In 1951, the radio was still the primary way that most Americans found out what was going on around the country. Although the radio was what everyone used for the news, America was still very segregated and there were no radio stations that appealed to the African- American audiences. When WDIA came around in 1947, it started just like any other radio station. Although the issue with this was that it was not getting enough audience to continue to broadcast. So WDIA did something wild for back in their time; they started playing music that appealed to the black audience, and it worked. Not only did the station take off with much more listeners, but it became the #1 station in Memphis. The station was run by white men, but made for African- Americans; and this was a huge step into desegregation. This made African-American listeners everywhere extremely happy to know that they had their very own radio station.
From early December of 1955 to late December of 1956, African Americans refused to ride on public buses due to the cruel standards they had to abide by when it came to sitting in the front or back of a bus. When this happened, the WDIA Radio Station formed a “code” that told African Americans where to meet if they needed a cab ride to work. These cabs were driven by other African Americans or white wives who went behind their husbands back to help. Once this became the new “trend” for African Americans, the public bus companies started to go out of business. Eventually, African Americans were allowed to sit wherever they wanted to on a bus.
The WDIA Radio Station was very unique. It had a little community of listeners who were very loyal, and WDIA helped them back. If a kid was lost, or their mom could not find them, WDIA would broadcast an alert that sounded something like, “little Jimmy needs to get home but his momma can’t find him; he’s wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, bring him home if you find him.” Most of the time, the kids were found and brought safely back home. Not only did WDIA broadcast for missing children in their little community, they also broadcasted things like church events, baseball games, and even missing false teeth. For all of the trouble WDIA went through to help their listeners, they earned the title of “The Goodwill Station,” and they continued to help the city of Memphis in many other ways.
Once the Civil Rights Movement was up and running, African Americans had to choose a leader. Someone who had the power to change the country for the better, someone that was able to make a real change. This leader was Martin Luther King Jr (MLK). He was considered a threat to the white community. He was also a threat to terrorist groups like the KKK. So, he was shot and killed by James Earl Ray. An uproar came from the black community. The WDIA’s job was to keep all of the African Americans from burning homes, stealing, and shooting whites. The WDIA station saved the Black Community from losing the Civil Rights War.
Although the Civil Rights Movement was almost 60 years ago, the WDIA Radio Station still thrives in Memphis, Tennessee today. The WDIA Radio Station is now WDIA am 1070, and you can listen to it any time you are driving through Memphis. Even today, WDIA is not like any other radio station. They still play the same music they played back in the 50s and 60s, like B.B King's “The Thrill is Gone.” If you ever are around Memphis, turn on the radio, and you can listen to music from the Civil Rights era.
B.B King, a former disc jockey on WDIA died on Thursday, May 14, 2015. He joined WDIA in early 1949 and has been making blues music ever since. He helped the station by presenting sale pitches for medicine or promoting businesses. Later, he was promoted to afternoon DJ (which was a big position in the WDIA crew). Once he became famous, he would credit the WDIA Radio Station for a portion of his fame. WDIA Radio Station will still continue to play B.B’s greatest hits, and remember a time when people rejoiced to his wonderful blues.