3 Tom Joyner
“Working on the air” is an understatement considering Tom dominates urban morning radio shows across the board and is one of the first full time successful syndicated shows in the urban radio format. To his credit, Tom is the one of two (besides Doug Banks) who has a syndicated show and who is also respected as an urban radio legend at the same time.
Below is bio info on Tom Thomas “Tom” Joyner (born November 23, 1949) is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) , and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com. Joyner was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and received a degree in sociology from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). While a student at Tuskegee Joyner joined the fraternity Omega Psi Phi.
He began his broadcasting career in Montgomery, Alabama immediately upon graduation, and worked at a number of radio stations in the American South, before moving to Chicago at WJPC (AM) (now WNTD). In the mid-1980s, Joyner was simultaneously offered two positions: one for a morning show at KKDA-FM (K104) in Dallas and one for an afternoon show at WGCI-FM in Chicago. Instead of choosing between the two, Joyner chose to take both jobs, and for years he commuted daily by plane between the two cities, earning the nicknames “The Fly Radio DJ” and “The Hardest Working Man in Radio.” He later told Radio Ink magazine that he racked up 7 million frequent flyer miles over the course of his employment at both stations.
Growing up in Detroit, I went to school with Donnie Simpson, who was also known as “The Love Bug” but I think you missed including a woman perhaps more influential than Donnie who was on WJLB at the same time. Martha Jean “The Queen!” I will NEVER forget the Queen on the air during the Detroit Riots in ’67 urging citizens “Go back to your homes! There is nothing for you in the Streets!” I get chills remembering her, and wonder if there are any airchecks of those chilling days. Martha Jean will always be the epitome of what urban Community Radio is all about. The soul and the Mother of the Community.
FOR BEST FEMALE SINGER: FANTASIA
AND I THINK WE LEFT OFF ” XSCAPE ” FOR BEST BLACK FEMALE GROUP
Herb Kent #10
I’m having a hard time with that. Herb has been on the air in EVERY DECADE since the 40’s that’s 70 years of broadcasting. http://www.radiohof.org/herb_kent.htm. He should be higher. And the list should be longer to include more females especially Yvonne Daniels and Hattie Leeper
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