On Friday, Dec. 23, KNOU-FM, a local New Orleans hip-hop station, became a national radio station broadcasting on the Internet with the mission of reconnecting the hundreds of thousands of Katrina families with the city many of them have not seen since they were displaced around the nation last September.

KNOU-FM - or HOT 104.5 - is New Orleans' only minority owned hip-hop radio station. Owned and operated by On Top Communications, Inc., KNOU has delivered a 24/ 7 hip-hip format in the Crescent City since 2002. On Top Communications also owns WJRH-FM in Jackson, Mississippi, WRXZ-FM/ WFFM-FM in Albany, Georgia and WWHV-FM in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“It's time for the hip-hop generation to use the power of our music and the Internet to rebuild our community one beat at a time,” said Jeffery Reese, production manager and host of KNOU's popular “Big Ass Morning Show.“ “Since the Katrina disaster caused many of our people to be taken away from the station, we're using the Internet to take the station to the people and give them the critical information they desperately need to rebuild their lives.”

Reese, also known on-air as 'Big Herc', of New Orleans' KNOU-FM, HOT 104.5, is determined to reunite New Orleans through the power of the radio airwaves. Only three weeks after Hurricane Katrina destroyed so much of the Gulf Coast, New Orleans' leading hip-hop station was back on the air, with the hope of bringing some normalcy to the residents who remained in New Orleans.

The employees of KNOU, whose staff dropped from 15 to four in just three weeks following Katrina, are now operating under a new mantra inspired by the call letters of their radio station: Keeping New Orleans United. The 'Big Ass Morning Show' is rapidly booking live interviews with national leaders like Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and music icons like Harry Connick Jr. and OutKast's Andre 3000.

“The national media spotlight may have shifted from New Orleans, but our story still goes on every day,"“says Congressman Jefferson, D-Louisiana. “I commend KNOU's commitment to keep its listeners and the nation informed about the New Orleans recovery. The hip-hop community can be a cornerstone in the reconstruction of our city, the Gulf region and our nation.”

Founded in 1999, BroadcastUrban is a streaming media company that pioneered the Internet's first urban radio network, now reaching over six million listeners nationwide. Endorsed by the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, today BroadcastUrban provides the webcast technology for a variety of station formats, including smooth jazz, oldies, news/ talk, R&B, hip-hop and adult contemporary.

The Washington, D.C., based streaming media company is donating the equipment, manpower and webcast technology to make KNOU's national broadcast possible. “BroadcastUrban's streaming technology is our Christmas gift to New Orleans,” says BroadcastUrban CEO Jesse Wineberry. "One day, everyone will be back together in this great city. But until then, we're going to help KNOU 'Keep New Orleans United' every day at www.KNOUFM.com."

For more information on the Keeping New Orleans United campaign, contact Darrell Johnson, KNOU program director, at (504) 833-4456 x204 or darrell200468@yahoo.com  or Curtis Midkiff at (202) 722-4444 or curtis@broadcasturban.com .

Visit KNOU FM at http://www.knoufm.com