Short answers, pulled from the story.
Jesse B. Blayton Sr. purchased WERD on the 3rd of October 1949 for fifty thousand dollars. This transaction transformed the dormant 860 AM frequency into the first station in the United States owned and programmed by African Americans. The acquisition established a unique milestone in media history distinct from the white-owned WDIA in Memphis.
WERD found its physical home within the Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. The station shared the building with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to create a powerful synergy between media and the Civil Rights Movement. This proximity allowed for real-time coordination and direct broadcasting to the community during a time of intense surveillance.
Martin Luther King Jr. tapped the ceiling of his office with a broomstick to signal an urgent announcement to the radio studio. Jesse B. Blayton Jr. lowered a microphone from the studio window to King, who stood at the window below to broadcast directly to the community. This improvised technology bypassed the need for official press releases and allowed the movement to speak directly to its base.
Jack Gibson, known as Jockey Jack, became the most popular disc jockey in Atlanta by 1951 and transformed the station's sound. He was joined by Program Director Ken Knight from Daytona Beach, Florida, who shaped the station's format into black appeal. The combination of Gibson's voice and Knight's strategic vision created a sound that reflected the lives and aspirations of the Black community.
Jesse B. Blayton Sr. sold the station in 1968, ending the Blayton family's direct ownership. Ken Knight purchased the callsign and moved WERD to Jacksonville, Florida, where he changed the frequency from WRHC to WERD. Knight held the station until his death in 1973, leaving behind a legacy that proved the viability of Black-owned media beyond the borders of Atlanta.
The National Black Radio Hall of Fame Atlanta Chapter is currently reopening WERD at its original birth location to preserve the station's history. The facility is undergoing renovations to include a historical museum that will document the station's role in Black media and civil rights history. This project ensures the story of WERD remains a living monument to the power of media and the resilience of the people who built it.