Jesse Blayton
WERD, America's First Black Radio Station, Began Operating In Atlanta, Georgia On October 3, 1949. Jesse B. Blayton Sr. Became The First Black Radio Station Owner And Operator In The United States When He Bought The Station.
The Station Was Originally Scheduled To Begin Broadcasting In Mid-August, But Racially Motivated Vandalism Of A $5,000 Steel Tower Delayed The Opening.
WERD Was Managed By Magic City Broadcasting Company And Was "operated by Negro personnel for Negro patronage." According To The New York Times It Was "devoted to education, music and religious programs, with nothing of a 'controversial nature' on the air."
WERD Was Housed In The Same Building As The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters. The SCLC Was 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.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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WERD, America's First Black Radio Station, Began Operating In Atlanta, Georgia On October 3, 1949. Jesse B. Blayton Sr. Became The First Black Radio Station Owner And Operator In The United States When He Bought The Station.
The Station Was Originally Scheduled To Begin Broadcasting In Mid-August, But Racially Motivated Vandalism Of A $5,000 Steel Tower Delayed The Opening.
WERD Was Managed By Magic City Broadcasting Company And Was "operated by Negro personnel for Negro patronage." According To The New York Times It Was "devoted to education, music and religious programs, with nothing of a 'controversial nature' on the air."
WERD Was Housed In The Same Building As The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters. The SCLC Was 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.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
