I started out as an air personality at WSHA-FM & rose to the position of General Manager. I was a Production Asst. at WRAL –TV, on air at WDUR/Durham, started & programmed WRVS-FM at Elizabeth City State University. I entered the record business at Warner Bros, rose up the ranks & served as VP at PolyGram, Island, Arista & Sr VP at Capitol Records. I returned to radio after a successful 30 year run on the label side & am now Program Director & air personality at 91.9 FM WCLK in Atlanta.
Frankie Crocker & Hank Spann were my inspirations. I loved Crocker because he was smooth on the air & he was Program Director, which meant he was more than a jock, he was in management. Hank Spann was so clever with his words & his timing. Both were cool, well groomed & dapper. I also loved the way Frankie gave Black radio a style of class it didn’t have before. He was able to mix various sounds together to come up with a flow that was unbeatable & unique.
When I was on air, I used a combination of both Hank & Frankie in my delivery. I listened to what they did with titles of songs & used it to create my message to the audience, making it relevant to what they may be doing. WCLK is Smooth/Contemporary Jazz but I call it Groove Jazz; which is the format I’m trying to develop at WCLK.
During my first run in radio as a personality, I’m proud that I helped to get the first African Americans elected in Raleigh. I used the mic & my on air popularity to help affect change that improved the lives of an entire city by transforming the political landscape. I also started WRVS-FM in 1986 as a 10,000 watt station. Today that station is a 45,000 watt property.
My proudest moments since returning to programming in 2018 has been growing WCLK’s audience. We are in a Top 10 market and we’ve achieved the highest ratings in the station’s history with numbers unheard of for a Jazz station in today’s radio world. This growth in audience has allowed us as a public radio station to increase our fundraising and we are elevating the image of Clark Atlanta University & Jazz radio .
Twitter – @DCL76 IG -@dcl80
#LivingLegendsFoundation #BlackRadioHistory