October 3 …

WERD was the first radio station owned and operated by African Americans. Its groundbreaking establishment — and service as a vital voice for Black culture, community life, and civil rights communication — marked a profound shift in the cultural and media landscape of the United States

The station was founded on October 3, 1949 when Jesse B. Blayton Sr., a prominent accountant, bank president, and professor at Atlanta University, acquired the 1,000-watt station for $50,000. He envisioned it as a platform dedicated to “black appeal” programming that directly addressed the lives and interests of African American listeners.

This purchase marked a significant moment in the quest of Black entrepreneurs to break into broadcasting, with Blayton embodying the belief that media could empower and uplift the Black community. He appointed his son, Jesse Blayton Jr., as station manager and assembled a talented team of broadcasters including Jockey Jack Gibson, Joe Howard, Roosevelt Johnson, and Jimmy Winnington, ensuring a dynamic presence of Black voices at a time when visibility in American media was scarce.

Situated in the Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Auburn Avenue — a historical hub of Black commerce and culture in Atlanta — the radio station became more than just a music station. It evolved into a community center and vital information source. Its programming blended gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, public affairs commentary, and local news, both reflecting and shaping the preferences and concerns of Black listeners.

The station drew inspiration from the vibrant musical traditions of the time and the rich oral storytelling rooted in Black cultural expression. Its proximity to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference headquarters allowed civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to use the radio station as a platform for announcements and sermons, reinforcing its crucial role in social movements and community engagement.

While the station had contemporaries like WDIA in Memphis, which pioneered Black-oriented programming, it distinguished itself through African American ownership and direct content control by Black leaders and broadcasters. This uniqueness paved the way for a generation of stations that followed, expanding opportunities for Black DJs, journalists, and media entrepreneurs across the nation.

Influences from this ecosystem included rising Black broadcasters who shaped the “Black appeal” formats that would later evolve into the urban and rhythm-based radio genres dominating American radio in the latter half of the 20th century.

Though Blayton sold the radio station to white ownership in 1968, its legacy endures. And Blayton was later honored with induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame for his groundbreaking work.

WERD made significant contributions to the cultural history of American broadcasting, not only in pioneering Black media ownership but also in strengthening the connection between radio and the Black freedom struggle, music, community discourse, and cultural identity.