Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 128

Broadcasting to the Blacks in Detroit's Melting Pot: Why WCHB Isn't Quite Like WJLB "Don't try to catch every word she says Just relax and let the Queen Nefertiti and Geraldine rolled into one talk you out of your blues." "That field of corn would be deserted now, "That field of corn would never see a plow, those who have lost in love, reach up and let it touch you. Your song "A man is born, but he's no good no it is. There is your song. Touch it and hope for WJLB. A black-oriented, white-owned radio station, which, according to station executives, is tied for second spot among all Detroit listeners in at least one rating poll.

The station is owned by the Booth Broadcasting Co. which owns seven other radio stations in the state. The head of the station, John L. Booth, is related to the Booths who own a chain of newspapers in the state. WJLB, the station that was picketed two years ago by the black disc jockeys including the Queen to protest the fact that no blacks were on the policymaking level at the station.

"The station was geared to blacks and yet the decisions about the station were made by whites who lived outside of the city and did not share in the black experience," says a black executive at the station promoted after the strike. WCHB, the black-owned station, has not been without labor problems. Several months ago, a surprised Dr. Cox was greeted with a line of pickets around his station, protesting "plantation bosses." That picket was resolved by the departure of a white consultant who would have been a top decision-maker at the station. There are four black-oriented radio stations serving Detroit.

Three are owned by blacks WCHB, its FM station WCHD.and WGPR owned by the International Masons, black branch of the Masonic order. The fourth, ofcoursc, is WJLB, owned by John L. Booth. Dapper Dr. Cox of WCHB and WCHD-FM (105.9) explains the difference between black and white radio this way: "There are three kinds of radio in America.

General market or white radio, country western and black radio. "When the white listener tunes in the general market station, he's saying, 'Entertain me, give me the news and the "But the black listener says, 'Entertain me, give me the news and teach me, tell me something. Just don't play hard rock all day. Give me something to identify with. Be a place where I can call and ask questions and get an answer, the right Masai Kenyatta, formerly known as Fred Goree of the WCHB Masai Kenyatta Love-In, breaks for a public service commercial on registrations at Wayne County Community College: "Go down and register.

You'll be glad you did when you think of the state of world affairs outside the block." Wade Briggs, Butterball Junior to his fans, drops in one-line messages between rock and roll or blues re- By SUSAN WATSON Free Press Staff Writer It's the closing minutes of a weekday morning and the deep rippling voice of Kim Weston is being pumped like a heart throb from a squat brick radio station in Inkster into the homes of thousands of Detroiters. The jock who could sweet talk the stick out of glue didn't bother introducing the song, lie just put it on and let it run because he knew his audience would recognize it immediately and begin to hum the melody "before sweet Miss Kim got started good. "Lift ev 'ry voice and sing Till earth and hea-ve-e-en ring And the listeners would keep it up singing snatches of the wording, humming over the uncertain phrases and straining with the soaring crescendos and the deep martial cadences until the last note was drawn from the Negro National Anthem and the up-beat chorus in the background had sung it to a close with a righteous "Oh Radio station WCHB in Inkster, 1440. The Black Giant. One of the first black-owned and black-built radio stations in the country.

The little 1,000 watt station 23 miles from Detroit 11 that went on the air Nov. 7, 1956, with the financial backing of two black dentists Dr. Wendell Cox (W-C) and his father-in-law, Dr. Haley A station with the guts to take out a patent on the phrase "Soul Radio." But, wait. Flick the dial to 1400, just a nudge to the left.

Line your ears. Open your soul and surrender yourself to the pounding waterfall of moralizing, teaching, preaching, praying and laughter from "The Queen." Martha Jean the Queen broadcasting live and glad to be alive from a "Nation of Communication," station WJLB in the Broderick Tower in downtown Detroit Don't try to catch every word she says it would take a tape recorder. Just relax and let the Queen Nefertiti and Geraldine rolled into one talk you out of blues. Martha Jean Steinberg rules everything within hearing distance. Even the records she plays become the Queen's songs.

Hear the rolling baritone pipes of an unidentified male singer caressing the words and melody of a song, And listen as the Queen gently invades it and turns it to her own use. "Without a song, the day would never end the homeless," she cries.) "Without a song, the road would have no bend. all our young people hung up and hung out on habits they cannot "When things go wrong, a man ain't got a friend the bereaved and sad of heart.) cords. "Get yourself to-gethcr, y'all," he yells over the airwaves to anyone who happens to be listening. Butterball says teaching and education are key functions of black radio.

He also is close enough to the classroom to remember how dull lectures are. "If we gave long lectures, it would turn the listeners off," he explains. "Instead we just drop in a line or two about things like drugs and pride." Black stations have several things in common. They are all heavy on information aimed strictly at blacks in language blacks can relate to. They all play and frequently introduce the rock and roll and blues songs that will become hits in the country.

They all place a strong emphasis on gospel music and religious programming." WGPR-FM (107.5), the smallest of the black radio stations, devotes the entire weekend to religious programming about 30 different churches and ministers back-to-back from Saturday morning to Monday morning. Non-stop God. As proof of the viability of black radio, a WGPR station executive said the Masons bought the station about eight years ago for much less than $50,000. Recently the owners were offered $1.5 million for it, he said. WCHB, which started out about $160,000 in debt, is worth about $4.5 million today, says Dr.

Cox. A recent listening poll by the Advertising Research Bureau of quarter-hour ratings by the general public showed that among the black stations WJLB was on iop, with WCHB second and WGPR third. And, since ad revenues often result from ratings, it's not surprising that JLB and CUB each boast $1.5 million in annual advertising revenues and GPR boasts about $600,000 annually. Almost any day on any black station, you hear the owner of a used car lot urging the listeners to come and check out his outta-sight '66 white-on-white short and credit is no problem. Detroit Free Press, January 14, 1973.