WDIA
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Facility ID | 69569 |
Class | B |
Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 35°16′5″N 90°01′3″W / 35.26806°N 90.01750°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
Website | mywdia |
WDIA (1070
The station started the WDIA Goodwill Fund to help and empower black communities. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station's studios are located in Southeast Memphis, and the transmitter site is in North Memphis.
History
WDIA went on the air June 7, 1947,
Future WJLB strong jock, Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg became known as "Princess Premium Stuff". Ernest Brazzell gave crop advice, and Robert Thomas became a DJ named “Honeyboy” after he won a citywide amateur competition. Among other notable personalities were Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert, Theo "Bless My Bones" Wade, and Ford Nelson, who continued as of 2013 as an active gospel DJ on WDIA.[4]
WDIA is known for its community efforts throughout the years. A.C. Williams, a former disc jockey for the station, helped create the Goodwill Fund in 1954, and the station's identification announcement became, “You’re Listening to 50,000 Watts of Goodwill, W-D-I-A Memphis.”.[10] Originally, the fund provided transportation to school for disabled black children. Later the fund expanded to include college scholarships, establish boy clubs, provide 125 Little League Teams to Memphis and neighboring communities, and help provide low cost supplemental housing (Wilson). "We have raised over $900,000 over the years," A.C. Williams says.[11]
Many
Williams ended his show in 1972 following a stroke. Thomas continued to work at WDIA until he died in 2001. Bobby O'Jay became a popular host and was a mainstay until his death on May 3, 2022. The station's management had been mostly white. In 1972, Chuck Scruggs became its first black general manager and vice president, serving for 12 years. Scruggs played a major role in organizing the foundation and raising money to preserve the Lorraine Motel and found the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.[14] In addition, he contributed to the redevelopment of Beale Street and Soulsville, USA.[citation needed]
In the 1970s and 1980s, the owners of WDIA also owned
In 2020 the
See also
- African American firsts
- Doctor Hep Cat
- Jack the Rapper
- Bob Perkins
- Yvonne Daniels
- Black-appeal stations
- WERD (Atlanta)
- Glossary of jive talk
- List of radio stations in Tennessee
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WDIA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ISBN 9780195170559.
- ^ "WDIA, Sixth Memphis Station, Is Launched" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 16, 1947. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Celebrating 65 Years of Goodwill & Good Times. The History of WDIA". Mywdia.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ISBN 9780316211307. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ Dora Stacker. "Memphis Down in Dixie." Pittsburgh Courier, Nov 5, 1949, p. 20.
- ^ a b Radio Center: A Landmark of American Music. 2008. Radiocenterflats.com, Retrieved on 2009-03-12
- ^ "706 Union Avenue Sessions". Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-88687-633-3.
- ^ The UnConsultant Blog. 50,000 Watts Of Goodwill
- ^ "Celebrating 65 Years of Goodwill & Good Times." 1070 WDIA, N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013
- ^ ISBN 978-0-375-50907-0.
- ISBN 9780634099274.
- ^ "TV host 'Mr Chuck' Scruggs Passes Away". Memphis: WHBQ-TV/Fox 13. February 4, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^ "Sites in Tennessee, Kentucky added to Civil Rights Trail". February 14, 2020.
Further reading
Articles
- Williams, Nat D. (August 6, 1949). "Down on Beale". The Pittsburgh Courier.
- Defender Staff (June 24, 1961). "Wealth of Talent for Starlight Revue, July 1". Tri-State Defender.
Books
- Cantor, Louis (1992). Wheelin' on Beale: How WDIA-Memphis Became the Nation's First All-Black Radio Station and Created the Sound that Changed America. Pharos Books. ISBN 978-0-88687-633-3.
- cm
- Gordon, Robert (1996). It Came from Memphis. Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 9780743410458.
External links
- WDIA's official website.
- Sound Documentary on WDIA
- WDIA in the FCC AM station database
- WDIA in Nielsen Audio's AM station database