WQHT Features Diverse Crew

'a Black, a Puerto Rican and a Jew' - and wins ratings

Unlike almost every other morning show in radio, Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg of WQHT (97.1 FM, Hot-97) slipped in quietly.

And it worked, according to David Hinckly at nydailynews.com.

Joined by K. Foxx and billed as "A Black, a Puerto Rican and a Jew," they have crept ahead of perennial leader WHTZ (100.3 FM) in their target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds.

"It's turned out better than we thought it would," says Cipha.

The show has the standard morning mix of music, comedy, gossip, show biz and conversation, but like all good shows, they stamp it their way.

"We don't just do 'urban' topics," says Cipha. "But if there's a story that involves the N-word, say, we'll do it differently from everyone else because of who we are."

At the same time, part of Cipha's own role is to sometimes ask if there's really any story at all. "If someone says 'Real Housewives' or 'Jersey Shore,'" he says, "I'm the guy who goes, 'Uhhhh, why?'"

Meanwhile, Rosenberg plays the white guy in a culture whose artists remain predominantly black.
"Other programmers always told me not to talk about being white," he says. "But that was part of [Hot-97 program director] Ebro's whole concept here."

Read more here.