Why Martin Luther King Jr. kept banging on this Georgia ceiling with a broomstick

WERD Radio Station, America’s first Black-owned and operated radio station

In 1949, Jesse B. Blayton Sr. made waves when he bought WERD radio for $50,000. As Georgia’s first Black CPA and a bank president, he turned a small Atlanta station into America’s first Black-owned radio.

Soon, WERD moved to the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge on Auburn Avenue after white building owners barred Black staff from using restrooms.

His son Jesse Jr. hired “Jockey Jack” Gibson, who built the famous “Four Horsemen” team of Black DJs. The station played rhythm and blues when white stations wouldn’t.

Later, when Martin Luther King Jr. needed airtime, he’d tap the ceiling with a broomstick, and DJs would lower a mic through the window.

The Sweet Auburn Historic District still echoes with these groundbreaking sounds today.

Oklahoma Native Became Georgia’s First Black CPA

Jesse Blayton Sr. was born in Oklahoma in 1897 and made history when he passed Georgia’s accounting exam in 1928.

This made him Georgia’s first Black CPA and only the fourth in the whole United States. People called him the “Dean of Black Accountants” while he taught accounting at Atlanta University.

That same year, he helped fix up Citizens Trust Bank, which broke barriers by becoming the first Black bank to join the Federal Reserve.

Blayton built a solid name as a money leader in Atlanta’s Black business world.

Blayton Bought WERD for $50,000 in 1949

On October 3, 1949, Jesse Blayton Sr. took a bold step and bought the 1,000-watt radio station WERD for $50,000.

This purchase marked a big first in American media as WERD became the first Black-owned and run radio station in the country.

Blayton put his son Jesse Jr. in charge as station manager to run daily tasks. At first, they kept working at the old location with the staff from the previous owners.

Restroom Discrimination Pushed Station to Move

The Blaytons soon faced a tough spot when the old building owners wouldn’t let Black workers use the restrooms. Instead of putting up with this unfair treatment, they moved the whole radio operation.

They found a new home at the Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge at 334 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Historic District.

This area was the heart of Atlanta’s Black business and cultural community.

Jockey Jack Assembled the Legendary Four Horsemen

Jesse Jr. made a smart move hiring Jack Gibson, a seasoned disc jockey listeners knew as “Jockey Jack.”

Gibson quickly swapped the all-white staff with Black announcers who better understood the community they served.

He built an on-air team that folks called the “Four Horsemen”: Gibson himself, Joe Howard, Roosevelt Johnson, and Jimmy Winnington.

This new team brought a real voice and true connection to Black listeners in Atlanta.

Music You Couldn’t Hear Anywhere Else in Atlanta

WERD changed radio in Atlanta by playing jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues music that white-owned stations ignored.

Black listeners finally had a station that played music they loved and talked about issues that mattered to them.

The announcers spoke directly to community concerns in a way that felt real. This style of programming worked so well that it shaped how Black radio stations worked.

King’s SCLC Set Up Shop Below the Radio Station

During the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) moved into the same building as WERD.

The SCLC offices took space on the first floor, right below the radio station studios. This close setup created a unique link where staff from both groups saw each other daily.

Civil Rights News Got Airtime When Other Stations Ignored It

WERD gave airtime to civil rights news that mainstream media often skipped or downplayed.

The station broadcast speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders straight to the community. Listeners heard first-hand about protests, meetings, and activities happening in their city.

The station became a key tool for keeping people informed about the movement. Black Atlantans turned to WERD for accurate updates on fast-moving events.

The Station Helped Organize Protests and Voter Registration

The radio station worked like an unofficial message network for Atlanta’s civil rights efforts. WERD’s announcements reached community members who counted on radio as their main source of information.

The station helped gather people for demonstrations, boycotts, and voter registration drives.

WERD told the story of the movement from the view of those living it, balancing the often-biased coverage from mainstream media.

White Owners Took Over WERD in 1968

Jesse Blayton Sr. sold WERD to white owners in 1968, ending nearly two decades of Black ownership and operation.

The sale came during a time of change for both the civil rights movement and the media landscape in America. By this point, Blayton had firmly established WERD’s pioneering role in Black-owned media.

The station had shown what was possible when Black entrepreneurs entered the broadcasting industry. Blayton’s legacy as a media pioneer was secure regardless of the ownership change.

Radio Hall of Fame Honored Blayton After His Death

Jesse Blayton Sr. died in 1977, nine years after selling the radio station he made famous.

His contributions to American broadcasting got the recognition they deserved when he was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

This honor acknowledged his groundbreaking role in creating America’s first Black-owned radio station. WERD’s model inspired Black radio ownership and programming across the nation.

The station’s work during the civil rights era showed how powerful media could be in supporting social movements and community voices.

Visiting Sweet Auburn Historic District, Georgia

You can visit the WERD Radio exhibit at 54 Hilliard Street NE inside the Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge on Auburn Avenue. Tours run Tuesday-Friday 12pm-4pm and weekends 12pm-3pm for $7 per person.

Call 404-518-2887 to make required reservations. Tune in online Wednesday-Thursday 2pm-4pm to hear vinyl records played.

The exhibit tells Jesse B.Blayton Sr. ‘s story of buying WERD for $50,000 in 1949, creating America’s first Black-owned radio station.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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