WDIA
Encyclopedia
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.
and light pop. The station did not do well.
Nat D. Williams, a syndicated columnist
and high school teacher, started "Tan Town Jubilee" in October 1948. This was the first radio program in the United States to specifically target black listeners, and WDIA soon became the number 2 station in Memphis. After a switch to all-black programming, WDIA was the city's top station. In June 1954 WDIA was licensed to increase its power to 50,000 watts. Its powerful signal reached down into the Mississippi Delta’s dense African-American population and was heard from the Missouri bootheel
to the Gulf coast. As a result WDIA was able to reach 10% of the African-American population in United States.
Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg Ford Nelson (right) with Chuck Scruggs, WDIA's first black GMbecame Princess Premium Stuff. Ernest Brazzell gave crop advice and Robert Thomas became a DJ named “Honeyboy” after he won a city-wide amateur competition. Among other notable personalities were Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert, Theo "Bless My Bones" Wade, and Ford Nelson, who remains an active gospel DJ on WDIA in 2003.
WDIA took its community service responsibilities seriously from the start, and its slogan became, "50,000 Watts of Goodwill."
Many music
legends got their start at WDIA, including B.B. King and Rufus Thomas
. Elvis Presley
was greatly influenced by the station.
B.B. King had a daily 15 minute show, sponsored by Lucky Strike
cigarettes, a first for a major advertiser and a local black show. King credits his days on the station for building his audience and launching his career describing the station as providing a sense of freedom.
Williams ended his show in 1972 following a stroke
, but Thomas continued to work at WDIA until he died in 2001. Bobby O'Jay became a popular host.
WDIA played a major role in the redevelopment of Beale Street
and in making possible the National Civil Rights Museum
and Soulsville, USA
.
Clear Channel Communications
bought WDIA in 1996. Changes and improvements made by Camel W>F>K since then have kept the station popular in spite of competition from similar stations.
At one time, the owners of WDIA back in the 1970s and 1980s also owned KDIA
, a similar formatted station in the San Francisco Bay Area
. It is now a Christian
programmed station.
An excellent resource for information about the early years of WDIA is a 1992 book by Louis Cantor, a former engineer at the station, "Wheelin' on Beale."
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio station
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...
in Memphis, Tennessee
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....
, in the United States of America. Its radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
is 1070 kHz. In 1962 it became the first U.S. radio station programmed by African-Americans, though its ownership was white.
History
WDIA went on the air in June 1947 from studios on Union Avenue. The owners were John Pepper and Dick Ferguson, and the format was a mix of country and westernCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and light pop. The station did not do well.
Nat D. Williams, a syndicated columnist
Syndicated columnist
This list of syndicated columnists comprises columnists whose recurring columns are published in multiple periodical publications .*Ghaith Abdul-Ahad*Yasmin Alibhai-Brown*Timothy Garton Ash*Lucius Beebe*Max Boot...
and high school teacher, started "Tan Town Jubilee" in October 1948. This was the first radio program in the United States to specifically target black listeners, and WDIA soon became the number 2 station in Memphis. After a switch to all-black programming, WDIA was the city's top station. In June 1954 WDIA was licensed to increase its power to 50,000 watts. Its powerful signal reached down into the Mississippi Delta’s dense African-American population and was heard from the Missouri bootheel
Bootheel
The Missouri Bootheel is the southeasternmost part of the state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30’ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. Strictly speaking, it is composed of the counties of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot...
to the Gulf coast. As a result WDIA was able to reach 10% of the African-American population in United States.
Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg Ford Nelson (right) with Chuck Scruggs, WDIA's first black GMbecame Princess Premium Stuff. Ernest Brazzell gave crop advice and Robert Thomas became a DJ named “Honeyboy” after he won a city-wide amateur competition. Among other notable personalities were Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert, Theo "Bless My Bones" Wade, and Ford Nelson, who remains an active gospel DJ on WDIA in 2003.
WDIA took its community service responsibilities seriously from the start, and its slogan became, "50,000 Watts of Goodwill."
Many music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
legends got their start at WDIA, including B.B. King and Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
was greatly influenced by the station.
B.B. King had a daily 15 minute show, sponsored by Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike is a brand of cigarette owned by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and British American Tobacco groups. Often referred to as "Luckies", Lucky Strike was the top selling cigarette in the United States during the 1930s.- History :...
cigarettes, a first for a major advertiser and a local black show. King credits his days on the station for building his audience and launching his career describing the station as providing a sense of freedom.
Williams ended his show in 1972 following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, but Thomas continued to work at WDIA until he died in 2001. Bobby O'Jay became a popular host.
WDIA played a major role in the redevelopment of Beale Street
Beale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
and in making possible the National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a privately owned complex of museums and historic buildings built around the former Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, where Martin Luther King, Jr...
and Soulsville, USA
The Goodees
The Goodees were an American pop music girl group who enjoyed brief popularity in the late nineteen-sixties...
.
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
bought WDIA in 1996. Changes and improvements made by Camel W>F>K since then have kept the station popular in spite of competition from similar stations.
At one time, the owners of WDIA back in the 1970s and 1980s also owned KDIA
KDIA
KDIA is a radio station in Vallejo, California. It is a separate entity from the station at 1310 AM that held the KDIA call letters for many years. The 1640 AM frequency was licensed as part of an extension of the AM band in 1998, and adopted the abandoned KDIA call letters then.-KDIA 1310...
, a similar formatted station in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. It is now a Christian
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
programmed station.
An excellent resource for information about the early years of WDIA is a 1992 book by Louis Cantor, a former engineer at the station, "Wheelin' on Beale."