First all-Black sports radio station launches in Detroit

History was made in Detroit this week, when Rob Parker launched the first all-Black sports radio station in the country.

Parker announced the endeavor earlier this year after assembling a team that included retired NBA player turned agent B.J. Armstrong, along with former college athletes Dave Kenney and Maurice “Moe” Ways as co-owners of Sports Rap Radio. And on Tuesday, the Black-owned station featuring all Black hosts debuted on AM 1270 in Detroit.

“Just four years ago, there were no Black full-time sports hosts on the radio in Detroit,” Parker told CBS News Detroit. “In a city that’s nearly 80 percent Black, I looked at that as a problem.”

Sports Rap Radio boasts an all-local lineup from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., including the What Up Morning Show featuring Donavan Travis and Tarohn Finley. B.J. Armstrong hosts the late morning show in the 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. timeslot, followed by Martin Weiss and JR Gamble from noon – 3pm. Afternoon drive features The Pitbulls hosted by Lindsay Hunter and Montezz Allen from 3 – 7 p.m. Parker’s Fox Sports Radio show with Chris Broussard, The Odd Couple will air from 7 – 10 p.m. on the new station.

Minority hosts have been historically underrepresented by sports radio stations around the country. Just as there were no full-time Black hosts in Detroit four years ago, only 10-14 percent of the on-air talent on nearly 800 sports radio stations around the country were Hispanic or Black as recently as 2020.

Four years later, Parker and his business partners launched a “history-making, groundbreaking” station that they hopes can serve as a launching pad for aspiring sports hosts.

[CBS News Detroit]