Los Angeles radio is taking another hit, and this time it’s happening at one of the most recognizable Hip Hop stations in America. Rosecrans Vic, whose real name is Victor Ulloa, has exited Meruelo Media’s legendary Power 106 KPWR amid additional reported cuts across the company’s Los Angeles operation. And while corporate executives may see another name disappearing from the payroll, anybody who understands the culture of Southern California Hip Hop knows there’s a much bigger story here. Vic wasn’t simply somebody hired to talk between records. He helped build an audience before Power 106 ever handed him a microphone.
And that makes this departure different.
Back in 2014, Ulloa launched the Rosecrans Avenue Hip Hop blog, creating a platform dedicated to the artists, neighborhoods, and emerging sounds that weren’t always getting attention from mainstream media.
He understood something that major radio companies sometimes forget: the next big artist doesn’t always come with a record label’s promotional budget. Sometimes they’re making music down the street.
That commitment to independent Hip Hop helped establish Vic as a voice within the Los Angeles music community.
In 2021, he joined forces with Letty Peniche and DoKnow to launch the Brown Bag Podcast, combining music, comedy, Latino culture, and conversations that sounded like they actually belonged in Southern California.
By February 2023, the concept had found its way onto Power 106, with Vic and DoKnow joining Letty in morning drive.
DoKnow would eventually depart, but Vic remained part of a show that connected the station’s heritage with a younger generation of listeners.
Now his chapter at Power has ended.
Brown Bag Mornings continues with Letty, Cristian “Concrete” Gutierrez, producer Angie Fernandez, and DJ Greg C.
But here’s the question worth asking.
When radio hires personalities because of their authentic connections to a community, what happens when those personalities disappear?
Los Angeles isn’t just another radio market.
From Compton and Inglewood to East Los Angeles, South Gate, and Long Beach, the city’s Hip Hop identity has been shaped by neighborhoods, independent artists, local DJs, and people willing to champion music before the rest of the country caught on.
Power 106 has been part of that history for decades.
And broadcasters like Vic help keep those connections alive.
The reasons behind the latest cuts haven’t been fully established publicly, and no next destination has been announced for Ulloa.
But there’s one thing worth remembering.
Power 106 gave Rosecrans Vic a bigger microphone. It didn’t create Rosecrans Vic.
He built his identity through hard work, relationships, and an understanding of a music community that existed long before his radio career.
And those relationships don’t disappear because somebody takes away a station badge.
For an industry constantly searching for authenticity, there’s something almost painfully ironic about losing someone who already brought it to the building.
Congratulations to Vic on what he’s accomplished, and here’s hoping the next chapter gives him the freedom to keep doing what he does best.
Because you can take Rosecrans Vic off Power 106. But you can’t take Rosecrans out of Rosecrans Vic.
And Los Angeles knows the difference.
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