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Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Cipha Sounds Leaves Hot 97
New York’s Hot 97 announced Tuesday that longtime host Cipha Sounds has left the station.
Emmis Communications, owner of the station, issued the following statement: “Effective immediately, Cipha Sounds is no longer with WQHT HOT 97 FM. We wish him well on his future endeavors.”
The move comes within days of Cipha voicing frustration with the station on his “Juan Epstein” podcast, which he hosts with Peter Rosenberg. He criticized Hot 97’s management for how they handled his removal as interim afternoon host.
Cipha took over the 3-7 p.m. slot last summer after Angie Martinez resigned and joined its rival, Power 105.1. However, his future at the station became uncertain when Hot 97 announced last week that it had named MTV’s Nessa Nitty as the permanent afternoon host.
Cipha said on the podcast: “One boss told me one thing, another boss told me another thing, they then fired one of those bosses, another boss came in an told me one thing, and then a boss of another station came in and became our boss and told me another thing … All nice people, all different opinions on what the show should be and how it should run.”
He stressed that he doesn’t have beef with Nessa: “I told her, ‘You’re a dope choice.’ She was mad cool.”
What bothers him is that he never knew the station was pursuing her.
“They’ve wanted her for a long time,” he told Rosenberg. “They have a hard-on for her. So then why didn’t you tell me?”
Cipha took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to address the move:
