By TJ Baker
Photo credit: Priscilla Graham Photography
“Without Favor or Fear” is the journalist creed. So, Mr. Paris Eley, this is especially for you, because you asked that African American News & Issues, print professionally and not bull-sh-t!!
African American News & Issues’ readers, I’m going to try my best to unconfuse you in plain language on what happened, why it happened, and when it happened. Why does KCOH ‘now’ have two radio sites; each one owned by a different company.
You may or may not know it, but the original owner of KCOH – Mr. Michael Petrizzo, died back in January of 2012. KCOH was sold, and then almost bankrupted because of stolen money. It was then re-sold again, and then the KCOH family split– keeping the past intact because the future didn’t look so bright. That’s when KCOH – 1430 AM back in 2013, went off the air and re-launched on different radio airwaves. So what’s the update and honest storyline when it comes to KCOH? Glad you asked.
{Stepchild} KCOH–The Source AM 1230 [owned by] Pueblo de Galilea, LLC; under the name of Spotlight Media is being radio-aired in small incubator rooms from the address of 2616, Suite # 335 South-West Freeway, Houston, Texas 77054. Then you have The Legendary KCOH {New Parents} which has been renamed…KCOH TV the Boost [owned for the past 4 – 5 years] by‘SUPER’ Attorney Ben Hall, and his lovely wife, Mrs. Sandra Hall. This station is currently ‘internet’ aired from the legendary landmark, KCOH building, which still sits on Almeda Rd.
Clarity: KCOH – AM 1230, you can still listen to on the radio with snap, crackle, and popping noises in the background most of the time. KCOH TV the Boost you can only listen to if you have internet capabilities, which gives a much smoother listening experience like you’re on your smart-phone, laptop, tablet, or home computer.
Back to the story: Reminiscing, most likely you heard about the legendary radio host [on and off – on and off] Michael Harris who several years ago took out personal loans – yes, he used his own money; trying to save the original glory of KCOH! But Michael Harris got the shortend of the stick, because of the owner back then… which I will not give that Negro any media press, because the word on the street is that he is in jail for numerous things, and one is the embezzlement of money into his own pockets.
Continuing: did the original KCOH go off air? Well technically it really went into hibernation for some months and some said for some years. That was because a lot of loyal listeners didn’t know the radio dials were switched from AM-1430 to AM-1230, which is what listeners are listening on now.
In the midst of it all of that heartache, headache, and nightmare sweats of what’s going to happen to KCOH, because rumors had it – it was going to be a Spanish station. Or if not a Spanish Station, then the old KCOH legacy building was going to be changed into a church or be torn down altogether. Whatever the case might be, it was not going to be the same as having KCOH radio station, that’s been sitting on Almeda since 1953.
Back in 2016 ‘Super’ Attorney Ben Hall, and his wife,Mrs. Sandra Hall, purchased KCOH’s building and decided to end the AM station and transition over to the internet. Well, when that idea was brought up, a lot of the KCOH radio host legendaries jumped up and left; now who’s [Crying & Crushed Egos] followed who out the door first? Don’t know, but I do know that Michael Harris, Wash Allen, Ralph Cooper, Lisa Berry Dockery, Paris Eley, and Don Samuel; all left which put KCOH scrambling and hearing misfortunate things about the fate and future of KCOH!
But as Yolanda Adams sings, ‘In The Midst of It All’ a delight and powerful Christian song the all mighty had ‘Super’ Attorney Ben Hall and Mrs. Sandra Hall [lean on Jerri P. Beasley for visionary guidance] while they’re staying the provisionary – meaning they are providing the money belt in this on-going KCOH TV the Boost project. But let me repeat,it’s not on AM or FM radio waves yet.
However, because listeners from the ages of five years old through Forty-five-year-old rarely listen to AM radio stations. I know about this firsthand because my Eagle Scout son doesn’t even listen to any kind of radio stations –if they are not on apps. When I’m driving and turn on the car radio, my son immediately sticks his earbuds in his ears. Readers understand the current movement – new and exciting generation is into ‘Podcast, Facebook-live streaming, Twitch, iTunes, Pandora, Audion-Social Music Player, and YouTube and so much other variety of apps! Therefore… KCOH TV the Boost is unbelievably reaching enormous numbers of 375,000INTERNET viewers, just on apps alone!! And the numbers of listeners will sky-rocket even much higher when KCOH TV The Boost gets on the FM HD-Internet radio air. Trust me, a lot more of the AM [silver hairs] radio listeners will automatically change on over, because the frequent sounds will be better and clearer, and being online, listeners will have the option, on their mobile apps or computer by watching their favorite Disk Jockeys – Talk Radio Host in action.
Readers of African American News and Issues, I must love you, I must greatly appreciate your dedication that you read our publication, week after week, month after month and year after year in print as well as online! Because of that love, I went out in the stormy rain to get the nitty-gritty scoop of what went down at KCOH radio station. And with more love on top of my love this is what Jerri P. Beasley the general manager of KCOH TV the Boost and Keep The Morning Moving Show had to say, “Giving God the Glory, the guys that were here and don’t get it twisted, because I am very respectful, all of them they were great guys; they are what you called… Radio – they have been in this game a long time, but at the end of the day, when you have that kind of talent – who likes the old way of doing things, are comfortable in that mindset. Even though they know and see and acknowledge the world is changing, they are not ready to give their 100% effort over to the new technology – not just yet. However, we on this end need to keep on moving, and the vision is not solely in the traditional radio anymore! The vision is the fast pace of the ever-changing internet technology, what’s being done today, may not be done next month or next year, that’s the fast bolt of the internet. And you’re going to look up and those listeners that you have – who are committed to traditional radio are dying out! So you have to keep building upward &toward technology. That’s why; I always have younger people around me, because I have to be able to pass this to somebody else when I’m no longer able to do it. I can work behind the scenes and put the fresh younger faces out there in the front and this does not intimidate me at all. What it does do is bring me the sheer delightfulness of the new innovations that are coming our way. This is a big spacious building here on Almeda, and we now have three offices in this building that we rent out to people that host their own podcast shows. We also have a club that’s called the Escape Lounge. Doors should be opening in November. We are smack down in the middle of Almeda and where’s there’s positive traffic with enthusiastic energy– there’s money to be made!”
To make this article fair, I had a wonderful, interesting, and slight reluctant interview with Paris Eley, who finally did get relaxed. He opened up about what went down at KCOH. I picked up from him in so many words, over there at the old building is not currently a radio station! Over here on the South-West Freeway is the real radio station! A radio station has AM or FM airwave signals not just purely on the internet. “I have moved forward, I don’t have any anger, jealousy, nor ill-feelings whatsoever! As far as going back? We’re old cats and we’re not going to change! Over here is real radio business, this is what we know how to do best – we are disc-jockeys! Rarely do even great disc-jockeys have permanent homes – to survive… You better be flexible in the radio game; your mind can’t be stuck on one building location. For example, we just moved, again, into this new location six weeks ago!”
However, readers if my radar picked up, from Paris Eley’s feelings or any of these legendary disc-jockeys of KCOH – The Source will ‘NOT’ be reluctant of returning, once it’s back on the airwaves, if the money is right! Because as Dorothy says in the Wizard of OZ… there’s no place like home.
For clarity, I say slightly reluctant, because Michael Harris was slightly reluctant when I chatted with him last week on his hour at KCOH – The Source, ‘Person to Person’ as to why a majority listeners did not know that they were ‘NOT’ still airing out from the legendary building on Almeda Rd.
And, I was right because the caller behind me was surprised! So why be misleading?? Because back in the day the legendary disc-jockeys used to love to boast about what building they were broadcasting from. But to Michael Harris and Paris Eley, they are not being misleading. [Negros don’t read the Houston Chronicle or Wikipedia]. This, in a nutshell is what they were professionally trying not to say.
Last, but not least, I must get a shout out to… Mr. Nolan Davis for allowing me to sit in his show at KCOH TV the Boost; whom I also met Ms. Helecia Choyce, Shawna Strong, Monique White, Trai Wade the engineer, and Tony Clement, who suggested the KCOH story.
Thank you for reading my article. Until then, Tj
