Voice of the People: an Examination of Black Radio

The central theme of my thesis is the analysis of Black radio, as it has come to be, from its beginnings in the mid-thirties to present day. In particular I want to look at the ways in which radio has been used as a catalyst for change in the black community particularly in the social, cultural, artistic, and political realms. The use of public broadcasting, even in its early days, served a large role in deciphering the careers of the artists whose music was being played. For early black musicians, having their music played over the airwaves meant that their audiences could grow exponentially bigger and it became much easier to widen their fan bases this way. I also want to examine the role of the Black DJ as exemplary of the New Negro identity. The first pioneers of black radio were it's DJs. They were ordinary people who were facing the same segregation and discriminatory issues as other blacks were, yet they found a way to reach out to overcome those obstacles. Using radio, they serve the community and create a common voice that would instill a sense of solidarity in people that would probably never be close enough geographically feel close in a such the way they did.  Early black DJ's were somewhat of "cultural heroes", as they were often looked to by rural and newly migrated black urban populations as a social, political, and economic compass. In the text Legendary Pioneers of Black Radio, Author Gilbert Williams explains of black DJs, "..they were truly of the people. Black DJs became cultural heroes because they were the vanguard of African-American culture. As thousands of African Americans left farms and plantations, they needed someone to tell them how to survive in the concrete jungles of urban America. Black DJs performed this vital role." In his text, Gilbert also discussed how early black DJs were greatly admired by their listeners. Many of their followers were blacks who were freshly migrated from the south and felt greatly uprooted and bewildered in their new radically different cities. For them, African-American DJs provided them with a guiding voice and a sense of familiarity and relief. With the guidance of a few pervasive black radio personalities, black radio made great strides. The late 1940s saw both the first all-black radio station (WDIA, based out of memphis) and the first black-owned radio station (WERD, Atlanta) WERD was, incidentally, housed in the same building as the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Council) headquarters. Reportedly, Dr. King was at the SCLC headquarters often and would use a broom to bang on the ceiling and signal to WERD if he wanted to speak on the broadcast. This is just one of many ways that black radio was used as a source of political agency. Radio was invaluable to other groups, such as the Black Panther Party, as an instrument for mass communication of their agendas.
Through the 80s and 90s, black radio saw a mass commercialization and a sharp transition from the deep politicization it had underwent leading up to the civil rights movement. Presently, most radio stations are owned by one of only a few conglomerate corporations, and virtually no "black" stations remain. However, through the promotion of early black musicians, the advent of the black DJ as a cultural hero, and the capability to unify entire communities with a common voice, black radio played a critical role in the manifestation and mobilization of the New Negro identity.