DJ Red Alert to Retire After Final WBLS Show
The longtime New York radio DJ signs off from MediaCo's WBLS and WQHT at the end of November 2026.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Hip-Hop and Rap
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DJ Red Alert is retiring from MediaCo's WBLS and WQHT, with a four-hour final mix set on WBLS on November 30, 2026. The departure follows more than four decades of mixing on New York radio.
Why it matters
The retirement marks the exit of one of New York's most enduring hip-hop and R&B radio presences, coinciding with his 50th anniversary as a DJ and his upcoming 70th birthday. His tenure spans multiple New York stations, making his departure a notable shift for listeners of the city's radio landscape.
The announced career timeline includes a radio start in 1983 at 98.7 Kiss-FM WRKS and tenures at Hot 97 WQHT through 2001 and at Power 105.1 for five years. Details about future plans and successor arrangements remain unannounced.
The players
DJ Red Alert
A longtime New York radio DJ who has mixed on multiple city stations for over forty years and is known for hip-hop and R&B programming.
MediaCo Holding
The media company that owns WBLS Adult R&B 107.5 and Hip Hop Hot 97 WQHT, the stations DJ Red Alert is leaving.
Teddy Riley
A producer and musician who helped shape new jack swing and is among the guests at the tribute event for DJ Red Alert.
The details
DJ Red Alert will present a four-hour final mix set on WBLS, preceded by a tribute event at Sony Hall in New York the week before. Tribute guests named include Teddy Riley, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, and DJ Brucie B, among others.
Timeline
1983: Began radio career at 98.7 Kiss-FM WRKS.
2001: Left Hot 97 WQHT after mixing there until that year.
2012: Has been at WBLS and WQHT since the WRKS brand ended.
Week before November 30, 2026: Tribute event held at Sony Hall in New York.
November 30, 2026: Final four-hour show on WBLS.
Legal Context
DJ Red Alert's departure from WBLS and WQHT ends a run that began in 1983 at 98.7 Kiss-FM WRKS and spans several New York hip-hop and R&B stations. The move places his exit within the long history of these city stations as hubs for the genre.
Listeners who follow DJ Red Alert will need to find his mixes on WBLS or WQHT before the scheduled end date, since the extraction does not state any replacement programming. The final four-hour set on WBLS on November 30, 2026, is the last scheduled broadcast from him on those stations.
The takeaway
A long career on New York airwaves is ending on a scheduled date, and listeners who want to hear the final mix should tune to WBLS on November 30, 2026.
What happens next
DJ Red Alert's final four-hour show airs on WBLS on November 30, 2026, following a tribute event at Sony Hall the week before.
Further reading
For more on the genre's roots in the city, explore Hip-Hop and Rap coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by RadioInsight.
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