"Predominantly White" Air America Displacing Black Talk Radio in NJ; Black Voices "Outsourced"

NEW YORK (NNPA) - New York's radio station WLIB-1190 AM has been loyally "serving New York's Black community" - as its logo states - for decades now. In the early '90s WLIB was lauded as a resource for "Afrocentric" programming and became known for featuring Imhotep Gary Byrd's "Global Black Experience" show.

By the end of March, New York's WLIB-1190 AM will taken over by "Air America Radio," a predominantly White, liberal talk-radio network.

But by the end of this month, WLIB will be taking on a different hue, as it joins the launch of Progress Media's "Air America Radio," the new, predominately White, liberal talk-radio network. Air America has reportedly partnered with Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC), which owns WLIB.

"We are excited about the diverse and important voices Air America Radio is bringing to the airwaves, both on our own WLIB signal and others," said ICBC Chairman Pierre Sutton. "This strategic partnership allows both companies to combine our resources and deliver relevant messages to a broad and diverse audience."

Sutton added, "That's what you call 'high-class B.S.!'" one former WLIB staffer said when told that Sutton said the station's changes were necessary because African Americans had just stopped listening to WLIB. The former staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that if WLIB's talk shows were promoted the way conservative talk shows are - and the way Air America's shows will be - the station would have made money.

Air America Radio plans on using what it terms a roundup of "progressive activists" and "celebrities" as part of the activist left's efforts to counter the national popularity of White, Right-wing conservative talk shows and radio personalities. The network will begin broadcasting shows from across the country on March 31 over WLIB and radio stations WNTD in Chicago and Los Angeles' KBLA.

"I don't get it. I mean, I do not get it," local activist Elombe Brath said about Air America Radio's takeover at WLIB. Reports are that WLIB's 40th floor station has been remodeled for Air America, and that the 30th and 39th floors are also being re-built to suit the needs of the new network.

Brath, who hosts and produces the show "Afrikaleidoscope" on WBAI-FM, and who played a part in the Afrocentric reorganization of WLIB's programming back in the early 1980s, complained that if listenership was down at WLIB, the station should have restructured from within as it did in the 1980s.

"All of the talk should be organic, from within the Black community," Brath insisted. "How can they think about coming into New York with a package program like this? We have people here already who know radio, who can do shows. And they want to come in with a program from other people trying to talk to Black people in New York City? (WLIB) is just a station that has been stripped of what it's supposed to be!"

In its heyday, WLIB and shows like "Night Talk with Bob Law" on WWRL-AM, Samori Marksman's "Worldview" on WBAI-FM, Bob Slade's "Open Line" on WKRS-FM, and WWRL's "Drive Time Dialogue" formed part of its own advocacy radio network. They highlighted Black community health concerns, cultural awareness and political activities. Many have even claimed that WLIB's efforts helped to get out the vote for David Dinkins as he ran to become New York City's first Black mayor.

But now as WLIB joins with Air America Radio, plans are to keep only a few of the station's leading Black radio personalities. Mark Riley will be a co-host on "Uprising," Air America's 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. show, while Dahved Levy, Ann Tripp and news director Wayne Gilman will also remain with the station.

Air America Radio's featured on-air personality will be Al Franken, a comedian who helped create NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and who recently wrote the book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right," a scathing anti-FOX News, anti-Bill O'Reilly book that became a best-seller.

Alongside Franken, Air America Radio will feature comedienne Janeane Garofalo; environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; author and activist Laura Flanders; Lizz Winstead, a co-creator of "The Daily Show"; radio personalities Mark Riley and Randi Rhodes; and political humorist Sam Seder. Chuck D, lead rapper for the group Public Enemy, was initially announced as part of the Air America Radio staff, but sources now say that the hip-hop icon is backing away from that commitment.

"I don't know how Air America is going to broaden the reaches of 'LIB," said one radio personality who chose to speak anonymously about the situation. "How is this going to impact the Black community? As far as I've heard, they've got a couple of Whites who just really want to go after Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and all the others. You can't convince me that that's going to be something good for Black and Hispanic people."

Brath agreed with that analysis: "You've got people here in New York who believe in Black culture, so I don't see why they're ... they're like outsourcing in a sense. In reality what the station needs is to have some people who know the community and can speak to its needs."

WLIB to drop Caribbean format

By DESIREE GRAND
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: March 30, 2004)

Friday mornings always began the same for Yonkers resident Dennis Hammer — turning on his radio and tuning to 1190 AM to listen to the steel band calypso that would remind him of his home in Barbados. But this Friday, he'll have to search elsewhere to hear the rhythmic beats of the pings and pangs of the drums.

Starting tomorrow, WLIB will scrap its daytime Caribbean programming and become the New York home for Air America Radio, the new, liberal talk-radio network.

Air America Radio, owned by Progress Media Inc., will feature Al Franken, Jeanene Garofalo and hip-hop icon Chuck D and pitches itself as an alternative to conservative talk radio. But while it may provide another choice in the world of talk radio, it will eliminate the New York region's only round-the-clock Caribbean programming.

But for some listeners, the melodic sounds of Caribbean music are all they want to hear.

Carl Tyndale, 37, has listened to WLIB for more than 17 years. He remembers when it was mostly talk radio on Caribbean issues and was surprised to hear of the format change.

"Where are we going to find Caribbean music now?" said Tyndale, the manager of the Royal Caribbean Bakery in Mount Vernon. "This station had so much information. They would broadcast cricket games and news from back home. Other stations don't do that. I don't think there is going to be many black issues with the new format, and there will be less Caribbean callers because people won't feel at home. That is where people tune in to get something from home."

"I always listened to them," Tracey-McCallum, a native of Jamaica and president of the Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland, said yesterday. Others in the community shared her views, she said.

"I think it's a big concern that they're no longer going to be in place, because their programming was quite good and offered quite a bit of Caribbean news; so that one source now is no longer available to us, and I think it's a great disappointment," she added.

WLIB, owned by Inner City Media Corp., has a long history of serving the African-American and Caribbean communities. In 1972, Percy Sutton, the former Manhattan borough president, acquired the station, which at the time played only jazz. The station was turned into a news talk and information format aimed at these communities. It became known for controversial and incendiary debate in the early '90s, but most recently, it has turned to more music and Caribbean news. The station will still have Caribbean programming from midnight to 5 a.m. Monday to Friday.

Repeated calls to WLIB were not returned, but Sutton said in an on-air statement to his listeners that the station decided to make the change because of a lack of advertising dollars. He urges listeners to welcome the new format, the purpose of which he describes as "to challenge the right-wing voices that dominate the airwaves."

A few stations have some Caribbean programming, such as WWRL, 1600 AM, which has music, news and talk on Saturday. Program director Rennie Bishop hosts "Caribbean Views," a discussion show, from 8 to 9 a.m. Saturdays, followed by other programs, including one by WLIB radio personality Ian "The Goose" Eligon. The station has talk radio programming throughout the week that includes Caribbean issues.

There also is WRTN, out of New Rochelle, which plays Caribbean music on weekday evenings beginning at 5 p.m. and weekends on 93.5 FM. William O'Shaughnessy, general manager of WRTN and sister station WVOX, said he is in the process of adding more multicultural programming in the coming weeks. Both stations play a mix of different programming geared to the West Indian, Mexican, Italian, Indo-Caribbean and Irish communities. According to the station's research, there are 1.5 million Caribbean listeners in the tri-state area. He realized the demand for the programming when in a taxi ride in New York City the driver was listening to reggae on his station, 93.5 FM, he said.

"We fly a Jamaican flag right next to the American flag," O'Shaughnessy said. "Following that theme, we like to have programs that include not only the country club set but for the vibrant, emerging new Americans."

Alecia Brown, 36, likes to listen to calypso as she does in her native Jamaica. While having lunch at the Golden Crust on Gramatan Avenue in Mount Vernon yesterday, she mused on having an all-island station.

"I'm upset because I really like to listen to calypso music. I'll miss it," Brown said.

Staff writer Suzan Clarke contributed to this report. Reach Desiree Grand at dgrand@thejournalnews.com or at 914-966-4052. Staff writer Suzan Clarke contributed to this report. Reach Desiree Grand at dgrand@thejournalnews.com or at 914-966-4052.

Yo! Tell that *itch Al Franken to play some hip-hop or I'll kill myself! I want my Afrikaleidoscope back on or I'll kill myself! Word up! Said "white rapper" Tj Rhymes (pictured above)after he tuned in to WLIB-1190 AM this morning and heard Al Franken.

After about an hour of hearing Mr. Franken Mr. Rhymes shot himself. Several other listeners picked up the assault weapon and each shot themselves until the weapon was empty.

"It's kinda like that Passion movie but backwards" said NYPD officer Jason O'Malley. "But instead of people doing good things after they see the Passion after they hear Franken they just want to shoot themselves! We've never seen anything like it!"

In related news Senator Hillary Clinton's office reported that thousands of people have sent her office tapes of the Franken show asking her to listen to it as soon as she can. And to make sure she does so with her husband.

You know, watching this as an outside observer, it's somewhat entertaining.

What you have here is just a lot of moaning and groaning about a station changing format because the owner (who is African American) is siding with the color GREEN instead of Black...the gross undertones of "racist gentrification" (did I just coin a phrase?)are woven into the very fabric of the article.

Well, was the station racist when it aired all-Black all the time programming? If it was all WHITE all the time, you can bet that the hue and cry would go up but bringing in (Lord Help Us)some WHITE persons and an entire community is disenfranchised...

It's not Just that the new on-air personalities are White (bad as it is in their eyes) but these Caucasians are going to preach to the Black community their own brand of Orthodox Liberalism. Is ChuckD a "Tom" in this case?- he a Bronx native and presumably a good fit to mollify disgruntled former format listeners but being a rapper and not a calypso/soca/reggae type may not do as a replacement.

I listened to WLIB in the past on rare occasions when I stumbled across carribean newscasts or a cricket match...oddly entertaining like Australian Rules Football. The local "public affairs" programming was often too radical for me to even listen to. What they have now is a glaring reminder of what the Democrat party is all about and they don't like it. Most of them won't connect the dots but maybe a few will.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.