Rumor confirmed: Rashan Ali joins Ryan Cameron at V-103
Rashan Ali has rejoined Ryan Cameron, this time at V-103.
Cameron, now an afternoon host, gave Ali her big break on radio in 2002 on his morning show on rival Hot 107.9. He left for V-103 in early 2005, but Ali stayed behind, leading her own morning show until Hot dumped that show in 2008 for Rickey Smiley. She left Hot last May.
In the meantime, she has since had her second baby and awaited her next big career move. “It’s been a journey going from billboards to walking to the unemployment line pregnant,” she said on the air today. “Just to be able to come back is a true blessing.”
In an interview Saturday morning, Ali said the deal had been in the works for a long time but declined to detail why it took as long as it did. She signed the deal on April 12 and kept it under wraps until Friday.
Loading ...“It was the most obvious place for me to go” after Hot, she said. “It fit so perfectly.” She said V-103 Program Director Reggie Rouse has been after her for awhile, even while she was still at Hot: “To be able to learn under his tutelage is wonderful.”
She did enjoy her break from work to raise her child but was ready to get back to work this year.
Growing up in the 1990s, she listened to Mike & Carol in the morning and Ryan in the evenings. “To be there now is a dream come true,” she said. She said it was a little strange to say “V-103, the people’s station” instead of the various Hot 107.9 slogans. “I had note cards in front me,” she said, to avoid slip ups.
She also signed a deal to do be a “Game Day” reporter for NBA-TV. “I got two jobs in one day!” she said.
Radio revenues are starting to stabilize and even go up at some stations. It appears V-103 is opening up its wallet for Ali, perhaps using money freed from cutting Joyce Littel in January. V-103 remains the top-ranked station in Atlanta by a wide margin.
Ryan has been without a full-time female sidekick since Elle Duncan last year took over the mid-day slot from Porsche Foxx, who was let go late in 2008.
“While everybody is cutting back on personality and talk in today’s PPM world [that's the new meter system], V-103 has stuck by its guns,” said former V-103 morning host Mike Roberts. “It’s a personality-driven radio station. If you’re going to do it, you need strong personalities. It’s a good move for V-103.”
I first posted a rumor of her talks with V-103 back in early February. I figured it was a solid rumor because the players involved didn’t even call me back to tell me they couldn’t talk to me. And after I posted the rumor, I heard absolutely nothing. If it were false, someone would have told me. The boss at V-103, Rick Caffey, is not a fan of personnel leaks. He likely told the parties involved that the deal would be off if they even talked to me.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
accessAtlanta Partner Sites
Sections
Advertise on accessAtlanta.com »
Reach the audience you want by advertising on accessAtlanta.com
Join the Access Atlanta Network »
Advertisers and Publishers, expand your reach by joining the Access Atlanta Network.
Tell us what you think about the site
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement | About our ads
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
68 comments Add your comment
SWD FB Mom
April 24th, 2010
12:38 pm
Congratulations Rashan! I will be tuned in.
The Inconvenient Truth
April 24th, 2010
1:19 pm
Rashan is cool and Ryan is funny, but the educated masses left V-103 a long time ago. At least Michael Baisden attempts to dispense some educated content with GOOD music. I’m in my 30s with two kids and can’t even listen to V-103 with them in the car. The playlist they have does nothing to raise awareness to our youth, and they have the largest platform in the city to dispense pertinent information along with their music. HOT is no better (Dirty Boyz?!?!?).
These stations are getting paid big bucks to dumb it down to our community, and it’s time we called them on it.
UNCF - A mind is a...
April 24th, 2010
1:55 pm
Come on people you are smarter than that!
This is purely a transition move for the morning show. “V” simply cannot afford that many personalities over the next 18 months.
Take it from me, I’m a broadcast lawyer.
HBCU Pride and The light –
You are both all so right. At least when the dust settles, we’ll have some intelligence on the air. As a parent of a teenager, and a native since the V – Scotty Andrews (May he RIP) days, my daughter has often told me the station is garbage.
Let’s hope the least educated and least informed will now be “ear banged” with some moral and civil obedience boundaries put in place.
Good choice though!
Rich
April 24th, 2010
3:03 pm
I have never heard of either of these people.
1badman
April 24th, 2010
4:14 pm
Rashan,I don’t know you that well but welcome back;second once again if you don’t like what you hear on V-103 there’s other stations (kiss 104.1,magic 97.5 107.5) on the radio you can listen i change the station all the time if something on there i don’t like or agree with.
thisizstillbullshyt
April 24th, 2010
8:52 pm
Hey Yall,
I admit my initial comments were kinda harsh & I could have worded some things differently, but I still meant what I said. I never cared for Rashan Ali & some of you black folk need to get off liking ppl just cuz yall some fake Greeks. (There I go again). But IMO, she’s not talented at all & has no business on the radio. I guess alot of my anger comes from me, being a native of Atl, seeing the dumbing down of V103. Like Rodney hinted to, they get rid of Joyce Littel, a class act & put in classless Rashan Ali? But I’m glad to see that there are some ppl who already know the deal about radio, particularly black (american) radio & where it’s going & what’s all happened to it. This is done by design. While I still plan to protest this & I still believe she’s so untalented, ignorant, boring, etc. that she won’t last due to her own doing. This has also reminded me of why radio in general is in decline & I’ll seek out other forms, including satellite & internet radio. At least I can hear some intelligent & entertaining stuff from not only other parts of the U.S. (Atl radio sux so bad), but around the world as well. Some of you ppl need to challenge yourselves to seek better.
SWD C/O 93"
April 24th, 2010
9:39 pm
thisizstillbullshyt…… You got to be the lamest, most ignorant person commenting on here.. You’re entitled to your opininon but damn, you need to get a life or get sum azz or something. You clearly need a friend to talk to. I haven’t seen some much hate in my life.. What has Rashun done to you? I’ll answer, “nothing” cause she don’t know you and don’t care. Let me guess, you got picked on when you were little.. Dude get a life!!!!
thisizstillbullshyt
April 25th, 2010
7:58 am
Ok (is that Southwest Dekalb Class of ‘93?) 1st of all, so I’m lame & ignorant just because I don’t like Rashan Ali but yet you say I’m entitled to my opinion. Then you say that she don’t care. Well if she doesn’t care, why do you? No, I don’t know Ali personally, nor do I want to, but she’s coming back to the radio airwaves & as a marginal listener of V103, that does effect me. I have a right to say that I don’t want her back. So just because I’m expressing why I don’t like her, from that alone you ASSume that 1.) I don’t have a life, 2.) I need sex, 3.) I want & need friends, 4.) I was picked on as a kid, & 5.) that I’m even a guy-you don’t know that nor am I obligated to tell you. I think you’re are all that you accuse me of being. I don’t like Ali & I have a right to say so, that’s what these comments are about, pro, con, or whatever. Now if you do represent the southwest side of Dekalb (but unlike you I don’t want to assume anything), instead of wasting your time w/a lame atttempt to represent your girl to the fullest, you need to be trying to do something about the community over there. But then again, if anyone is ignorant it’s you, & you’re being very typical of black folk, & that is majoring in the minor.
mike
April 25th, 2010
11:35 pm
That’s five min of my life that I won’t get back…who cares, I listen to satellite radio! V-103 plays 4 songs…all day! I stopped listening when they hired Wanda Smith’s dumb a$$. She has to laugh at her own jokes just to make them seem funny, and her and Frank have the chemistry of 2 pit bulls being trained by mike vick. Frank will give bible verses then will be at the clubs later cussing his head off. The People’s station=modern day buffonery!
Call Me Crazy But...
April 26th, 2010
3:30 pm
I hope V-103 will check Rashan’s foul mouth at the door. She should have developed more vocabulary than her favorite phrase, D@#n Man, during her time off. I liked Cadillac Kim’s v-blog this week!
hotlanta
April 26th, 2010
4:09 pm
Thank God for a woman with a grown up voice. Listening to Elle is like listening to a show for preteens. Her voice is A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. I almost fell outta my chair this morning when Wanda was praising Ryan on Luda an Monica and Frank couldn’t say a word. Hey Frank you forgot one of your own inspirational vitamins on jealousy. Couldn’t even give Ryan his props. He started talking aobut his foundation trip to Italy. Oh my bad Wanda wasn’t giving you any praise.That is just like when Wanda was talking about all of the toys they had collected one Christmas for her son’s birthday at Shannon Mall to pass out to other kids and Frank started talking about him and Tunya trip to New Orleans after Katrina. He has to always be the center of attention.
Audi
April 26th, 2010
6:32 pm
i am a big fan of Rashan and love ryan i am back in jersey and i listen to him on the web,ryan is very good to radio in atlanta.adding Rashan is a very good move i enjoy them together at the other station,ryan is a very good guy and i continue 2 wish him the best.love u guys cant wait to be back in the atl.
Blah
April 26th, 2010
7:24 pm
Boring.. Rashan and Ryan can’t recrete the magic, I listened today and it sounded like two egos battling over one show.. who could laugh more and talk more and out yell each other! When is Atlanta radio gonna start coming up with fresh personalities instead of recycling the old ones!
MissShelly511
April 27th, 2010
12:08 am
I’m a Northern girl who started listening 2 Rashan when I moved here 3 yrs ago. I was saddened when she left the airwaves so resorted 2 listening 2 CD’s n the AM…unless Ryan was guest-hosting the FWMS. *hehehe* Needless 2 say I am elated that Rashan is back! I hope she and Ryan regain the mojo, that everyone claims they had, and eventually replace the current morning show crew….Then I will listen 2 V-103 n the morning…*just my opinion*
lionking
April 27th, 2010
10:25 am
For those of you who are tired of V-103, may I recommend 91.9 WCLK. It is a jazz radio station that not only play jazz but progessive soul form the USA and around the world as well. It is a public radio station and their on air personalities have a real love and passion for the music they play and it is a radio station that is also kid friendly.
Mark B
April 30th, 2010
12:35 pm
Glad that Rashan Ali is back… maybe she can eventually move in to Elle’s spot at 10 am. Not feeling the Elle Duncan show, she was better as a side kick to Ryan.
sedric jones
June 4th, 2010
2:01 pm
im just glad sophia is goneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
sedric jones
June 4th, 2010
2:06 pm
pleasse why did sophia get fired im ssure soebody knows