Jesse B. Blayton

Content herein is DEI-certified.

Teachers, to purchase this for your extra content, sub days and testing periods, click here.

The first African-American to own and operate a radio station in the United States, Jesse B. Blayton (1897-1977) was also Georgia's first Black certified public accountant (CPA) and the fourth Black person to hold that title nationwide.

After becoming bank president and professor at Atlanta University, he purchased WERD, a 1,000 Watt radio station in Atlanta, for $50,000. Mr. Blayton hired his son to be the first program director, who then hired four Black announcers--Joe Howard, Roosevelt Johnson, Jimmy Winnington, and veteran “Jockey” Jack Gibson.

The format of the show was trend-setting--the station played rhythm and blues, jazz and other music that appealed to Black audiences. In addition, the station publicized the goings on of the burgeoning Civil Rights movement.

When Mr. Blayton retired, he sold the radio station. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame posthumously in 1995.

Lessons@ThePianoInstructor.net 313.687.4433. Hire us to do all the things--curriculum writing, trainings, support. We'd love it.

P.S. If you don't want to subscribe, but you want to say, "You got that right" in a cash-full way, you can. Click here.