Today, the Living Legends Foundation celebrates New York City and New Jersey, honoring the Black radio stations that defined, elevated, and
amplified the culture.
Under the leadership of Frankie Crocker, WBLS rose to become New York’s most listened-to radio station by 1980, defining itself as the “Total Black Experience in Sound.” The station is credited as the first major outlet to air a rap radio show, hosted by Mr. Magic. Its influential programmers included Vinny Brown, Skip Dillard, and BK Kirkland, while the airwaves
were shaped by legendary voices such as Vaughn Harper, Vy Higginsen, LaMarr Renee, Hal Jackson, Wendy Williams, Chuck Chillout, Jeff Foxx, Fly Ty, DJ Red Alert, Ken Webb, Fred Buggs, Roscoe, Walt “Baby Love,” G, Keith Alexander, Pat Prescott, Steve Harvey, and Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson—each contributing to WBLS’s enduring legacy.
Owned by Inner City Broadcasting, founded by Percy Sutton, WBLS-FM and its sister station WLIB-AM served for decades as vital platforms for Black culture, news, and community voices. In its heyday, WLIB featured a respected news department that included David Lampel, Imhotep Gary Byrd, Mark Riley, and Clayton Riley. After decades as a cornerstone of Black radio, WLIB recently transitioned from gospel—with popular hosts
Joe Bostick and Joe Bostick Jr.—to a bilingual Spanish/English adult contemporary format, marking the end of an era.
WRKS-FM 98.7 Kiss FM launched in August 1981 and went on to dominate the airwaves for more than three decades with smooth R&B, classic soul, hip hop, and a blend of talk and news programming. Iconic voices included DJ Red Alert, Chuck Chillout, Chuck Leonard, Carol Ford, Bob Slade, Ann
Tripp, Jeff Foxx, DJ Tony Humphries, Isaac Hayes, James Mtume, and Judge Pickett. Charles Warfield and Barry Mayo served as general managers, with Vinny Brown and Tony Gray as program directors. In 2012, Kiss FM officially merged with its longtime rival, WBLS-FM.
WWRL was another powerhouse, leading the R&B landscape from 1964 to 1982 before transitioning to urban contemporary gospel and religious programming through 1997. In the 1980s, Bob Law hosted Night Talk, the first nationally syndicated Black talk radio program, while broadcast pioneer
Jane Tillman Irving contributed to the news team. The station’s airwaves featured Frankie Crocker, Jocko Henderson, Jerry Bledsoe, Hal Jackson,
Hank Spann, Al Gee, Gary Byrd’s GBE Experience, Bobby Jay, Jeff Troy, Enoch Gregory, and Rocky G. Alma John became the first Black woman on New York radio, and WWRL aired the first Black soap opera, Sounds of the City, in the 1970s. Its acclaimed program Profiles in Black, sponsored by Greyhound Bus, was narrated by Greyhound executive Joe Black. Jerry Boulding later served as program director and played a key role in the station’s continued success. In 2020, WWRL was sold to iHeartMedia and now operates as New York’s outlet for the Black Information Network’s all-news format.
WNJR was a prominent Newark, New Jersey station that served as a major voice for the African American community from the 1950s through the 1970s. Its programming blended soul, R&B, news, and National Black Network content, featuring DJs such as Hal Jackson, Herman Amis, Steele
Colony, Gerry Bledsoe, Jerry Love, Dr. Seymour Charles, George Hudson, Kitty Taylor, and Ramon Bruce—famously known as “I Am the Bruce.”
WRVR-FM (106.7 MHz), known as Riverside Radio, was a pioneering New York City noncommercial station operated by The Riverside Church from 1961 to 1976. Renowned for its high-fidelity jazz, classical, and cultural programming, it became an important cultural voice before transitioning to a full-time commercial jazz station. Popular air personalities include Pat Prescott and G. Keith Alexander. In September 1980, after being acquired by Viacom, WRVR abruptly flipped from jazz to country music in the middle of the night—one of the most controversial format changes in New York radio history—sparking massive listener protests. Thousands of hours of original WRVR broadcasts have since been digitized and are now available through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and the Riverside Church Archives.
Currently WWPR Power 105.1 is a major force in R&B & Hip Hop under the direction of PD Thea Mitchem, EVP Programming at iHeart.
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