Urban One, parent company of Radio One, is acquiring two prominent Dallas-Fort Worth FM stations from a longtime local owner, reshaping the market’s urban and R&B radio landscape while spinning off another signal to a Christian broadcaster.
On Friday, Urban One announced an agreement to purchase KKDA 104.5 FM (“K104,” hip-hop) and KRNB 105.7 FM (“Smooth R&B 105.7,” adult R&B) from Hymen Childs’ Service Broadcasting Group.
Simultaneously, Radio One is transferring its 94.5 KZMJ-FM (R&B) to the Encouragement Media Group (EMG), which plans to launch its Spanish Christian “Fuzión” format on that signal.
Both deals are subject to FCC approval, with financial terms undisclosed.
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| KKDA 104.5 FM (100 kw) |
The acquisitions will give Radio One three key signals targeting Black audiences in the DFW Metroplex. The company already owns hip-hop rival 97.9 KBFB-FM, positioning it strongly in urban radio. KKDA has broadcast an urban/hip-hop format since 1976, while KRNB has competed in the adult R&B space since 1996, often going head-to-head with KZMJ.
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| KRNB 105.7 FM (94 kw) |
For EMG, adding KZMJ expands Fuzión to 18 signals across the Southwest, with DFW as its flagship market. The Spanish Christian brand is already available in Las Vegas, Southern California, Albuquerque, and East Texas.
The sales mark the exit of 88-year-old Hymen Childs, one of the few independent local owners in a major market like DFW. Childs acquired KKDA-AM and the 104.5 FM signal (then KEZT) in 1976. He maintained a low public profile and resisted earlier sale offers until selling the AM station in 2013.