wdia radio personalities

He knew how to reach people., OJay called his style on the radio Bobbyology.. Radio talk show host Beverly Elaine Johnson was born on May 10, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee to William Van and Julia Danner Johnson. 7am-10a. Captain Curtis Lee, a longtime WDIA radio personality passed away Wednesday. WDIA is celebrating the 60th anniversary of being on the air as a black-formatted radio station. Notable U.S.radio disc jockeys of the period include Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack, Casey Kasem,[25]and their Britishcounterparts such as the BBC's Brian Matthewand Alan Freeman, Radio London'sJohn Peel, Radio Caroline's Tony Blackburn, and Radio Luxembourg's Jimmy Savile. A radio personality is a person who hosts a radio talk show and interacts with the audience via telephone or email. So, even though I was showing up for work every day, they just felt like, you know, we cant have that kind of guy on our radio station, he said. He would say things in a way to get your attention and start a conversation. (Former WDIA radio personality & Annual Stone Awards Host)was my friend, partner in the Entertainment industry, an extension of Ma&9 Mustard Seeds Family member and Its my Time Entertainment/ House of MTenzi Museum Committee Member. The station went on the air on June 7, 1947, from studios on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis. Vintage Radio Steampunk Women Alice And Wonderland Quotes Techno Old Radios Record Players The Dj H Harm Koenders Radio Disc Jockey's 1950's-1970's Dj Music Listening To Music Vinyl Junkies Radio Personality Professional Audio Thanks For The Memories British English American English J Joe Defazio Radio Disc Jockey's 1950's-1970's Rhythm And Blues A segue to an on-air gig in Montgomery, Alabama, was followed by a return to Milwaukee prior to landing at WDIA, where he also served as program director, During the course of his estimable tenure at the station, OJay interviewed a whos who in Black music and culture, including Whitney Houston, Muhammad Ali and Temptations members David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. He says OJay was humble off the air, but wasnt afraid to ruffle feathers on air. "We have raised over $900,000 over the years," A.C. Williams says. Community Efforts One of the stations most well-known personalities, Bev Johnson, told, that Moore was kind of laid back and real smooth., We have lost a gentle giant in the radio industry. Great to meet you. 2023 Vibe Media, LLC. AKWAABAWelcome Home! We offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loyal listeners during this extremely difficult time. Fred was also in a couple of movies that filmed here, too.. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, WDIA's Bobby O'Jay during The Recording Academy HONORS 2005 at Memphis Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Nat was a history teacher and the first black radio DJ at WDIA in Memphis. The 68-year-old radio personality passed away on Tuesday morning before the start of his 9am show, according to WREG. After the tragedy, Coretta Scott King led a march in Memphis to continue her husbands efforts, and WDIA called on the community to attend. When WDIA went on the air in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, its white owners, Bert Ferguson and John R. Pepper, were anything but blues aficionados; however, deejay Nat D. Williams was. His cause of death is currently unknown. A.C. Williams, a former WDIA disc jockey, helped create the Goodwill Fund in 1954. All Rights Reserved. BBC Radio Berkshire presenter Maggie Philbin joined volunteers and clients at Age Concern's drop-in centre in William Street to learn more about the ins and outs of the . 1070 WDIA is the heart & soul of Memphis! Instant playback and premium quality. Its owners, John Pepper and Dick Ferguson, established the station and located it at 2074 Union Avenue. She is mother of two children and grandmother of one. In the 1970s and 1980s, the owners of WDIA also owned KDIA, a similarly formatted station in the San Francisco Bay Area. [7] Its powerful signal reached the Mississippi Deltas dense African-American population and was heard from the Missouri Bootheel to the Gulf Coast. As WDIAs program director, OJay made moves that turned the industry on its head. He landed some roles in stage plays in the city. Just a high school graduate, but Ive managed to work at some of the biggest radio stations in America. Radio WDIA is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. A cause of . She is also the host a weekly talk show that airs on iHeart Media Memphis' top rated radio stations in the market V101, K97, WDIA & Hallelujah FM. See more. Johnnie Walker, founder/CEO of the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment, Inc. (NABFEME), knew OJay during her career ascension from radio station PD to senior vp, promotion at Def Jam Recordings. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. My wife Melyne and I offer condolences to his family, to his radio family at iHeart and his loyal fans. The station had a strong influence on music, hiring musicians early in their careers, and playing their music to an audience that reached through the Mississippi Delta to the Gulf Coast. His son, WDIA-AM 1070 radio personality Kylan Hunt, 54, died two years ago from natural causes. Fired within three months of taking his first gig in Birmingham, that Milwaukee station he called during high school hired him and he quickly became program director. He was such an important part of WDIA and the City of Memphis, words cannot express how truly missed he will be.. He said, man, you sound just like him. He said can you come by the radio station?. I called him at his home and I said, hey, man, when I get off the air today, Im going to rehab. He said, for what? I said I got a drug problem. Ernest Brazzell gave crop advice, and Robert Thomas became a DJ named Honeyboy after he won a citywide amateur competition. Memphians continue to remember WDIA radio host Bobby OJay, who died Tuesday morning. Among other notable personalities were Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert, Theo "Bless My Bones" Wade, and Ford Nelson, who continued as of 2013 as an active gospel DJ on WDIA. Address: degree in English literature from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and her M.S. ICONIC DJ Bobby O'Jay has died while at work at a Memphis radio station. It reads in part: MY GOD PLEASE HAVE MERCY! A TOP radio personality paid a visit to a charity in Slough to help raise its profile ahead of plans to demolish its headquarters. [3][8], Future WJLB strong jock, Martha Jean The Queen Steinberg became known as "Princess Premium Stuff." When hewould usually open phone lines for listeners, the station continued to play music. He was one of the hosts for All Blues Saturday. 3 Half of the listeners who could hear WDIA's signal were African-American, and WDIA hired the first black disk jockey in the South. When I was a rookie, he gave me advice and always a good laugh. He worked at radio station WTLC in Indianapolis, said Johnson. He currently teaches Broadcasting @ Wooddale High. WDIA is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. From Billboard Music Awards to the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame where he will join fellow WDIA alums Bev Johnson, Rufus Thomas, and Nat D. Williams, OJays awards are plenty. Im very sorry to learn about the passing of Bobby OJay. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. racine horlick high school football Cuidados de Gnero. O'Jay, who had been with WDIA since 1983, was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2021. The History of WDIA", Radio Center: A Landmark of American Music, "Sites in Tennessee, Kentucky added to Civil Rights Trail", "Wealth of Talent for Starlight Revue, July 1", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WDIA&oldid=1132504634, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 05:10. Many shared how his sudden death had touched them, like losing a family member. WDIA Memphis mainstay Bobby OJay passed away of unknown causes on Tuesday (May 3). MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - He was known as the King of Memphis Radio, a legend, and icon in the industry. Last year, he was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame after being honored by the Living Legends Foundation in 2000 and iHeartMedia Memphis in 2018. About 10 years ago, WDIA followed the declining trend of urban formats across the nation. His voice and opinions will truly be missed.. O'Jay was the program host of the "Fun Morning Show" on IHeartMedia's WDIA. I know for many Memphians, including my wife, the day was not complete unless they tuned in to hear what Bobby had to say. Today, WDIAs major playlist offers very little in the way of the Beale Street Blues and Gospel that established the stations early reputation, but spans the 1960s music to the present day, with significant air time devoted to the classic Soul sounds of the 1970s, and an occasional offering from its early on-air contributors B.B. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis radio WDIA DJ Bobby O'Jay died at age 68 Tuesday morning. Moreover, the station owners established several other successful rhythm-and-blues outlets, including KDIA in Oakland, California. If you post anything unrelated to WDIA it will be deleted. The Heart & Soul of Memphis! 1070 WDIA - WDIA is a broadcast radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, providing Top 40 and Oldies R&B and Soul music. In February 1983, he joined WDIA in Memphis, America's first Black radio station. 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WDIA, the country's first Black radio station, had the distinction of hiring O'Jay as an on-air personality in 1983. Not only did the station feature black radio personalities, but it also brought awareness to a relatively new market of listeners. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in America that was programmed entirely for African Americans. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Memphis DJ Bobby O'Jay has died at the age of 68, A cause of death for O'Jay has not been released. All Rights Reserved. The radio and music industries have lost a resilient pioneer and true legend.. He has become one of Memphis' most energetic & beloved radio personalities for twenty-nine years now! WDIA disc jockey WDIA is the first radio station in America that was programmed entirely by African-Americans for African-Americans. It sort of reminded you of (the legendary) Nat Williams.. Vote Now For Your Favorite Artists! [11], Williams ended his show in 1972 following a stroke. Back in 1986, I decided that it would be a great idea for us to start putting talk shows on the radio station, he recalled. B.B. Bev Johnson. Ive always had just the radio job. WDIA said in a press release at the time: "The station's program director and on-air personality Bobby O'Jay is the man behind all the success as being the city's top-rated morning drive . ICONIC DJ Bobby O'Jay has died while at work at a Memphis radio station. 1070 WDIA is an Urban Contemporary radio station serving Memphis. He says his large family never pried, they just prayed and so did he. Born in Batesville, Mississippi in 1953, OJay was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2021. Rating: 4.0 Reviews: 1. Listen to the best radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, no matter where you are. Im more willing to say things to get your attention in a positive manner. Call sign: WDIA Frequency: 1070 AM City of license: Memphis, TN Format: Urban Contemporary Owner: iHeartMedia Area Served: Memphis Sister stations: 600 WREC , 95.7 Hallelujah FM , The Mighty 990 , K97.1 , V101 , 101.9 KISS FM , ROCK 103 Memphis This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, Angela Bassett Says Potential Oscar Win Would Be A Childhood Dream ComeTrue, Kelly Rowland To Judge Audibles Breakthrough, The First Audio-Only SingingContest, De La Souls Trugoy The Doves First Posthumous Release Is A GorillazCollab. WDIA is the first radio station in America that was programmed entirely by African Americans for African Americans. [1] It featured black radio personalities; its success in building an audience attracted radio advertisers suddenly aware of a "new" market among black listeners. It featured black radio personalities; its success in building an audience attracted radio advertisers suddenly aware of a "new" market . Ahead of his induction in Tennessee, he shared with local outlet Fox13 Memphis, Ive never had this job and that job. Let's treat everyone with respect. He programmed four talk shows and industry insiders scoffed until the ratings showed listeners wanted more. Radio proved to be a rocky road. I know for many Memphians, including my wife, the day was not complete unless they tuned in to hear what Bobby had to say," he wrote. ( the legendary ) nat Williams.. Vote now for your Favorite Artists loyal.... Some of the hosts for All Blues Saturday Gulf Coast interacts with the audience via telephone email! A charity in Slough to help raise its profile ahead of plans to demolish its headquarters ;. The heart & amp ; beloved radio personalities, but it also brought awareness to a charity in Slough help. Radio DJ at WDIA in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis radio station in America that was programmed by. Its profile ahead of plans to demolish its headquarters based in Memphis, America & # ;! 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