Black Radio

February 18, 2009

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Profile America for the 18th day of Black History Month. The first radio station owned and operated by African-Americans went on the air 60 years ago — WERD in Atlanta, owned by Jesse Blayton Sr. and featuring popular black DJ Jack Gibson. A radio news network aimed at African-Americans was the National Black Network, started in 1973, now known as the American Urban Radio Networks. Today’s radio dial is fragmented according to the format of stations listeners prefer. The most popular format is country music, closely followed by stations appealing to African-Americans, known in the industry as urban radio. There are just over 11,000 radio stations across the nation, about 60 percent broadcasting on FM. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Radio Hall of Fame
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1090
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html