WERD (Atlanta)

For other uses, see Werd.

WERD was the first radio station owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia on October 3, 1949, broadcasting on 860 AM (now used by WAEC). The National Black Radio Hall of Fame Atlanta Chapter is reopening WERD which still exists at its birth location and will also include a historical museum with it after renovations of the facility are completed. [1]

WERD in 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 then called—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 appeal" and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager.[2] "Jockey" Jack Gibson was hired and by 1951 he was the most popular DJ in Atlanta. Ken Knight from Daytona Beach, Florida was also hired to come in as the station's first Program Director.

The station is still housed in the Prince Hall Masonic Temple building on Auburn Avenue,[3] then one of the wealthiest black neighborhoods in the United States. Located in that same building was the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, formed in 1957, led by Martin Luther King Jr., and staffed by Ella Baker.[4][5] According to Gibson, King would tap the ceiling of SCLC office (just below WERD) with a broomstick to signal he had an announcement to make. Gibson would then lower a microphone from the studio window to King at the window below.[6]

WDIA, in Memphis, Tennessee, though white owned, had Nat D. Williams as part of the first radio station programmed entirely for African Americans, WERD had "Jockey Jack" Gibson, a friend of Blayton from Chicago.[7] Blayton sold the station in 1968.[8] Ken Knight purchased the callsign and took WERD to Jacksonville, Florida. He changed WRHC to WERD; until his death in 1973. For many years it was a gospel station there and the station decided to name the street WERD Radio Drive; as it is still named today.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Black Radio Hall of Fame". National Black Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Blayton, Jesse B., Sr. (1879–1977)". BlackPast.org. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  3. ^ "Sweet Auburn Avenue: The Buildings Tell Their Story".
  4. ^ "Jesse B. Blayton, Sr". Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  5. ^ Garrow, David (1986). Bearing the Cross. Morrow. ISBN 9780688047948.
  6. ^ Barlow, William (1999). Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio. Temple University Press. p. 208–209. ISBN 9781566396677.
  7. ^ Tom Opdyke, "Retro Scope – Life As It Used to Be – WERD Is a Word in Black History," The Atlanta Constitution, October 31, 1994.
  8. ^ "Jesse B. Blayton Jr., Headed Radio Station WERD for 20 Years," The Atlanta Constitution, November 8, 1986.


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a radio station in the state of Georgia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Read other articles:

العلاقات الإيرانية الفلسطينية

العلاقات الإيرانية الفلسطينية     إيران   فلسطين السفارات   السفير : صلاح الزواوي تعديل مصدري - تعديل   أحد شوارع مدينة نيسابور الإيرانية على اسم فلسطين تؤيد جمهورية إيران الإسلامية رسمياً قيام دولة فلسطينية، حيث تعتبر فلسطين دولة ذات سيادة. يرفض آية ...

 

 

العلاقات الأرمينية البحرينية

العلاقات الأرمينية البحرينية أرمينيا البحرين   أرمينيا   البحرين تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات الأرمينية البحرينية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين أرمينيا والبحرين.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية للدولتين: وجه ال...

 

 

Atmel ARM-based processors

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Atmel ARM-based processors are microcontrollers and microprocessors integrated circuits, by Microchip Technology (previously Atmel), that are based on various 32-bit ARM processor cores, with in-house designed peripherals and tool support....

Синелобый амазон

Синелобый амазон Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:ЖивотныеПодцарство:ЭуметазоиБез ранга:Двусторонне-симметричныеБез ранга:ВторичноротыеТип:ХордовыеПодтип:ПозвоночныеИнфратип:ЧелюстноротыеНадкласс:ЧетвероногиеКлада:АмниотыКлада:ЗавропсидыКласс:Пт�...

 

 

Papa Vitaliano

Papa Vitaliano76º papa della Chiesa cattolicaElezione30 luglio 657 Fine pontificato27 gennaio 672(14 anni e 181 giorni) Predecessorepapa Eugenio I Successorepapa Adeodato II  NascitaSegni, ? MorteRoma, 27 gennaio 672 SepolturaAntica basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano Manuale San Vitaliano Papa  NascitaSegni, ? MorteRoma, 27 gennaio 672 Venerato daChiesa cattolica, Chiese ortodosse Santuario principaleBasilica di San Pietro in Vaticano Ricorrenza27 gennaio: ...

 

 

Saint-Médard (Charente Marittima)

Saint-MédardcomuneSaint-Médard – Veduta LocalizzazioneStato Francia Regione Nuova Aquitania Dipartimento Charente Marittima ArrondissementJonzac CantoneJonzac TerritorioCoordinate45°23′57″N 0°21′14″W / 45.399167°N 0.353889°W45.399167; -0.353889 (Saint-Médard)Coordinate: 45°23′57″N 0°21′14″W / 45.399167°N 0.353889°W45.399167; -0.353889 (Saint-Médard) Altitudine38-91 m s.l.m. Superficie3,69 km² Abitanti8...

Democratic Progressive Party

Taiwanese political party For other uses, see Democratic Progressive Party (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Democratic Progressive Party – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Democratic Progressive P...

 

 

Oreste Scalzone

Italian Marxist intellectual and activist Oreste Scalzone Oreste Scalzone (born 26 January 1947) is an Italian Marxist intellectual and one of the founders of the communist organization Potere Operaio.[1] Scalzone was born in Terni, Umbria. In 1968 he came to know Franco Piperno, and on 1 March that year he took part in the clashes against Italian police at Valle Giulia. A few days later his vertebral column was seriously injured by a desk thrown from a window by neofascist students, ...

 

 

Cakram optik Nintendo

Cakram optik NintendoKaset GameCube (kiri) dan kaset Wii (kanan)Jenis mediaRead-only optical discPenyandianDigitalKapasitasGameCube: 1.5 GBWii: 4.7 GB / 8.54 GBWii U: 25 GBMekanisme bacaLaserPengembangNintendoPanasonicDimensi fisikGCN: 8 cm ([convert: unit tak dikenal])Wii/Wii U:12 cm ([convert: unit tak dikenal])PenggunaanGameCubeWiiWii UCakram optik Nintendo adalah format cakram optik yang digunakan untuk mendistribusikan permainan video yang dirilis oleh Ninte...

Cabinet of Iceland

Collective decision-making body of the Icelandic government The Cabinet of Iceland and the Prime Minister's Office in Reykjavík. Politics of Iceland Government Constitution of Iceland Law Taxation Constitutional reform Legislature Althing Speaker Birgir Ármannsson (D) Members of Parliament Constituencies Executive President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (I) Prime Minister of Iceland Bjarni Benediktsson (D) Cabinet Judiciary Supreme Court of Iceland President Benedikt Bogason Justices o...

 

 

Unión SC

Spanish football club Football clubUniónFull nameUnión Sporting ClubNickname(s)Los CorinthiansFounded1922Dissolved1937GroundCampo da Florida, Vigo, Galicia, SpainCapacity3,000 Unión Sporting Club was a Spanish football team based in Vigo, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded in 1922, the club was dissolved in 1939. History Unión SC was founded in 1922, from a merge of Comercial Football Club and Victoria Sport Club. In the 1933–34 season, the club won the Tercera División, a...

 

 

Kenmare House

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (February 2016) Kenmare House 1726 Queen Victoria's Bed depicting the coming of the Brownes to Ireland Lord Castlerosse greets the Queen at Kenmare House Kenmare House flies the Royal Standard Kenmare House 2008 Kenmare House is located on the east shore of Lough Leane and was the principal residence ...

Северный морской котик

Северный морской котик Самец Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:ЖивотныеПодцарство:ЭуметазоиБез ранга:Двусторонне-симметричныеБез ранга:ВторичноротыеТип:ХордовыеПодтип:ПозвоночныеИнфратип:ЧелюстноротыеНадкласс:ЧетвероногиеКлада:АмниотыКлада:Синапси...

 

 

莎拉·阿什頓-西里洛

莎拉·阿什頓-西里洛2023年8月，阿什頓-西里洛穿著軍服出生 (1977-07-09) 1977年7月9日（46歲） 美國佛羅里達州国籍 美國别名莎拉·阿什頓（Sarah Ashton）莎拉·西里洛（Sarah Cirillo）金髮女郎（Blonde）职业記者、活動家、政治活動家和候選人、軍醫活跃时期2020年—雇主內華達州共和黨候選人（2020年）《Political.tips》（2020年—）《LGBTQ國度》（2022年3月—2022年10月）烏克蘭媒�...

 

 

Mesotelioma

Mesotelioma (Mesothelioma)CT scan menunjukkan sisi kiri Mesotelioma dengan mediastinal kelenjar getah bening yang membesar.Informasi umumNama lainMalignant mesotheliomaSpesialisasiOnkologiPenyebab~ 40 tahun setelah terpapar asbestos[1]Faktor risikoGenetika, terinfeksi Virus simian 40[1]Aspek klinisGejala dan tandasesak napas, perut membengkak, nyeri di dinding dada, batuk, rasa lelah, dan turun berat badan[2]KomplikasiCairan di sekitar paru[2]Awal munculSatu ka...

Carpe commune

Cyprinus carpio Pour les articles homonymes, voir carpe. Cyprinus carpio Carpe commune (phénotype sauvage).Classification Règne Animalia Embranchement Chordata Classe Actinopterygii Ordre Cypriniformes Super-famille Cyprinoidea Famille Cyprinidae Genre Cyprinus EspèceCyprinus carpioLinnaeus, 1758 Statut de conservation UICN VU A2ce : Vulnérable La carpe commune (Cyprinus carpio) est une espèce de poissons téléostéens de la famille des cyprinidés. Le nom de Carpe peut aussi dési...

 

 

Framing Britney Spears

2021 documentary television film Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Framing Britney SpearsTelevision release posterDirected bySamantha StarkStarring Britney Spears (archival footage) Dave Holmes Wesley Morris Felicia Culotta Music byJohn E. LowCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal...

 

 

葡屬印度

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2022年5月6日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 葡屬印度Estado da Índia1505年—1961年 国旗 国徽 1961年葡屬印度地位葡萄牙殖民地首都 科契 (1505–1510) 舊果阿 (1...

South Down (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards For other constituencies of the same name, see South Down (disambiguation). South Downcounty constituencyfor the House of CommonsBoundary of South Down in Northern IrelandMajor settlementsDownpatrickCurrent constituencyCreated1950Member of ParliamentChris Hazzard (Sinn Féin)Created fromDown1885–1922Created fromDownReplaced byDown South Down is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP s...

 

 

Bayannur

This article is about the prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia. For other uses, see Bayannuur (disambiguation). Prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of ChinaBayannur 巴彦淖尔市 • ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨᠨᠠᠭᠤᠷ ᠬᠣᠲᠠPrefecture-level cityLinhe District, the seat of BayannurLocation of Bayannur City jurisdiction in Inner MongoliaBayannurLocation of the city centre in Inner MongoliaCoordinates (Bayannur municipal government): 40°44′35″N 107°23′13...