'Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was' is the story of radio’s role in the 20th century transformation of the African American community. This is another installment of a segment that first aired in 1996. The specials have been reformatted into six hours for 2021. Original host Lou Rawls guides us, with new narration from original producer Jacquie Gales Webb.
In tonight's episode a look at how in the fifties and sixties, Black DJs did more than play music -- they were among the first messengers of the civil rights movement. In the second half of the hour, we hear about the importance of religious broadcasting to the Black community.
Through interviews, historical airchecks, comedy, drama, and music, the series reveals the remarkable correlation between milestones of Black radio programming and African American culture.
Tonight marks another installment of this series that will air on 88.1 WVPE. Join us at 9pm.