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WESTERN MICHIGAN
10m D nzy, Y.O.U. p rtlclp nt nd uture BI ck Bu in person of the Year. (pboto by D. Coo
Radio in We 't Michigan
- A bit of background
By DANNY R. OKS
Corn pond ••
In the fan of '72 three young
profe ionals from Kalamazoo'
Black community formed WHW
Enterpri e for the purpose of
owning and operating a radio sta­
tion in southwe tern Michigan
with a Black format.
Walter Hall, a psychologist
with Battle Creek' VA Ho pital,
was pre ident of WHW. In view
of the controversy surrounding
WUBU, Hall sat down with the
Michigan Citizen, to offer back­
ground to the present situation of
Black-owned r dio in outh­
Western Michigan.
The broadcast industry is dog­
eat-dog, according to Hall.
"WHW did a frequency earch
in '72, looking for a place on the
FM band. Nothing was avail­
able."
In the fall of '73 Western
Michigan University's Board of
Tru lees was approached by
WHW. "We wanted them to relo­
cate WMUK on the FM band
reserved for educational sta­
tions," Hall said. "We was going
to pay for the transfer and any
costs incidental to the move.
They turned us down."
HALL NOTED THAT the
lone Black on the board, Julius
Franks, argued that the university
was turning down an opportunity
to promote the growth of the
broadcast industry while aiding,
the disadvantaged. It is Hall's
belief that Fetzer of Fetzer Broad­
casting entered the picture, put­
ting pressure on the board.
In 1975 the FCC (Federal
Communications Commission)
"dropped In a frequency in this
area, " Hall said, allowing various
groups to apply for a license.
"WHW was first but more than
twenty eventually applied and
over the next ten years no license
was granted as hearings and court
cases bottled up the process."
WRKR won the license 'eyentual­
ly, Hall said.
In 1986 the FCC opened up
low powered channels
throughout the country.' In the
Kalamazoo area WHW, Larry
Langford, and approximately
twenty others applied or the one
available frequency, 96.5 FM.
"Prior to the FCC hearings
ome bureaucrat came up with a
new ruling that applicants must
submit a $6,000 application fee.
We had spent over $200,000 in
expenses over th p t fourteen,
years. We threw in the towel."
So did many others leaving
Langford and two white groups to
fight for the license. All three
were from out of town. Hall aid
the FCC operate' under strict
rule. "The only way minorities
get service is if evcrything el e is
equal. Being a minority,
Langford beat out th others.
"lANGFORD OLD in this
area," Hall insisted. "I personally
visited Langford at his home in
Cassopoli ,Michigan long before
WUBU went on the air, the
minute I heard he was-having
problems. WHW offered to pur­
chase the tation. Langford said
he wasn't interested in selling."
Hall insists Langford didn't
have to eventually ell to Tri­
State Communications, he knew
of local minoritie who. would
have bought WUBU. "Obvious­
ly, Langford' deal with Tri-State '
had been set up long before I
drove out to Ca opoli," Hall
, said.
The NAACP became involved
in the WUBU matter, according
to Hall, because it was perceived
a racial incident, when in fact it
wasn't. "Langford got-the station
because he is a minority," Hall
aid, "yet, he now wants to be free
of the rules; he want no con·
straints on how he sell the sta­
tion."
How can Kalamazoo's Black
community return to the old way
of hoping white stations will play
more of their type of music? "The
Rus ians are asking the ame
thing," Hall responded, referring
to the death of may recently ob­
tained freedom in Soviet
Republics.
.,
n aUh 1 t nnu l Intern t on I h Y
'convocation hosted by th Faith Temple churche Qf God, Inc., held t
Uncoln Elementary chool, 912 N. Burdick treet, lamazoo on
Tuesday, August 20th. H t tor w BI hop T.D. Lockett, Founder
nd National Presiding Bishop. (pboto by D. Coo )
Volunteers needed
The Southwe tern Michigan
Volunteer Center is in need of vol un­
teers. To find out about these volun­
teer opportunities, call 983-0912 in
the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor area or
683-5464 in the Niles area. Volun­
teer opportunities are as follow :
- Hospice at Home in Berrien
County and the Cass county Hospice
ate planning a joint volunteer train­
ing for Thursday evenings beginning
September 5 and continuing through
October 31, from 7-9.p.m. at Pawat­
ing Ho pital in Nile. If you ar an
empathic, caring p rson and would
like to work with terminally ill
patients and their family members to
make the experience easier for all
involved, call.the Center.
-, The Southwestern Michigan
Organ/Ti ue Donor Program edu-
cat ople about the need of dona-.
tions of organs and tissue to erio ly
ill people who are on waiting lists all
over th country. If you would like
information on how to register to
become a potential donor, please call
the Center.
- The Cass County United Way
i offering volunteers in that rea a
unique opportunity to become in­
volved in the campaign proce thi
fall. Help is needed (particularly in
Marcellus and Edwardsburg are� )
in contacting various community
members to relay the mes age of
United Way and to encourage up­
port. A two-hour training e i n
will be held for all interested volun­
teers in September. An office a is­
lance volunteer is also being ought
to help wi th clerical duties one or two
half day per week.
- Th Berrien County "Kid n
the Block" is a national puppctecring
program perf rmed by trai ned
volunteers for ch I children in th
county. The cript for the h w
deal with erious life is ue u h a
children of divor e or people with
phy ic I and mental di abilitie ,
After the cript i performed, the fea­
tured puppet will answer que tions
from the audience about the ubject
. presented. Volunteer teams of two or
three people are being ought to per­
form one of the cripts just once
every three weeks for a chool group,
Time commitment i two hours p r
presentation. Twelve hours of tr in­
ing will be provided in Septemb r by
the Intermediate School Di tri t t
en ure that the cript are
memorized. A total of ten volunteers
are needed for this year-long project.
-The Y -Partners Program of the
YMCA Famil y Center of St. Jo eph­
Benton Harbor i eeking adult
male willing to make that commit­
ment of two or more hours per week.
The Y - Partner i match d wi th a boy
who needs the companionship of an
adult role model.
- TEMPO 91 - Youth Volun­
teer Opportunities. Teens tart the
new school year off right! Volunteer
in August! Become a part of Project
TEMPO - Teen Energy Making
our Planet Op rate. call the Center
for more information.
- The Fir t Annual Berrien
County Jumpathon i coming in Oc­
tober! Volunteers that would like to
get involved with a project which
will rai e fund for all teens in Ber­
rien County, call the Center. '
- The Nile -Buchanan YMCA
Family Center ha identified the­
week of Augu t 26-30 a main­
tenance and clean-up week. General
facility and ground cleaning need
to be done and few extra volunteer,
hand would be welcome.
- Muscum guide are needed at
Berien County Hi tori cal
Association' Hi toric Courthourse
Square in Berrien Springs. Guides
should have an intere t in hi tory,
enjoy working with people and must
p e orne public peaking kill .
Must be at le t 16 years of age and
must be able to commit to at least 9
hours a month.
- Voluntee are needed to work
with Alzheimer patients. If you are
ensitive to the need of the elderly
and feel that you could be a
friend/compani n for an
Alzheimer' patient, the Re pite Pro­
gram taff of Child and Family Ser­
vice , St. Jo eph, ould use your
help. Teens, age 16 and older who
can vol unteer from 10 .m. until 2
p.m. on Monday and,' r Thu days.
can help make me nin ul contribu­
tions to the live of the c patients.
The first e ion (the volunteer
training e ion i September 4. Per­
ons intere ted can contact Mary
McKinney to ch dul a pre-training
interview by calling 925-22 .
NAACP introduce
new VP, committee
By DANNY R. COOKS
c�"""eond'lfl
The end of the summer recess
for Metropolitan Kalamazoo
Branch NAACP came Sunday,
August 15th.
After the membership sand the
Negro National Anthem Lee
Steward prayed for the Lord'
will to touch the NAACP leaders
and membership.
The initial report of the 1991
Freedom Fund Banquet was
presented by Dave Libbett, III for
his wife E'toile who would be
arriving late. Total income sales
as of August 16th was reported as
$16,380 while expenses totaled
more than $8,000
Libbett, aid the contributions
included a $1,000 gift from the
Kellogg Foundation through the
Math and Science Center and
submitted by Brenda Barhart.
JFANNE BARAKA·LOVE
replaced Dosh Jackson as First
Vice-Pre ident. President Mal­
colm Earhart and the re t of the
Executive Committee remained
the me. However, a new com-
mittee had been formed. '
Chaired by Anna Witten.
Secretary of the Board of Trus­
tee of Kalamazoo Valley Com­
munity College, the Community
Affairs Committee is responsible
for providing the NAACP mem­
bership with knowledge of the
events and activities going on in
the community.
Reports of the standing com­
mittee include one that many in
the fifty-piUS audience had been
waiting for: Communications
Committee. Coordinated by
Robert Jones, Chairperson, hi
subject was a WUBU' update.
However, prior to beginning his
oral presentation, Jone read a
tatement concerning the
NAACP Communications mis-
sion:
"Seeking to in ure Black
minority ownership and control
of print and electronic media­
both hardware and software and
monitoring local and national
media is a major focus," Jone
said. .
Seeking to promote media
content con i tent with' fun­
damental NAACP goal which
include the elimination of racial
isolation and fear and the fur­
therance of multi-racial and cul­
tural understanding were other
charge given th Communica­
tions Committee, Jone informed
the approximately forty member
audience.
NEXT, JON provided a
summary of the committee ac­
tivities over the umrner, a um­
mary of what the' NAACP h d
been doing to addre community
concern about WUBU before
reading a tatement a by Ic.arry
Langford, WUBU' owner.
Langford ba ically repeated
what the Michigan Citizen d
learned through i ource: the
tation was old before it went on
the air because he w going
broke fighting powerful radio ta­
tions in court; h would receive
$70,000 for the tauon: no one
expected the overwhelming ac­
ceptance of WUBU.
Langford concluded by ying
a decision will m de on what
happens to the tation during the
first week Septemb r.
"The deci ion will not made
on the b i, of finan i I gain," he
wrote before promising to report
back to the Black Kalamazoo
community on what deci ion i
made and why.
The lively que tion nd
answer w preceded by Ii ht p­
pIau e at the conclu ion of
Langford' tatement.