WERD
Encyclopedia
WERD was the first radio station
owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia
in early October 1949.
WERD Atlanta was the first radio station owned and operated by African-Americans. (WDIA
in Memphis
was on the air in 1948 doing black—or Negro as it was called back then—programming, but the owners were not African American). 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 aappeal" and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager. . "Jockey" Jack Gibson was hired and by 1951 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 new 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.
WERD was at 860 AM. While WDIA had Nat D. Williams, WERD had "Jockey Jack" Gibson, a friend of Blayton from Chicago
. Blayton sold the station in 1968.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in early October 1949.
WERD Atlanta was the first radio station owned and operated by African-Americans. (WDIA
WDIA
WDIA is an AM radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America. Its radio frequency is 1070 kHz. In 1962 it became the first U.S. radio station programmed by African-Americans, though its ownership was white.-History:...
in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
was on the air in 1948 doing black—or Negro as it was called back then—programming, but the owners were not African American). 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 aappeal" and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager. . "Jockey" Jack Gibson was hired and by 1951 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 new Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
, 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.
WERD was at 860 AM. While WDIA had Nat D. Williams, WERD had "Jockey Jack" Gibson, a friend of Blayton from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Blayton sold the station in 1968.