WBLS tunes up its lineup in wake of the...

WBLS tunes up its lineup in wake of the...

Smith, Bryan,, Freelance NYDN

Felix Hernandez, who hosted ‘Rhythm Revue’ Sundays on Kiss, thanked the station for ‘an incredible ride.’

PROGRAM DIRECTOR Skip Dillard of WBLS (107.5 FM) expects shortly to finalize the stations new weekend lineup after last weeks stunning announcement that rival WRKS (98.7 FM) was folding and the two longtime urban radio rivals would become One Voice.

I hope to have decisions by Wednesday, says Dillard. Were meeting with other parties this week as well as with people from Kiss.

Since WBLS is now the only adult urban station in town, the lobbying for those slots has been intense.

Many listeners and hosts argue that because the number of media voices for the black community just shrunk, it is essential that WBLS offer voices like the Rev. Al Sharpton, Imhotep Gary Byrd and the Open Line and Week in Review shows with Bob Slades team.

Until its recent sale, WBLS was the only black-owned FM station in town.

The response from hosts displaced by the sudden loss of WRKS has fallen into a wide range.

l Michael Baisden, whose syndicated afternoon show was carried on WRKS, wants badly to be on WBLS. He has more than 12,000 signatures on a petition and has given out the WBLS phone number on the air, asking fans to respectfully call and make his case.

On a more aggressive note, he did a segment Monday that he called Buffoonery Over Activism and asked, Do we prefer music and jokes over content?

He says the loss of Kiss hurts the family at a time when Republicans are trying to shut us down. ... By not having this voice, weve lost some power.

l Tom Joyner, whose syndicated morning show was heard on WRKS, is reportedly frustrated to have lost that slot for the second time.

Joyner paid for the show to be heard on WRKS, because a New York outlet is crucial for syndicated shows to be visible to Madison Avenue.

Joyner reminded his listeners they can still follow him at www.tjms.com.

l Felix Hernandez, whose Rhythm Revue was heard Sunday afternoons on Kiss, thanked the station for carrying him, calling it an incredible ride.

Rhythm Revue can still be heard Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., on WBGO (88.3 FM).

l Fans of Open Line held a rally Sunday at WRKS and WBLS, asking WBLS to pick the show up.

Slade said it will continue to have a presence online and through social media, and said he hoped it would also continue on the air.

We have unfinished business, he said, noting that Open Line had pursued sometimes unpopular cases like Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell and the Central Park jogger defendants who were later exonerated.

Co-host James Mtume thanked WRKS for keeping us on the air for 18 years. No one else did that.

Mtume described the end of Kiss as a business decision and said the real problem wont be solved until we own things like radio stations ourselves.