I am disappointed and dismayed that we are beginning a new year without a radio station in the St. Louis area that do not have programs committed to the uplifting and enrichment of the African American community, minorities or poor people in general.
We will soon be celebrating the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and it is ironic that in 1967, Dr. King said “Black radio displayed an intricate part in helping keep the Civil Rights Movement alive and Black folks used the radio as their primary source of information”.
In 2008, there are no local stations, except for a few hours on Sunday mornings, providing vital news and information directed to African Americans. This is shameful, especially when you realize that Black talk and information radio was responsible for the election of the city’s first black mayor, the city’s first black police chief ,the city’s first black superintendent of public schools and the city’s first black fire chief.
I started the trend in 1979, and a host of others followed. Until recently there were a number of daily talk shows. We had Hank Thompson, Lizz Brown, Onion Horton, Mark Kasen, Ishmael Lateef, Craig Riggins and Keith Antone Willis, Zaki Baruti, Denise Williams, John O’Day, Deneen Busby, Gentry Trotter, Bob Law, Bob Lawrence, Lady Dee, Rev. Cleo Willis and others. They have been replaced by entertainment and sports. Yes, gospel music is a form of entertainment, and these stations are keeping us relatively in the dark. You will no longer hear of the special school board meetings, or plans such as the intention of the Board of Aldermen to reduce your representation in city government, or other issues that will impact your life and your quality of life.
When and where will you hear “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, or hear a Malcolm X speech? Except for the Black Press, how will you know of the good events happening in your church, school or neighborhood? You will know of the shows at the local clubs and the movies coming to your neighborhood, but that is about all. Except for KWMU and KDHX, there would be a void of information ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’.
The Black talk show hosts were the communities ‘conversationalist’, the communicators that provided neighborhood news and they gave positive images of us in our churches, in education and provided historical facts that were omitted in popular culture and in schoolbooks. They let us know that we are important.
Cathy Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Radio-One, Inc. the seventh largest radio conglomerate in the United States and the owner of Foxy 95.5 FM in St. Louis, but they are primarily dedicated to music and entertainment.
People of color have been essentially ignored because of the lack of diversity in the public airwaves, and misguided policies have concentrated radio station ownership in a few hands and denied two-thirds of the American people an opportunity to serve the needs of their communities. It is shameful and we as a community should develop a comprehensive strategy to correct this inequality and unfairness. We must demand that local radio stations recognize the minority communities and provide media as a basic public community service. They should earmark funds to encourage training programs for minority media professionals and highlight the need of media education for ethnic minorities and immigrants.
I am certain that we are getting what we deserve, and if ignorance is bliss, we must be the happiest people on the planet.
Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Dr. King!
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or by e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net