It seems like it wasn’t too long ago that a dedicated Black or urban Toronto radio station used to be nothing but a dream. So for now, those who are locked into that urban groove and demand it on their FM dial around the clock have slim choices, but they can always turn to Flow 98.7, Toronto’s only full-time commercial urban station. 

Since launching in 2001 originally at the 93.5 FM frequency, Flow has not strayed away from its urban format and continues to deliver to the city the best in Black and urban music on a full time basis including Hip-hop, Afro, R&B, Reggae-Dancehall and Soca, hence their new slogan; ‘…where Black music lives‘.

In essence, Flow, with their all-urban format, has little or no competition. Toronto community station Vibe 105 sounds similar, a sort of farm team station for Flow, both sharing the same management and programming team. Today, the new station management led by Paul ‘Mastermind‘ Parhar and Randy Reid, a team with a good track record, is still in the early stages of setting their new blueprint for success, but it will take some time for the new programming and shuffling to take effect. 

It is arguable that even with the best efforts, Flow will have stumbling blocks while trying to earn increased and loyal listenership and to actually see this reflect in the ratings. Most Black people in Toronto are aware of Flow, and at some point have listened to it, but how does Flow get white people and other non-Blacks in T.O. to lock in and make Flow their favourite radio station, that is the question. If Flow is where Black music lives, then how do we get it to own instead of rent?

Radio used to be big business, but the climate for today’s North American radio stations have eroded, advertisers are switching to other sources led by trending social media platforms where listeners receive instant gratification and where numbers don’t lie. Flow 98.7 is not the only station historically suffering from poor ratings, but the fear is that one day, Toronto listeners could lose it, and then what? 

The new Flow 98.7 FM still needs more advertising revenue if it is to survive, because despite the lustre and magnetism of radio, its still a business for owners who are in it to make money. Without profit, the history is, stations like Flow abandon formats and justify going in a totally different musical direction when things don’t work out in a timely fashion. Listening today, it does seem like Flow has benefited from their change in management; they are now playing twice as many commercials as they were in their previous state.

Flow 98.7 FM is my personal top choice for radio stations that I listen to the most in Toronto, with Vibe 105 a close second. After that, there really is nothing left in the FM bag to chose from for full time urban listening. That’s why Torontonians want Flow to get it right, and create that magical formula that will create high ratings and increase listenership.