Diving into some cultural history today via non-mainstream media and a reminder that, in the 1970s we had The Fairness Doctrine which opened up a lot of avenues for a lot of expression and presentation of ideas which ran the gamut but also pushed boundaries.
Since the Black Power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s emphasized Black pride, self-determination, and community control. Urban radio became a vital platform for expressing these ideals, reaching Black audiences with music, news, and political discussion that mainstream media ignored or marginalized.
Black-oriented stations like WWRL (New York), WLIB (New York), and others nationwide expanded their programming to include not only R&B and soul music but also community affairs, political talk, and cultural education. These stations were often among the few media outlets controlled or heavily influenced by Black professionals, allowing authentic representation of Black voices and concerns.
DJs were more than entertainers; they were activists, opinion leaders, and community organizers who connected listeners with local events, civil rights campaigns, and African and African-American cultural heritage.
Shows combined music with discussions on housing, police relations, education, employment, and health care — all issues central to urban Black communities. Some stations aired speeches and interviews with Black Power leaders like Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Angela Davis, and others. Music also reflected political consciousness, with artists like James Brown (“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”), Marvin Gaye (“What’s Going On”), and Curtis Mayfield infusing soul and funk with messages of empowerment and protest.
Because of that, many Urban stations faced commercial pressures to keep advertisers happy, which sometimes limited how far they could push political content. And of course the FCC began paying closer attention to stations’ public service obligations, leading some urban stations to increase their community-focused programming.
The bottom line; Urban radio in the 1970s helped cement the importance of Black-controlled media as a tool for empowerment. It laid the groundwork for later generations of Black talk radio, hip-hop culture, and political activism through media. The era marked a critical moment when radio became not just entertainment but a voice for social change in Black urban America.
As proof of that – here is a two h our slice of a program entitled “Tell It Like It Is” which ran on WWRL in New York on August 2, 1971. The first hour had bad reception problems which straighten out by hour 2 – Hour 1 is important listening though, so hang on, it gets better.
This is a reminder of how community activism was working in the Black community in 1971.
