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A Houston radio station is now playing Beyoncé songs 24 hours a day

A Houston radio station is now playing Beyoncé songs 24 hours a day

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You're listening to B921: all the single ladies, all the time

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Michael Buckner

The radio news business ain't what it used to be. So after three years as a 24-hour news channel, a Houston radio station, News92 FM, announced this week that it will from now on play nothing but Beyoncé songs, Beyoncé songs, and more Beyoncé songs. There won't even be commercials, unless you count when she talks about watermelons and Vogue. Queen Bey has five albums to her credit, totaling 63 songs and a little over four hours — those long Texas drives are going to get a little repetitive. Luckily, if you count Destiny's Child there's really a lot of music to be had. (One has to imagine that "Single Ladies" and "Flawless" are going to be played a lot, and that exactly no one will mind.) There won't be as many people involved, as parent company Radio One has laid off 47 employees from the station — a sad turn of events as the company tries to figure out how to make radio profitable in the country's fourth-largest city.

This is presumably a temporary move, while Radio One figures out what to do with the station long-term — it's called "stunting," and it's done fairly often as a way to promote the station. Still, it's only the latest clear indication that the way people consume the radio has shifted for good. It probably won't be B921 forever, though the numbers may be... convincing. Before the switch, The Houston Chronicle reports, News92 FM was ranked 26th in its market, and captured just 0.9 percent of the audience. It stands to reason that Beyoncé will lift that number considerably higher. She is Beyoncé, after all.