Originally posted Friday, October 11, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Jade Novah, an R&B singer and popular social media presence, suddenly quit V-103's Morning Culture morning show Friday just nine months after joining the station.
Novah said she wanted to focus more on her music career and touring, according to her friend and publicist Vaughn Alvarez, who interacted with her today. She declined an interview for further comment.
Frank Ski and his boss Rick Caffey did not return texts for comment about her abrupt departure. A spokeswoman for Entercom - which purchased V-103 owner CBS Radio two years ago - declined to be identified but confirmed Jade's departure, adding, "We wish her all the best."
V-103 morning ratings have not improved since the new show was launched in January. (The station let go Wanda Smith and Miss Sophia at the time.) The station kept 55-year-old Ski but added Jade and JR Jackson and called it the Morning Culture.
The station continues to be a leader among 25 to 54 years olds and 18 to 34 year olds but now fights for the overall lead in ratings among urban music fans with Majic 107.5/97.5 and Kiss 104.1.
Both JR and Jade, who are in their early 30s, were added to provide the show more Millennial digital savvy.
“In addition to mornings on-air, the show will be an integral part of V-103's digital content initiative,” Caffey said in January in a press release I never received. “We look forward to celebrating the city’s urban culture and to providing our listeners with fresh, engaging content on all the platforms we know they love.”
Jade (real name Linday Fields) has 458,000 Instagram followers, up from 362,000 in January. She is an R&B singer and songwriter who release an album last year called "All Blue." She did not have any radio experience. A vegan, she is married and previously lived in Los Angeles.
Credit: V-103. JR Jackson, Frank Ski and Jade Novah.
Credit: V-103. JR Jackson, Frank Ski and Jade Novah.
