6 African-American Institutions That Have Lasted Over Time

WDIA

Memphis-based radio station WDIA is the first in America that was programmed by blacks for blacks, providing a large swath of the area’s population not only with entertainment, but a means of empowerment that was rare during the Jim Crow era. The station was founded in 1947—at the time, blacks weren’t even on the air for the so-called Negro comedy show, “Amos and Andy,” which used white actors.

In the early 1940s, WDIA was a white station. It was failing miserably as a broadcaster of country, classical and pop music. In a bold move, the owners asked Nat D. Williams, a nationally syndicated columnist, to host a WDIA show, “Tan Town Jamboree.” The show debuted on Oct. 25, 1948 and became a hit. By the fall of 1949, WDIA’s programming and public face was 100 percent black. Although its ownership remained white, the radio station’s offices were integrated. In 1954, WDIA enlarged its reach with a license to broadcast at 50,000 watts, along with a move to 1070 on the dial. As a result, WDIA’s signal reached into the Mississippi Delta and claimed a huge listenership of one of every 10 African-Americans. The station was sold by its original owners in 1957.