In what is being described by business insiders as the most transformative power play in Diaspora radio, the Newark, NJ-based Roadblock Radio will on May 1 begin broadcasting Caribbean content on 101.1FM HD3 in the tri-state area.
Roadblock Radio founder and CEO Jamaican-born Kacy “G City” Rankine told Caribbean Life on Monday that he brokered the landmark, “24×7”, deal and signed a contract in March with Audacy, Inc., the third largest radio company in the US.
Audacy, Inc., owns 235 radio stations across 48 media markets. In November 2017, the company merged with CBS Radio.
The landmark radio deal comes just nine months after a Texas-based religious company acquired WVIP 93.5 FM and WVOX 1460 AM for US$8.15 million.
WVIP had been a reliable pillar in the Caribbean Diaspora for almost 40 years, providing news, sports and entertainment.
The station was also a major advertising platform for Caribbean brands, like Grace Kennedy, Golden Krust, Western Union, Caribbean Food Delights, Jamaica National, Digicel and Flow.
“When I heard that WVIP, 93.5 FM was sold, I realized there was a void in Caribbean radio here in the tri-state area,” Rankine said. “I sent out a few proposals then. Out of the blue, God sent me an angel.”
He said he received a call from an executive at Audacy, Inc. asking if he would meet with them to discuss joining the platform.
“We created a spiritual connection from that first conversation, and here we are today,” Rankine said. “Hard to believe we are on the same platform as 1010 WINS, CBS Sports, FAN Sports and CBS FM 100.1 FM, the flagship station on the Audacy platform.
“We are moving on up from being an Internet radio station in the 1990s to being a radio pioneer in 2024,” he added. “It is going to be big!
“Radio is very important to the Jamaican/Caribbean community,” Rankine continued. “Sure, after WVIP was sold, we had a few online stations that attempted to fill the void, but our love for terrestrial radio is important to our existence as a community. With the launch of 101.1FM HD3, Roadblock Radio Reload, we are bringing back the love.”
He said Roadblock Radio will cover Bridgeport, Ct. “all the way down to New York City and surrounding communities in Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
“We then come across New Jersey, covering central and south NJ to Pennsylvania,” Rankine added. “This is God’s hands at work that made this possible.”
Without specifically naming Caribbean personalities who will be part of the new station, Rankine said, “We have jocks lining up from NY, NJ, LA, Colorado, Florida, Jamaica, Trinidad, Africa and Haiti who will all be part of this new experience.
“We will play reggae, dancehall, soca, kompa music and everything in between,” he added. “This will be big for the culture.”
Rankine said he has been a long-standing business entrepreneur in New Jersey, dating back to the early 1990s, when he opened a clothing store, G City Urban Wear, on 18th Avenue in Irvington.
He said he expanded the business to include a record store, a marketing company and an Internet radio station (RoadblockRadio.com), which promoted major events like “Sounds of Greatness,” New Jersey Reggae Festival and other concerts, which showcased music stalwarts like Shabba Ranks, Beres Hammond, Capleton, Sean Paul, Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Reggae Queen Marcia Griffiths, Ninjaman, Sanchez and Coco Tea, among others.
“One of the big events I promoted was dancehall star Beenie Man at the Robert Treat Hotel,” Rankine said. “That event brought out over 3,000 screaming fans on Thanksgiving Day in 1999.
“We also promoted big soca events with Machel Montano and Allison Hinds,” he added.
For more information, log on to www.RoadBlockRadio.com or call 973-573-8154.
