Boom 107.9 Is No More — Station Moves, Drops All-Classic Hip-Hop Format

The new Boom 103.9 has switched to the Urban Hot AC format — classic hip-hop and R&B is now limited to a few songs an hour.

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Almost two years ago, Boom 107.9 launched in Philadelphia. The station constantly told you it was playing “classic hip-hop and R&B” — and that’s what it gave you. It would play early rap songs from the 1980s, classic R&B/hip-hop jawns from the 1990s, and occasionally throw a newer track in there once in a while.

But in recent months, it’s changed a bit. Once I heard the version of “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard — which fits the format, but just barely. Newer songs seemed to sneak onto the dial more and more often.

Earlier this week, it officially changed. Boom 107.9 switched spots on the dial with Praise 103.9, the gospel station. And Boom 103.9 is now playing the Urban Hot AC format. It’s now a Power 99 clone. No more throwback hip-hop and R&B.

A representative from Radio One, which owns 103.9, did not return a request for comment. Boom 107.9 launched around 7 p.m. on November 6th, 2014. It switched to 103.9 and flipped formats yesterday.

Per Radio Insight, the station is now running without DJs besides the Ed Lover morning show. The “throwback” portion is limited to a few songs an hour, with new songs populating the rest. The station is now branding itself as “Tri-State’s Home For Hip-Hop, R&B and Throwbacks.”

Power 99, owned by iHeartMedia (the former Clear Channel), has long been the dominant urban radio station in the Philadelphia market. Boom 103.9 is the latest attempt to compete with it. Radio Insight called the former Boom 107.9’s ratings “struggling.”

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