1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: a show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're looking at a milestone 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: in radio history, the day when the first black radio 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: station took to the airwaves. The day was October three. 7 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 1: Word Radio became the first station owned and operated by 8 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: Black Americans. The station was located at fifty Hillard Street 9 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: in the Sweet Auburn district of Atlanta, Georgia. It was 10 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: purchased by local bank president and accounting professor Jesse B. Blayton, Sr. 11 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: For the price of fifty thousand dollars. Housed in a small, 12 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: all unassuming brick building, it wasn't the largest radio station 13 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: in town, and with just one thousand lots of power, 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: it wasn't the most wide reaching one either, But Blaton 15 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: hoped that Word that's w e r D could still 16 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: serve as a way to reach and engage with the 17 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: city's black community, and in the next two decades that followed, 18 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: that's exactly what it did. Jesse Blayton was no stranger 19 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: to making history in night. After several years of teaching 20 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: accounting and more House College, Blayton decided to become an 21 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: accountant himself. That year, he took and successfully passed the 22 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: Georgia Accounting Examination. This made him the fourth African American 23 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: in the country to become a certified public accountant and 24 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: the first black c PA ever in the state of Georgia. 25 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: Two years later, Blayton took a job as professor of 26 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: accounting at the University of Atlanta. During the early years 27 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: of his tenure there, he was heartened by the low 28 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: number of young African Americans pursuing his profession. By that point, 29 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: Blayton had opened his own accounting practice and was the 30 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: founding president of Georgia's Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association. 31 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 1: He wanted the next generation of Black Americans to take 32 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: a similar hands on role in the financial sector, but 33 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: due to segregation and other racist practices, most black students 34 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: he spoke to felt discouraged from entering such professions. That 35 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: realization sent Blaton in search of a way to bolster 36 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 1: the confidence of Atlanta's Black community and to make its 37 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: members feel more connected and engaged with one another. With 38 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: that aim in mind, he purchased a small, floundering radio 39 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: station and changed its format to Black appeal programming aimed 40 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: specifically at young African Americans. Blayton was clear about his 41 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: intentions for the station, saying, quote, my purpose is to 42 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: put on programs which will aid in creating more goodwill 43 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: between the race is in this area, and I wish 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: to say that my desire is to create that goodwill 45 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: within the existing pattern of this community. I believe strongly 46 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: in this pattern and am going to do everything I 47 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: can to maintain it and strengthen it. It was a 48 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: noble goal, but accomplishing it wouldn't be easy for starters. 49 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 1: The black owned station was only allowed to broadcast from 50 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 1: sunrise to sunset, a restriction that wasn't placed on other 51 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: white owned stations. In addition, Word was only allocated one 52 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: thousand watts of power, which meant its radio signal wasn't 53 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: strong enough to reach the outer edge of the city 54 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: or the surrounding suburbs. Despite these limitations, Word Radio still 55 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: found a healthy sized audience when it first went on 56 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: the air on October three. At the time, roughly a 57 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,119 Speaker 1: third of Atlanta's three hundred and thirty one thousand residents 58 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: were African American, and the majority of them lived well 59 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: within the station's range. Of course, Jesse Blade and Senior 60 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: had his hands pretty full with teaching classes and running 61 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: a bank. He didn't have much time left over to 62 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: run a radio station as well. Soon after buying it, 63 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: he hired his son, Jesse Jr. To act as station 64 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: manager in his stead. Jesse turned out to have a 65 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: keen eye for talent, eventually bringing on veteran Atlanta DJ 66 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: jockey Jack Gibson to serve as the voice of Word. 67 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: Jesse Jr. Also replaced the previous station's all white staff 68 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,479 Speaker 1: with a team of black announcers and hired Joe Howard, 69 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: Roosevelt Johnson, and Jimmy Winnington to plan the station's programming. 70 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: Those three men, along with d J. Gibson, became known 71 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,039 Speaker 1: as the station's Four Horsemen, a misleadingly ominous nickname for 72 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: some of the most esteemed and well liked radio personalities 73 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,239 Speaker 1: of the era. A bit later, Jesse Jr. Also brought 74 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: on a de facto fifth horseman, program director, Ken Knight. 75 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: With this all star crew in place, Word Radio quickly 76 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: became a hit with Atlanta's black community. Not only did 77 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: it play good music from a mix of genres like 78 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: R and B, jazz, and gospel. It also provided local news, 79 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: educational shows, radio plays, and church services. The station served 80 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: as a rare platform for local black musicians and community leaders, 81 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: voices who otherwise wouldn't be heard publicly in the Jim 82 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: Crow South. As the civil rights movement marched on through 83 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties, the station found itself uniquely positioned to 84 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: serve as a mouthpiece for its leaders. That's because Word 85 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: was located in the same Masonic building as the headquarters 86 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or the SCLC. In fact, 87 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: the office of the group's founder, Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. 88 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: Was directly below the second floor station. According to D. J. Gibson, 89 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: that arrangement led to a system where Dr King would 90 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: just hit the ceiling of his office with a broomstick 91 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: whenever he wanted to make an announcement on air. Her 92 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,720 Speaker 1: Sometimes King would go up to the studio to broadcast 93 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: his message, but if time was tight, Gibson would simply 94 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: lower a microphone to him through the studio window. In 95 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: that way, Word Radio played a critical role in the 96 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: civil rights movement, allowing for the coordination of marches and 97 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: other events, and for the dissemination of civic messages like 98 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: encouraging black citizens to vote. Word Radio was so successful 99 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: that in nineteen fifty four, the Blatants were able to 100 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: purchase a second station, k r e L in Baytown, Texas, 101 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: just outside of Houston. As for the Atlanta original, it 102 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: remained on the air until nineteen sixty eight, when Jesse 103 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: Blaton Senior retired and sold the station. Although he was 104 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: out of the radio business, Professor Blaton continued to play 105 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,599 Speaker 1: an active role in his community right up until his 106 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: death on September seven, nineteen seventy seven. In recognition of 107 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: his pioneering work, he was posthumously inducted into the nash 108 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:05,239 Speaker 1: Stional Radio Hall of Fame. In the building that once 109 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: housed Word Radio now pulls triple duty, operating as a museum, 110 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: events space and an active hair salon. It's current owner, 111 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: hair Stylus recy de Forest, only meant to use the 112 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: storefront as a salon, but after he leased it and 113 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,239 Speaker 1: learned the building's historic past, he decided the space should 114 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: also serve as a tribute to two of its most 115 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: famous former tenants. The first, of course, is Jesse Blayton Sr. 116 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: And visitors can learn more about black radio history by 117 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: perusing the museum's collection of vinyl records and other historic 118 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: items from the station's heyday. The other portion of the 119 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: museum is devoted to beauty product mogul Madam C. J. Walker, 120 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: and features an assortment of mid century hair tools from 121 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: when the building served as one of her beauty shops 122 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: and salons. We'll save Walker's story for another day, but 123 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: as a fellow self made back entrepreneur, she and Jesse 124 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: Clayton Sr. Seem right at home again. I'm Gabe Lousier 125 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 126 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. You can learn even more 127 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 128 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: at t D I HC Show, and if you have 129 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 130 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: way at this day at iHeart media dot com. Also, 131 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: if you find yourself in Atlanta this afternoon, head down 132 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: to the intersection of Auburn Avenue and Hillard Street for 133 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: a pop up block party celebrating the birthday of Word Radio. 134 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: You can stop by the Madam Museum and get a 135 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: haircut while you're at him. Thanks to Chandler Mays for 136 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. I'll 137 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: see you back here again tomorrow for another day in 138 00:08:51,880 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: history class.