These Memphis icons support Black radio – and their communities
Bev Johnson has been in radio for nearly 50 years.
“There are a lot of stories,” she says of her time in the field. She is currently a veteran host at WDIA in Memphis, Tennessee, and a pioneer in Black radio since 1948.
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In an age where TikTok and podcasts reign supreme, what role do radio icons from the Black community play? Leaders in Memphis, Tennessee provide an example of how true legacy media can survive and thrive.
From the making of papyrus to the ingenuity of deciphering the Rosetta Stone, communication has always been essential and innovative in African culture.
It’s fitting that Memphis, home of the blues, bears the name of the capital of ancient Egypt. It is also striking that just as with the communication fingerprints in the land of the pyramids, there is a group of icons at the top of the Mississippi Delta who are the standard bearers for sharing information with the community via Black radio. These beacons, including Mrs. Johnson’s, have shone for generations.
“We’re a commercial station, but we consider ourselves a community station because we do a lot of things that serve our community,” says Art Gilliam Jr., owner of WLOK, Memphis’ first black-owned radio station. “This has been our philosophy from the beginning.”
From the making of papyrus to the ingenuity of deciphering the Rosetta Stone, communication has always been essential and innovative in African culture.
It is fitting that the home of the blues shares the name of the capital of ancient Egypt – Memphis. It is also noteworthy that, as with the communication fingerprints in the land of the pyramids, there is a group of lighthouses at the top of the Mississippi Delta and they are the standard bearers for sharing information with the community via Black radio.
Like other black institutions in America, black radio stations are often in danger. However, this serious and strenuous reality always gives way to spirituality. These icons of Memphis, Tennessee provide an example of how true legacy media has survived and thrived.
Why did we write this?
Story focused on
In an age where TikTok and podcasts reign supreme, what role do radio icons from the Black community play? Leaders in Memphis, Tennessee provide an example of how true legacy media can survive and thrive.
“So many stories”
Since October 1948, WDIA has been the longest-running black-programmed radio station in the United States.
“There are a lot of stories,” says Bev Johnson, a station employee. decorated Hosts. “WDIA Save She adds: “Motel Lorraine – National Civil Rights Museum” on the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
Ms. Johnson has been involved in radio for nearly 50 years. At WDIA, it has had its own program since 1987, when the show’s director was inspired after Oprah Winfrey’s television debut to create it. Both women share the title of “Queen of Talk.”
The host is lively and bold. On a recent Thursday afternoon, she was wearing a black jacket bearing the Greek letters Delta Sigma Theta, and a T-shirt underneath that read: “Black mixed with crimson and cream since 1913.” Delta of the Mississippi Delta.
The small turquoise reprint poster located directly behind Mrs. Johnson provides insight into WDIA’s proud heritage. Featuring Nat D. Williams, who became the station’s first black disc jockey in 1948. He also pioneered what was then called “Black Appeal Radio,” which greatly considered how to attract black listeners in terms of media and advertising. “Nat Williams tells them what to buy,” the colorful poster says.
But Mr. Williams was more than just a pitching man, Ms. Johnson explains.
“He was a history teacher. One of the things I liked about WDIA was that the on-air personalities were educated blacks,” she says.
Her career began similarly to those of most African Americans, with roots traced back to a historically black college or university. Ms. Johnson was a graduate student in mass communications at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, and aspired to become a television news reporter. She filled in for a student at her college radio station, WJSU, and performed so well that the radio station WJMI down the street offered her a job on a recurring basis.
Nearly five decades later, Ms. Johnson’s sincere intentions and resume speak for themselves. There is informal talk about working for Sam Phillips, the man who “discovered” Elvis Presley and produced records for the likes of B.B. King and Johnny Cash. She talks about everything on air, from relationships to politics, and specifically, encouraging people to get out and vote. It’s the kind of intimacy and community that suits WDIA.
What truly set WDIA apart, and made it worthy of its nickname, “The Goodwill Station,” was the way it rallied the community behind it. The April 13, 1982 issue of The New York Times contains condition About a WDIA fundraiser that raised $120,000 for Mound Bayou, Mississippi, an all-black city facing bankruptcy. The image that sticks in people’s memories is the 800-vehicle convoy that packed Highway 61 in support of Mound Bayou.
“They said you couldn’t even see the end of the cars,” says Karen McCrary, Memphis market president for iHeartMedia, which owns WDIA. “This all happened because of WDIA, because that was the only way people could have known [give money]”.
“It’s always been a goodwill station,” Ms. Johnson says.
Memphis’ first black-owned radio station is giving back
The sparkle emanating from a silver historical marker might catch one’s attention on their way to the National Civil Rights Museum. At the top, the sign says “WLOK Radio Station.” At the bottom, it says “Family Tradition” – the station’s motto.
The oldest – and first – black-owned radio station in Memphis is owned by Gilliam Communications. He holds the title of president, CEO and owner Art Gilliam Jr., a man “of many firsts,” as the WLOK website notes. He was the first African American to write for a Memphis trade magazine, and was the first black reporter and anchor on television in Memphis. In 1977, under the guidance of civil rights activist and former NAACP leader Benjamin Hooks, Mr. Gilliam purchased WLOK.
Nearly half a century later, WLOK is known to give back to the community through annual scholarships and various events, such as the Stone Soul Picnic and the Black Film Festival. A fixture for decades, the Stone Soul Picnic is a free gospel concert featuring the likes of the Bar-Kays and The Canton Spirituals. Investing is a way of life for the Gilliam family, as evidenced by the elder’s choice of career.
“My father worked at Universal Life Insurance Co. …Before you had full integration, or even the beginnings of integration, there were a number of black companies that were huge. “My world was one,” he says. “He got promoted a few times, and we came to Memphis. … My father was the most influential person in my life.
Immigration was not just a source of mobility and opportunity for blacks. As Mr. Gilliam explains, it was a necessity.
“I’m 81. When Emmett Till was killed in Mississippi, you were a little younger than I am [he was]“I ended up getting my education in Connecticut,” Mr. Gilliam says sadly. “And then I came back to Memphis.
Once he returned home — and later purchased WLOK — the goal was to provide that feeling of home throughout the community.
“We’re a commercial station, but we consider ourselves a community station because we do a lot of things that serve our community. That’s been our philosophy from the beginning,” says Mr. Gilliam. “Because you’re so close to the community and because people listen to you, you get a chance to advocate for things that are important.” Such as education and housing.
“Responsibility towards society”
Howard Robertson shares a birthday with WDIA: June 7. Considering the fact that he and the station are in their 70s, they are practically twins.
Like WDIA, Mr. Robertson, co-founder of Trust Marketing & Communications, has a legacy of upward mobility and media influence. His mother was a teacher, and his father worked for the US Postal Service. It is worth noting that Mr. Robertson worked for the famous company Stax Recordsthe famous house of southern soul and blues music.
Even as a child, he knew what he wanted to do in life. In essence, becoming a DJ is of a different order.
“I’m in this business because I was, apparently, a geeky kid, and there was something that attracted me at a very young age about advertising.” Mr. Robertson defines the job as “the ability to get into people’s minds and get them to do something they never thought of doing in the first place.”
“The first national radio ad I ever heard was a Tide ad [detergent] spot. “Tide was advertised on WDIA, and I was listening to the commercials,” he adds. “They were smart enough at the time to advertise [on Black radio]. “They would give the radio announcers some points and let them improvise.”
Creativity has become a hallmark of Mr. Robertson’s career, but more importantly so has the family. He co-founded a media empire with his wife, Beverly Robertson, who also served as president of the National Civil Rights Museum. Including Trust, they have built a media triumvirate — with Spotset Radio Network, which has more than 100 stations, and Play Ode, a Black-owned radio streaming app geared toward podcasting and news.
While the couple has been part of Memphis’ media and business scene for decades, they’ve also stayed true to the roots of their neighborhood. Through her previous work at the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Robertson began initiative In 2019, titled “Taking to the Streets,” she and other community leaders held public forums in neighborhood centers. Later, You have led from protest to progresswhich challenged community and corporate leaders to find solutions to racial and generational discrepancies.
Their children are also prominently involved in the work. Adrienne King, their eldest daughter, is the Trust’s vice president and project manager. Ryan Robertson, the youngest, is the company’s president. Howard III, or “Trey,” works at the Library of Congress. The message of community service was not lost on the next generation.
“You have to be entertained, but you can’t stop there. We have a responsibility to the community to empower and ensure that the information that is put out is truthful and accurate,” Ryan says. “I think what prevents a lot of black media from moving forward in the empowerment space is Investment. That’s why it’s our mission to ensure national advertising dollars flow to local Black-owned broadcast stations.