When Stevie Wonder hires a program director, the interview process doesn’t follow a corporate playbook. Chris Malone learned this firsthand in 2022. He sat down with the legendary artist and owner of KJLH Los Angeles — not once, but six times. Each conversation felt different from a typical job interview. Instead, it resembled a dialogue between two people who understood something fundamental about radio. Most of the industry had forgotten this understanding. “We sat in his world class recording studio, and we just talked for hours upon hours upon hours, just like friends,” Malone recalls. “From day one, it felt really really good.”

The turning point came when Stevie shared a single line. This line would seal the deal. “The feeling I get around you is the feeling I got around then Senator Barack Obama, before the world knew who he was,” Stevie told him. Malone took a breath. He’d spent weeks weighing the offer — comfort against calling. A consulting gig at MusicMaster was steady, proven, safe. But that one line changed everything. That one moment of recognition from Stevie Wonder shifted his perspective. “I took a deep breath and I said, ‘Wow, okay, well I gotta check this out. And so the rest is history.”

The Largest Black-Owned Radio Station

KJLH is 60 — plus years old. It represents the largest black-owned and operated radio station in the United States. The station has been locally owned since its inception. First, founder John Lamar Hill established it. Then Stevie Wonder took over in the late 1950s. That ownership structure isn’t just corporate trivia. Indeed, it’s the spine of everything the station does. Every programming choice reflects this. Every community initiative reflects this. And every on — air moment reflects this. When Malone was recruited, management knew what they needed. They needed someone who understood independent radio from the ground up. Someone who could honor KJLH’s legacy. They also needed someone who could push it forward. They needed someone who believed in what Stevie believes: that radio doesn’t belong in a box.

From MusicMaster Consultant to KJLH Leadership

Malone came equipped for that mission. His career reads like a crash course in radio education. He came up in Memphis, Tennessee. The town he describes as “blessed with great personality radio, big radio brands.” He emphasizes a deep commitment to local talent. “I was very fortunate to come up in a music town, and at a town that really embraced local radio,” he says.

From there, he launched an R&B station in Raleigh. Curtis Media Group owned this station — WBZJ. He then moved through Greensboro and Winston — Salem before landing in Boston. At WKAF, 97.7 FM, Malone and his team launched something significant. They created the city’s first — ever FM Urban AC station. The impact was immediate. “We shot that station number one in the target American American 25-54 demo within two months following a heritage rock format on that signal,” he recalls. “So we were really excited about that accomplishment, and the city just really started to embrace that station early.”

He spent time consulting with MusicMaster afterward. He worked with program directors across every platform. These platforms included terrestrial, satellite, and internet. “I like to say Boston was my bachelor’s degree,” Malone explains. “MusicMaster was my doctorate degree, and then L.A. is the prime time. You know, this is it. This is the real world.”

Building a Talent Lineup Based on Trust

The talent lineup Malone inherited reflects KJLH’s commitment. That commitment is to live, local programming around the clock. Dara Starr Tucker launches Front Page News at 4:30 a.m. She dives into current events with callers. By 6 a.m., the Steve Harvey Morning Show brings national reach.

However, it’s locally anchored by two time Gracie Award winner Adai Lamar. She’s been a community fixture for over 10 years. She weaves South Central storytelling into Harvey’s national platform. Lon McQ holds middays at the station. He’s been at KJLH for over 30 years. He remains “PPM sharp” and flexible. “We’re really thankful for Lon not only for his institutional heritage of L.A. but the fact that he’s flexible to still be holding down middays for years upon years upon years,” Malone says. Actress and author Tammi Mac owns afternoons. She pulled a 30 — share in the African American 25 — 54 demo in July. Kevin Nash closes evenings with dedication. He provides “hot buttery style love songs, dedications, and requests.”

The unifying principle is simple: Trust. “Ratings follow trust,” Malone says. “It’s not the other way around. All of our talent have so much influence and brand equity built-up in the local LA community.”

The Unique Sound of KJLH

On paper, KJLH is an Urban AC station. In practice, it’s something more elusive — a sound rather than a format. The programming philosophy refusal to see radio as a box shapes this. “KJLH is not a format; it’s a sound,” Malone explains. “We blend R&B with gospel, with hip hop, jazz, pop — we blend it all together. It’s like threading a needle, and we create this emotional architecture each and every single day with our music programming.” That philosophy is built in the programming director’s office, every single day — but it carries Stevie Wonder’s personality at its core. “His vision sets our standard and together we deeply feel that music consumption should not be placed in a box; it shouldn’t be hyper fragmented,” Malone says.

The results speak for themselves. Recent metrics show audiences spending 4 hours with KJLH. This exceeds the 3:15 — to — 3:30 — hour average time spent listening most Urban AC stations achieve. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come from algorithm — driven playlist rotation. It doesn’t come from market research either. Instead, it comes from being what Malone calls “a one — stop shop for the entire person that we’re targeting.” Whether a listener needs gospel, the latest from Olivia Dean, or Whitney Houston nostalgia, KJLH delivers. “The fact that we’re able to be so deep in our scope, it creates loyalty and passion with our listeners,” he says.

Community as the Operating System

Community engagement isn’t a separate department at KJLH — it’s the operating system. The station runs six tentpole events each year. The Martin Luther King Parade in South Central kicks off January. There’s Proven Achievers, highlighting accomplished community members. The Women’s Health Expo is in its 26th year. The Men’s Empowerment Summit brings its own energy. Taste of Soul is a street festival Malone helps program. It draws 500,000 attendees annually. The festival has featured everyone from Mary Mary Gospel to Stevie Wonder himself. Montell Jordan also performed there. Malone breaks new artists too — Alex Eisley and Estelle launched from the KJLH stage.

Then there’s House Full of Toys, now in its 25th year. The concept came from Stevie Wonder’s childhood dream. No child should be left without a gift at Christmas. KJLH collects toys at four or five McDonald’s locations. Then the station broadcasts live for 12 hours. During this time, volunteers stuff local LA metro buses full of toys. Distribution happens after collection. The station handles warehousing, sorting, delivery, everything. “We often operate as a nonprofit through our ‘We Are You Foundation’ and a radio station, you know, wrapped into one,” Malone says.

What makes KJLH different?

When asked to distill what makes KJLH different, Malone becomes philosophical. “KJLH is what radio should be. It’s independently owned. We take risk. We take chances. And we may fail, but we learn from our failures and we move. It’s a refreshing approach for our listeners, separate from the overly predictable scientific formats and it’s fun to our jocks because we’re not restricted.” That freedom — what he calls “radio free” — extends everywhere. No corporate restriction exists here. No fear of failure inhibits risk — taking. It means showing up each day for “Black, Brown, and General Los Angeles.” This commitment reflects the understanding that grassroots radio, when done right, is the ultimate expression of community trust.

In an industry increasingly defined by consolidation and algorithm, KJLH and Chris Malone represent something rare. They prove there’s still an audience for radio that takes risks. They prove there’s an audience that honors its community. And they prove there’s an audience that refuses to play it safe.

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