Floyd Brown wins

To say that in the mid-1960s racism was still a problem in radio would be a gross understatement. A black DJ had trouble getting work, and even more trouble getting paid fairly if he did. Floyd A. Brown had all those problems and overcame them to become the first African-American hired by a major network. More here.

Brown was born in Texas in 1930,and moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern University in the 1947.  If you're wondering why he went all the way to Chicago for school,. please note that Northwestern was an integrated school ie not segregated. He worked as a porter at the Drake Hotel to pay for school. While in high school he'd considered becoming an engineer. In Chicago his daily commute to the Drake, he went past the the Radio Institute of Chicago. In 1951 he finally enrolled; he took classes in both engineering and announcing. 

He got a job that year at 1410 WRMN-AM in Elgin, IL as an engineer. But as is the case, engineers are often expected to step into any job when someone doesn't show up. Eventually he was promoted to chief engineer. He expected a raise, but the General Manager said no. The GM was exploited Brown's lack of career mobility to save money, maybe not because he was a racist, but at least because he was a greedy bastard. This pissed off Floyd Brown big time. In an interview in a 1999 Courier News interview he still had choice words to describe the incident:

 "...I was furious enough to strike out in anger... He did that because he knew I couldn't go anywhere because I was black. I got a lump in my throat so big I could hardly swallow. I went out because the tears were coming out. I sat there and I labored with it and I thought, 'I'll show those sons of bitches.'"

Brown left WRMN to help start up WYNR, a Chicago rock station but Brown didn't even like rock n' roll. it gave him a headache. What he liked was doubling his salary.  But knowing that, it's no surprise he in 1965 to go to WMAQ-AM. That was historical, that was when he became the first African-American hired by a major network because WMAQ was NBC.

Then WGN-AM called in 1971 and made Brown an offer for a Sunday jazz show. He held down that slot for more than a decade.He stayed with the station for almost thirty years. Floyd Brown did a number of different programs. h ehad an afternoon show that some aircheck lists even categorize inexplicably as 'country'.  In 1970 Billboard magazine listed his shift as weekdays 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM. and he was still doing that damn Saturday shift!  When was this guy sleeping?

From there he moved to WGN in 1971. He became a sports anchor for WGN-TV. But on 720 WGN-AM he also had a show Sunday nights 11:00 PM to Midnight focused on financial news and investments. That program was followed by his 2-hour jazz program. He interviewed jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton. I've never found an aircheck, but my gut feeling is that it was a bit more of a standards show than a jazz show.

In 1985 started as the host of WTTW-TV’s “30 Good Minutes" A PBS program on personal faith and inspiration. More here. When he finally retired in 1999 he was still doing a program Sunday and Monday nights on WGN and the program at WTTW. Still kicking today he dedicates his time to entrepreneurship and civic organizations.

AIRCHECK WEEK: Jim Randolph

"Big" Jim L. Randolph rose to fame in the 1950s and became an Los Angeles staple by the sixties. There are precious few airchecks of the man but they are worth finding.

He helped break the careers of R&B artists like Booker T & The MG, Larry Bright, and KoKo Taylor.He was the first African-American to attend the Oklahoma University School of Communications. He was a program director at KSAN in San Francisco, CA; and KLIF in Dallas, TX where he was also rated a Top 5 Lone star state DJ in October 1955. By 1969 he was booking talent for the Watts Summer festivals.

This clip is from KGFJ, in Los Angeles but he was also on WYNR, in Chicago, IL;  WERD in Atlanta others. More here. There was a "Big" Jim Randolph at KNOK in 1956, but I can't verify it's the same gentleman. An issue of Radio Daily-Television Daily lists him as replacing Dean McNeil in April of 1957, but gives the calls incorrectly as KNOX in  Dallas confusing the trail.

His obituary in Record World was brief and understated.

Jim Randolph, noted broadcasting executive, died Sunday, May 3, at his home in Los Angeles. Program Director of KGFJ (LA) and for the Tracey Broadcasting chain at the time of his death, Randolph had enjoyed success in several major markets as both air personality and executive. He achieved notable success in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Chicago and Los Angeles markets. A native of Oklahoma, "Big Jim" attended Morehouse College and the University of Oklahoma. Most recently he had guided KGFJ from "also-ran" to one of the four or five most important facilities in the Southern California market areas. Randolph is survived by his wife, Lillian, their six children, all of who reside in Los Angeles, and by his parents who live in Oklahoma City.

KGFJ was very progressive for it's day having an integrated staff. Their staff included other legends like Magnificent Montague, Johnny Magnus, Herman Griffith, Jim Wood, and Hunter Hancock. He died of a heart attack in 1970 at the age of 39.



 ***AUDIO EXPIRED***

*POST UPDATED 5/9/2020
*Anyone want to share a Jim Randolph aircheck?

WOMEN OF RADIO WEEK pt 4

 

Yvonne Daniels was known as “The First Lady of Chicago Radio,” Her silky smooth professional speaking voice garnered ratings wherever she worked. Her knowledge of jazz made her a listener favorite throughout America’s Midwest. Here's my favorite part: Most people outside of Chicago and across the country did not know that Yvonne Daniels was Black.

She began on a local AM station in jacksonville, IL but for the life of me I cant figure out if its WLDS or WJIL... Yvonne appeared on the national radar when she moved to Chicago. She joined WYNR-AM to DJ a jazz show that competed with popular disc jockey Sid McCoy on WCFL-AM. WCFL couldn't take the pressure and at McCoy’s own urging WCFL-AM eventually hired Daniels. Within two years the duo was heard in 38 states. She stuck with that station until they went Top 40.

In 1964 Daniels picked up a spot at WSDM-AM one of the nation’s first all-female radio station. Her program Daniels’ Den consistently beat out the rest of Chicago radio in it's time slot. In 1973, she moved on to WLS-AM, a big 50,000-watt powerhouse, where she became the station’s first female disc jockey. WLS beat out WCFL for number one in Chicago that year and every year for years after. You can hear clips of her at WLS here and here. Daniel's owned the overnights, her playlists remain WLS collectibles today.

hercshideaway.blogspot.com

During the 1980s, Daniels worked Chicago morning shows on WVON-AM, WGCI-AM and eventually on “Smooth Jazz WNUA.” Her career ran for more than three solid decades. Daniels is rightly credited with paving the way for future generations of both female radio personalities and specficly black women. She was a role-model and a blueprint. She died of cancer June 21, 1991. The city of Chicago named a downtown street in her honor.