Greater Media unveils Hot 96.9

After a week of toying with listeners by changing the format of 96.9 FM almost every day, Greater Media announced on Tuesday that the station — formerly the all-talk WTKK — has become Hot 96.9, the Rhythm of Boston. The station will play dance music from the '80s, '90s, and today, meaning Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Usher, and maybe some Mary J. Blige, according to veteran Boston radio personality Pebbles, who'll helm the station’s morning show. Pebbles invited us to her new office on Tuesday and told us of the gig, “the stars just aligned.” She was laid off from Clear Channel’s JAM’N 94.5 early in December, and the Hot 96.9 job popped up just weeks later. Of course, she’s still coping with the fact that her new job will have her competing with her former cohost, Ramiro, who’s still on JAM'N. “He’s a friend of mine,” she said, adding, with a smile, “We’re both professionals. We both want to win.” Pebbles says she’s in the process of finding talent to join her on air. Maybe she’ll have another cohost, or perhaps a team of sidekicks. Regardless, she says she’ll continue to do what she loves most — talking to the listeners. Pebbles says she was stunned by the outpouring of love she received from fans after being dropped from JAM’N. “It was overwhelming,” she said. “It was beautiful.” Pebbles’s morning show will begin after the station plays 13,000 songs in a row, a marathon that started at 11 a.m. Tuesday.