O'Jay was the program host of the "Fun Morning Show" on IHeartMedia's WDIA. We just listened to him this morning, you know, and he sounded like the picture of health. Williams continued on the air . Great to meet you. It featured shows by Beale Street legends such as Nat D. Williams, Rufus Thomas, B.B. Moreover, the station owners established several other successful rhythm-and-blues outlets, including KDIA in Oakland, California. Listen To Podcasts That Examine The Passion, Perseverance, And Power Of Black Culture! Bobby OJay, radio personality on Memphis WDIAthe countrys first Black radio stationhas died at the age of 68. . Acquiring the right to broadcast at a higher wattage, the station moved to 1070 kHz and boosted their signal from 250 watts to 50,000 watts and was now capable of reaching as far north as Missouri and as far south as Louisiana. God bless his family, friends and coworkers.". I have a huge family. Simple and modern interface. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. I know my mother and father knew I was on drugs. 2 in Memphis in terms of audience. Johnson remembers that Moore came here to the Memphis market from Indianapolis. Together the three transformed WDIA into the South's first African-American-oriented radio station, soon to be known throughout the region as the "Mother Station of the Negroes.". Bobby O'Jay, radio personality on Memphis' WDIAthe country's first Black radio stationhas died at the age of 68. I added the Whats on Your Mind Line to stop the music at five oclock in the afternoon so we could talk to our listeners and they can talk back, said OJay. King joined WDIA in early 1949. And the name kind of stuck from that time. It featured black radio personalities; its success in building an audience attracted radio advertisers suddenly aware of a "new" market . Black radio personalities such as Jack "The Rapper" Gibson of WERD and Tall Paul White of WEDR in Birmingham, drew praise from Martin Luther King and other prominent Black leaders for their contributions to American Civil Rights efforts. WDIA is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Hes the king of Memphis radio, the one and only Bobby OJay. WDIA: Black Music Mother Station. Former WDIA radio personality Mr. Fred Hollywood Moore transitioned Saturday morning. Listen For Your Chance To Win! Im very sorry to learn about the passing of Bobby OJay. From Library Journal: In the late 1940s, Memphis radio station WDIA became the first to target its programming to a largely ignored black audience. In the 1970s and 1980s, the owners of WDIA also owned KDIA, a similarly formatted station in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bobby O'Jay became a popular host and was a mainstay until his death on May 3, 2022. Mark Stansbury, on-air personality on Sunday, remembers Fred as a good brother to work with. Men He knew how to reach people., OJay called his style on the radio Bobbyology.. Kwanzaa and the celebration of Imani faith! Selco Builders Warehouse, which has a branch on Farnham Road in Slough, was revealed as the Builders' Merchant of the Year at the Builders' Merchants Awards. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. "We have raised over $900,000 over the years," A.C. Williams says. [13] In addition, he contributed to the redevelopment of Beale Street and Soulsville, USA. One of the iconic voices of Memphis broadcasting, Bobby O'Jay, has died. Not only did the station feature black radio personalities, but it also brought awareness to a relatively new market of listeners. The station also publicized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s visits to Memphis and served as a leading source of news and information for the black community following Dr. Kings assassination. WDIA Format: Soul Air Personalities 6:30 am--A.C. Williams 10 am--Robert Thomas 2 pm--Lee Armstrong 6 pm--Herb Kneeland 10 pm--Dave Smith 3 am--Theo Wade WLOK Format: Soul Air Personalities 6 am--Nat Washington 10 am--Gerald Floyd 2 pm--Roger W. Cavanass 6 pm--Clifton Halmon 10 pm--Alvin Moore 1 am--James Jack WHER Format: MOR, some talk Memphians remember radio host Bobby OJay, Woman accused of driving into home, killing former pro basketball player Galen Young granted diversion, Justin Bieber cancels remainder of world tour after Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis, 1 dead after multi-vehicle crash on I-240, traffic heavily congested, First Alert Meteorologist Brittney Bryant's Thursday Morning Weather 3/2, Bane leads Grizzlies to victory against Rockets, Baptist Memorial speaks out on gun violence, 1 dead after crash near Shelby Drive, MPD reports. [I] stayed the 30 days, havent touched drugs and alcohol since, he said. O'Jay was considered to be the King of Memphis radio. Before joining WDIA the countrys first Black radio station as an air personality in 1983, OJay launched his radio career in 1972 in Milwaukee. [1] It featured black radio personalities; its success in building an audience attracted radio advertisers suddenly aware of a "new" market among black listeners. 1070 WDIA The Heart & Soul of Memphis Local News Tennessee Attraction Among The 17 Top Amusement Parks In America Feb 28, 2023 Sista Strut 2023! pic.twitter.com/DoZ0sl9QNg, Mayor Jim Strickland (@MayorMemphis) May 3, 2022, Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry. www.mywdia.com; John Hopkins, Radio Center: A Landmark of American Half of the listeners who could hear WDIA's signal were African-American, and WDIA hired the first black disk jockey in the South. Vote Now For Your Favorite Artists! Longtime radio personality Stan Bell talks new role at WDIA By Jasmine McCraven, Daily Memphian Updated: September 24, 2022 5:31 PM CT | Published: . Press Center, This site is best experienced in portrait orientation. Its owners, John Pepper and Dick Ferguson, established the station and located it at 2074 Union Avenue. 3 That range included about 10% of the black population of the United States which in turn garnered substantial advertising revenues. Ive always had just the radio job. The station went on the air on June 7, 1947, from studios on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis. WHAL Sat.. Stormy Taylor I wanted us to be able to talk to our listeners every day about what was going on every day.. He said, man, you sound just like him. He said can you come by the radio station?. Many shared how his sudden death had touched them, like losing a family member. I always enjoyed being with Bobby on his show or otherwise. WDIA reached 10% of the African-American population in United States. Bell will still continue his afternoon show on V101, while also taking over morning drive at WDIA. And we just started calling him Hollywood Fred Hollywood Moore. My wife Melyne and I offer condolences to his family, to his radio family at iHeart and his loyal fans. WDIA radio station, which is based in Memphis, Tennessee, has been active since 1947 and has an amazing history. It sort of reminded you of (the legendary) Nat Williams.. oldies. 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. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in America that was programmed entirely for African Americans. At the time, most stations had one talk show per week. Download Our Free iHeartRadio App! In 1949 the station was no. WDIA's parent company iHeartRadio announced. Condolences to his family, colleagues and all who loved him. Honored by the Living Legends Foundation in 2000 and iHeartMedia Memphis in 2018, he was also a National Radio Hall of Fame nominee. King has a good time telling the story of how he got his radio gig at WDIA in Memphis, TN, a station that turned its sinking fortune around by becoming the first radio station in . OJay says he knew what he wanted to do early on. King and Rufus Thomas. Let's treat everyone with respect. Bev Johnson. SIDEBAR. Win Your Trip to Our 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards! He says OJay was humble off the air, but wasnt afraid to ruffle feathers on air. On Wednesday, WDIA took phone calls from Memphians who grew up listening to and talking to OJay on his morning radio show. The trailblazer's voice and personality have helped make up the fabric of the Bluff City for decades as part of the historic legacy of the Mid-South's first African American radio station, WDIA. Twitter: @WDIA Language: English Contact: 2650 Thousand Oaks Blvd. [9] Originally, the fund provided transportation to school for disabled black children. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. I started opening the phone lines on my show in the morning for people to respond to things, all kinds of things, about kids and relationships and politics, and all the things going on in the world that affect our lives. The next year he took a DJ position on an afternoon show previously hosted by Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert. He worked at radio station WTLC in Indianapolis, said Johnson. Wdia Profile and History . Colleagues and family friends took to social media as news spread that former WDIA radio personality Fred "Hollywood" Moore died Saturday (Jan. 9) morning. Im very sorry to learn about the passing of Bobby OJay. In WDIA: Black Music Mother Station. WDIA moved its home to Radio Center, the former home of WMPS, in 1985, then to a suburban office park in 2004. O'Jay, who had been with WDIA since 1983, was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2021. Many shared how his sudden death had touched them, like losing a family member. Its a process.. The 68-year-old radio personality passed away on Tuesday morning before the start of his 9am show, according to WREG. . He had a daily 15-minute show, promoting first a patent medicine called Pep-Ti-Kon, and later Lucky Strike cigarettes, the first major advertiser for the station. Memphians continue to remember WDIA radio host Bobby OJay, who died Tuesday morning. Influencing every black radio station to follow, WDIA assigned itself the moniker the Mother Station of Negroes. It earned the nickname the Goodwill Station as well because it broadcast public service bulletins announcing employment opportunities, missing children, social service agency information, and the like at the behest of its listening audience. 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. 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