On Sunday, February 23, at 3 p.m. Mr. Roe Bonner (a former radio disc jockey personality for WENN 107.7 FM) held a book signing at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) promoting his book entitled “Behind The Mic – The rise and fall of personality radio.”
Included at the book signing was a panel of former radio personalities with panelists ranging from Tracy Cunningham to Doug Steel. Roy Wood Jr., made an appearance on behalf of his father Roy Wood, Sr. on the panel (Reginald Green was asked to fill in for Roy Wood Jr., after he excused himself due to him having to attend another engagement).
The discussions surrounding the book brought forth tons of information which benefited those in attendance; at one point I felt that I was in a college classroom taking a course in Radio Broadcasting! We were given knowledge pertaining to the business aspect of running a radio station, basic rules and regulations, and the science it takes to manage a broadcasting signal, as well as the obstacles that Black owned radio stations had to overcome. A lot of the questions people had regarding the sale of WENN, the confusion that took place after Dr. A.G. Gaston’s demise and the role the FCC played in some of the problems that WENN faced were answered.
According to Mr. Don Steel, today’s Black radio stations purposefully do not have radio personalities because it was realized that they held too much influence over their Black audience.
In the Questions and Answer (Q&A) segment a question was asked that was very profound and it was, “What does it mean to have a Black owned media?” To which Mr. Roe Bonner made an eloquent reply, “Black owned media is important to the African- American community because it provides a strong and influential voice in their communities.” He also wanted to encourage African Americans to support their locally Black owned media services, because without their voice they would never be heard.
Submitted by:
Brendia Lewis
