presented itself last week. Our team at Alpha Media executed a flawless launch that went from an idea to a reality in less than 24 hours. I’m thrilled to be overseeing the brand and helping to position our cluster for continued strategic growth.”