September 21, 2013

WERD - The First Black Owned Radio Station

Dr. King outside the S.C.L.C. offices in
Atlanta. WERD 860 is in the background.
WERD 860 was the first radio station owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia on October 3, 1949.

WERD Atlanta was the first radio station owned and operated by African-Americans. Jesse B. Blayton Sr., an accountant, bank president, and Atlanta University professor, purchased WERD in 1949 for $50,000. He changed the station format to "black appeal" and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager.

"Jockey" Jack Gibson (later known as Jack the Rapper) was hired and by 1951 he was the most popular DJ in Atlanta. The station was housed in the Masonic building on Auburn Avenue, then one of the wealthiest black neighborhoods in the United States. Located in that same building was the headquarters of the newly formed Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It has been said that King would beat the roof of the office with a broomstick as a signal to send the microphone down when he wanted to make public addresses. [source]



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August 1, 2013

The Godfather of Rap - "Jocko"


The legendary DJ Douglas "Jocko" Henderson


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Today's Urban Radio was once known as Black Radio. But before that the term "Negro Radio" was often used to describe stations that played "race music" or music recordings of Blues, Gospel, Jazz and Rhythm & Blues.

Many stations were first to play Rock'n Roll music from the likes of Elvis Presley and others. The established mainstream White stations who played Frank Sinatra and others who were popular during the period right after World War II did not want to offend their listeners by playing Rock 'n Roll or Doo-Wop music.

The result was that many Black radio stations and DJ's in the 1950's gained enormous followings among both Black and White listeners. This is the history of Black Radio.