St. Louis Radio: KTGP-LPFM Launches New Urban Station

What’s old is new again at radio station KTGP-LPFM Mix99.5, “The Heart and Soul of St. Louis.”

The old school R&B-heavy station brings back a number of veteran St. Louis radio personalities, some off the air the years, and gives them a new home, according to stltoday.com.

The station officially launches Monday after rolling out quietly six months ago, and is available online at mix995FM.com.

Longtime St. Louis radio personality Lou Thimes Jr., a.k.a. “The Real JR,” senior vice president and operations manager at 99.5, says the radio station fills “a longtime void in the marketplace for a locally-owned, locally-managed, locally-operated radio station.”

MIX 99.5 FM comes loaded with many names known in St. Louis radio, some formerly employed at stations past and present such as Majic 104.9, WESL 1490, Foxy 95.5 and Gospel 1600. In same cases, programs and segments that were popular on those stations will be resurrected on the new station.

Among those newly on-air at MIX 99.5 are Jim Gates, Niecy Davis, Tossin’ Ted, Nappy DJ Needles, Calvin King, Edie B, DJ VuDu, Darrel “EZ” Eason and others, not to mention Thimes himself.

“They’re heavily recognizable names, marketable names. They’re people I grew up with, who I have an emotional attachment to,” he says. “We have market credibility and market leverage with these names. And we need these names to lure people from other stations.”

KTGP-LPFM 99.5 FM (8 watts)

The daily rundown at MIX 99.5 begins with “The Mix Morning Madness Sho;w” (6 a.m.-10 a.m.) with Tossin’ Ted, DJ Vudu, Deneen Busby, Ladyre Richardson and Theo Louis Clark. “The Midday Mix with Niecy Davis” (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) follows. Then it's “The Real Afternoon Show” with Thimes (as the Real J.R., 3p.m.-6 p.m.) with Khandy Kane and traffic from Tony J, “The World of James Earl” (6 p.m.-9 p.m.) with “Gentleman Jim” Gates, Darrel “EZ” Eason (9 p.m.-1 a.m.) and “Your Lady” Edie B. (1 a.m.-6 a.m.)