Published on March 18th, 2019 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Urban One’s Newly Minted VP of Programming Kashon Powell Discusses Being the First Woman in the Company’s History to Hold the Spot

Urban One’s newly elevated Vice President of Programming, Kashon Powell talked with The Hype Magazine’s CEO/Publisher Jameelah “Just Jay” Wilkerson and Editor-in-Chief Jerry Doby during Women’s History Month, to discuss being part of history as the first woman ever to hold that position with the company. Though at the time of our conversation her promotion hadn’t quite had a chance to marinate and sink in with her, Powell has been slowly absorbing the enormity of her new position and is excited to meet its challenges.

Here’s the official line from Urban One

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, Urban One announced Radio One/Washington, D.C., Operations Manager, Kashon Powell has been named Vice President of Programming. As such, she will be the first woman to hold this position for Urban One.

As Vice President of Programming, Powell will oversee the programming strategies for the D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia, markets. In addition, she will continue to manage the six-station D.C. cluster; WMMJ-FM, WKYS-FM, WPRS-FM, WYCB-AM, WTEM-AM, and WOL-AM, as well as continue programming for WMMJ and syndicated programs, The Russ Parr Morning Show and Love and R&B with John Monds.

Powell began her radio career in 1992 at KBXX-FM in Houston, TX as Research Assistant and worked her way through the ranks to become the first female Program Director for the station. In 2002 she was named Urban Editor for Radio & Records (R&R) in Los Angeles, CA. Powell joined Clear Channel/Philadelphia (now iHeart) in 2004 as Assistant Program Director/Music Director and was soon promoted to Program Director for WUSL-FM and WDAS-FM. She would later move on to serve as iHeart’s Director of Urban Programming for Virginia, which included WOWI-FM, WKSA-FM, and WBTJ-FM. In 2015, Powell joined Radio One/Washington D.C. as Program Director of MAJIC 102.3 and 92.7 and two years later was promoted to Operations Manager of the cluster.

“I’m honored to be entrusted with the programming and content creation of stations with such rich tradition and culture. I’m thrilled to be a part of the brain trust that continues to cultivate content across our numerous programming platforms” said Powell.

CEO of Radio One, David Kantor said, “I’m delighted to have Kashon in this position. Not only has she proved to be an outstanding programmer with the huge success of our Washington cluster but it will be great to have the voice of a woman, our primary demographic, among our senior programmers. I know Kashon’s contributions to the company will be enormous.”

Tune in to this in-depth and sometimes humorous look into the world of a woman whose preparation for an opportunity, work ethic, and drive has taken her to the forefront of her industry and into the annals of history. Someone else our daughters and sons can look up too and use as a bar of excellence!!! ~ JD

About Urban One, Inc.:

Urban One, Inc. (urban1.com), together with its subsidiaries, is the largest diversified media company that primarily targets Black Americans and urban consumers in the United States. The Company owns TV One, LLC (tvone.tv), a television network serving more than 59 million households, offering a broad range of original programming, classic series and movies designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. As one of the nation’s largest radio broadcasting companies, Urban One currently owns and/or operates 59 broadcast stations (including HD stations we operate) branded under the tradename “Radio One” in 15 urban markets in the United States. Through its controlling interest in Reach Media, Inc. (blackamericaweb.com), the Company also operates syndicated programming including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, the Russ Parr Morning Show and the DL Hughley Show. In addition to its radio and television broadcast assets, Urban One owns iOne Digital (ionedigital.com), our wholly owned digital platform serving the African-American community through social content, news, information, and entertainment websites, including its Cassius, Bossip, HipHopWired and MadameNoire digital platforms and brands. We also have invested in a minority ownership interest in MGM National Harbor, a gaming resort located in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Through our national multi-media operations, we provide advertisers with a unique and powerful delivery mechanism to the African-American and urban audiences.

Photos of Kashon Powell courtesy of Urban One

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.