SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Detroit is a city of firsts, and the city’s latest first is an all-Black-owned sports radio station that just launched on the air.
“[This is] making history,” said Rob Parker. “[It’s] groundbreaking, [and] We just believe the time has come.”
Parker, a former Detroit sportscaster, is at the helm of this effort. He launched Sports Rap Radio on AM 1270 on Tuesday, and this Black-owned radio station with all Black hosts is a first not just for the city of Detroit, but for the entire country.
“Just four years ago, there were no black full-time sports anchors on radio in Detroit,” Parker said. “In a city that is almost 80% black, I saw that as a problem.”
He found a solution, but said he couldn’t do it alone. He assembled a team of co-owners, including his longtime friend Dave Kenney, former NBA player B.J. Armstrong and former Detroit Country Day football star and University of Michigan wide receiver Maurice “Moe” Ways.
“Moe was the missing piece. I needed someone young and smart, from the city,” Parker said.
Parker and Ways met when Ways was in high school, and they have stayed in touch ever since.
“[Rob’s ] The whole thing is a passing of the torch,” Ways said. ‘He has been my mentor for ten years. We’ve met each other [when I was] 18 [and] We had countless conversations about life and career and my dreams and my goals.”
An injury disrupted Ways’ NFL dreams just four years ago, but Sports Rap Radio is putting him back in the mix, giving him a chance to add his voice to the conversation while filling a void in sports radio .
“Life has a wonderful way of showing you signs and dropping seeds and coming full circle,” Ways said. “So, [I’m] very humble, very grateful and ready to get started.”
Now that the channel has officially launched, you can listen to an all-local line-up Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm, as well as a selection of local programs on weekends.
Lauren Winfrey
