In the landscape of American broadcasting history, some of the most significant chapters remain largely untold. Among these crucial narratives is the story of radio stations at HBCUs.
Episode 1 of "Broadcasting History: The HBCU Radio Legacy" explores this rich tradition, showcasing how these stations emerged as powerful platforms for Black voices, music, and perspectives in an era when mainstream media offered limited representation.
Radio's Dichotomy: Oppression and Resistance
When radio first swept across America in the 1920s, it presented what Broadcasting History cohost, Miles Johnson describes as "a dichotomy for Black Americans." While commercial broadcasting revolutionized American life, early radio often portrayed Black Americans through harmful stereotypes and caricatures.
Dr. Bala Baptiste, professor of Mass Communications at Miles College, explains this painful history: "It started with us not being taken seriously, joking and laughing, singing, slapsticking... White people wanted to present Black people as though they need not be taken seriously by any respectable white person."
Yet even within this hostile landscape, Black voices began finding their way to the airwaves. By 1948, WDIA in Memphis made history by switching to all-Black programming (though not Black-owned), and in 1949, Jesse B. Blayton Sr. purchased WERD in Atlanta, establishing the first Black-owned radio station in the United States.
The Birth of HBCU Radio
While commercial radio flourished in the 1920s, HBCUs wouldn't establish their own stations until after World War II. These pioneering stations emerged during segregation, creating crucial platforms when few existed elsewhere.
As special correspondent Olivia Green, the current HBCU Radio Preservation Project Fellow, chronicles in the broadcast, Central State University in Ohio was among the early HBCUs to establish campus radio operations in the early 1960s. Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) followed with WHOV receiving its FCC license in 1964 after operating via carrier current since the 1940s. Florida A&M University's WANM and Texas Southern University's KTSU continued this tradition of excellence.
These young stations faced enormous challenges. Technical and financial hurdles were steep. Additionally, HBCU stations had to carefully navigate the racial politics of their era, especially in the South.
Beyond Entertainment: Community Lifelines
From the beginning, HBCU radio stations served multiple missions:
- Educational spaces training generations of Black media professionals
- Cultural archives preserving Black musical traditions from gospel to hip hop
- Community lifelines providing vital information during crises and covering local events ignored by mainstream media
Unlike commercial stations driven by advertising revenue, HBCU stations experimented with formats and content. Morgan State University's WEAA preserved jazz programming, while Texas Southern University's KTSU developed solutions journalism addressing local concerns.
The Urgency of Preservation
This extraordinary legacy now faces an existential threat. The HBCU Radio Preservation Project, founded by Jocelyn Robinson in 2019, represents the most comprehensive effort to identify, digitize, and preserve the audio archives of HBCU radio stations nationwide.
Robinson, inspired by her work with the Black Voices archival collection at WYSO Public Radio in Yellow Springs, Ohio, recognized the urgent need to save these irreplaceable materials.
"Historical broadcasts are primary sources and they offer us these little audio snapshots of the past," Robinson explains. "Radio is a very intimate medium that can transport us back to a moment in time."
The project has grown from an initial survey into a major preservation initiative supported by the Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC).
As Dr. Baptiste reminds us, without preservation, "We will lose truth. Our stories will be mistold if they're told at all."
Sacred Ground
For Robinson, HBCUs are "hallowed ground" and "sacred places" where education extends far beyond the classroom. The radio stations at these campuses amplify the HBCU experience, broadcasting it not just to campus but to surrounding communities.
When we preserve HBCU radio, we ensure future generations understand the richness of Black intellectual and cultural life, the strategies of resistance and community building, and these institutions' vital role in shaping American media and society.
The story of HBCU radio is American history.
Featured Guests
- Dr. Bala Baptiste, Professor of Mass Communications at Miles College
- Dr. Josh Shepperd, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Colorado and Director of the Library of Congress Radio Preservation Task Force
- Jocelyn Robinson, media producer, educator, and founder of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project
Works Cited
- Ellett, Ryan. Encyclopedia of Black Radio in the United States, 1921-1955. McFarland, 25 Oct. 2011.
- Lewis, Tom. Empire of the Air. Cornell University Press, 15 Sept. 2021.
- "Public Broadcasting Act of 1967." Cpb.org, 14 Jan. 2015, cpb.org/aboutpb/act.
- "Steinberg, Martha Jean 'the Queen'" Detroithistorical.org, 2025, detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/steinberg-martha-jean-queen.
