This article was originally published by Don Day in the Idaho Statesman.
New York-based Townsquare Media launched a new radio station in the Boise area: Power 105.5 FM. The station replaces 105.5 The Fan, a sports radio format featuring Fox Sports programming.
The station, which plays a blend of pop-infused hip hop songs, launched at noon on Monday. It played a heavily-edited version of “WAP” by rapper Cardi B, followed by songs by Drake, Jack Harlow, Pop Smoke, and others.
The station will air “The Jubal Show,” a nationally syndicated program anchored by Seattle personality Jubal Fresh. Fresh formerly was the featured player on the “Brooke and Jubal” program which now airs on 103.5 Kiss FM, which is also owned by Townsquare Media.
Over the weekend, 105.5 FM aired a “stunt” format consisting of songs with the word “change” in the title or lyrics. The station called itself 105.5 Darrell FM, an apparent reference to Darrell Calton, the CEO of Nampa-based Iliad Media.
The station takes aim at Iliad’s Wild 101, which airs a pop format that mixes in some hip hop hits. A voiceover referred to Power 105.5 as “Boise’s party station,” similar to a slogan that was in use on Wild 101 until last year. Power 105.5 ran a promo introducing a song it says “you won’t hear on Mild 101,” before playing Laugh Now, Cry Later by Drake, a song Wild 101 played more than 100 times in the past week according to Mediabase.
Townsquare Media’s Mikey Fuentes helped launch Wild 101 in the Boise market with Calton nearly a decade ago and recently returned to the market on 103.5 Kiss FM.
It marks the first dedicated hip hop station in the Boise area, though community station Radio Boise features several hip hop programs. It also leaves Boise with just a single sports radio station, 93.1 FM The Ticket.
Disclosure: Iliad Media is a BoiseDev advertiser. It had no role in the selection or production of this story.
