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Arts & Entertainment

97.9 The Beat will go local with 'Veda Loca in the Morning' starting this month

There have been hints, but now it's official: Dallas radio station 97.9 The Beat is shaking things up in the morning. The station is going local starting Nov. 27.

Veda "Veda Loca" Emery, who held down the afternoon drive time, will move to the morning slot with Veda Loca in the Morning. J-Kruz (John Koutsakis) will co-host the show while DJ Kayotik will be the mixer and producer. Rookie Jazzi Black will also be on the team.

The nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show was in the morning spot. Smiley, an author and star of reality show Rickey Smiley for Real on TV One, hosted a local show from 2004-2008 for the station. According to a press release, he will "officially pass the microphone" to start the new show.

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Veda Loca in the Morning will be in good company, going head-to-head with nationally syndicated stalwarts that got their starts in the Dallas market. The Tom Joyner Morning Show airs on Majic 94.5, and The Steve Harvey Morning Show airs on Smooth R&B 105.7.

"As the competitive marketplace changes, we are taking an approach that we feel will best connect our audience with 97.9 The Beat," said Radio One vice president and general manager Tami Honesty in a release.

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Radio One also owns and operates Majic 94.5, which changed its format in September. The station added Tom Joyner and D.L. Hughley to the lineup at the same time.

For more news, views and reviews, follow @DawnBurkes on Twitter.