WWPR and WQHT have not done anything wrong, "Hip Hop" stations, whether the market conditions and preference be "Urban" or "Chr-Rhythmic", have been the current based stations all over the nation that have been hit the worst in regards to people not using terrestrial radio to hear and discover current based music (obviously these stations play gold and re-currents but they are not exclusively or majority gold based stations).
Take Glass Animals "Heatwaves". I heard it on Triple J in Australia, and it was a one listen obvious hit song, sticking out big time amongst the playlist of what many would consider "Obscure" music.
From my first listen and factual conclusion that this was a smash hit song, it took 2 years! actually a total of 25 months for that song to become a U.S radio airplay #1. Not a single USA station gave it a spin until almost a year later. Even worse, this obvious hit song stalled on the CHR chart at #25, only to be brought back a few months later and go #1. The same "we failed to know it was one of the best songs of the entire year" crap happened also to Dua Lipa's "Levitate".
This failure to invest in bringing in people with ears who can hear a hit song and react correctly on not just the true hits, but also be among the first to know to avoid a stiff entirely or see the stiff car crash ahead as the rest of the USA CHR stations are putting their foot down on the gas pedal, has caught up to Current based USA radio. Combine that with the further online "gas on the fire" of fragmentation eroding "Mass Appeal" possibilities, and you end up with CHR/Hip-hop/Alt that have long ago lost their ability to set the trends, or at the very least follow the trends in real time rather than having light years of delayed reaction time to them.
Country has always been slow, and some rigged crap goes on with setting a week as the one that a certain song get to go #1. Even them, who really are doing current based formats in USA radio the best, didn't jump right away when "Fancy Like" was popping off with their P1s and the most mass appeal song for them to play at the moment. Then you have "Drunk and don't I wanna go home", which was the absolute perfect country female anthem out the gate, which took over a year for Country radio to even take notice of it.
I'd say that there is a much brighter future in regards to hip hop stations, playing the gold "throwbacks" then trying to throw together a current based playlist where consensus hits are few and far between, and mostly burnt and yesterday's news by the time that radio starts giving the song power rotation. Beyoncé can just do an extremely boring and mediocre rip off of "Show me love" and blow ish up big time! Yeah, jump all over it out the gate, but also be mindful that it's going to burn out quickly and is in no way a "longevity" record.
The great news for terrestrial radio is that Classic and Adult hits have a titanium playlist of late 70s, 80s, and some 90s songs that continue to only endure in the upper demos, but the younger demos are also coming to those radio stations to hear their favorite songs a good 10-15 years or so before they were even born!
We are sick to death of them, but "Take on me", "Don't stop believing", Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, "Jessie's girl" "don't you forget about me", "Don't you want me", "Always something there to remind me", "Pour some sugar", "Shook me all night long".....these songs will never burn out or get old with a wide multi-cultural age group of teens through those in their 50s.
Smash the heck out of them and then have an air-personality who doesn't stop the music and can add entertainment value by commenting on the current things happening (positively or the right cynical temperament in moderation) worldwide, nation, and lot's of local where relevant, along with lifestyle, everyday, commonalities to share mixed up with some humor, and relatability. Build that freaking relationship every darn break, no mailing it in, and that's what we got in radio that no one else can duplicate!
Ok, that about sums it up. Someone else can 'Take These Reigns' and talk about how the conglomerates look to liquidize their assets, can't seem to create synergy between mediums where their App is more crap then their on-air offerings, and next level monetizing between clusters and their online ish.
I don't do hate, I love radio, and it's not been totally destroyed just yet! I must hold out hope!