“I Feel Powerful”:
African American Community Radio
in Dallas, Texas
*‘The masses o f African Americans who have been deprived o f educational
and economic opportunity are almost totally dependent on radio as their
means o f relating to the society at large. ”
Martin Luther King, 1967 (quoted in Barlow, 1999, p. 195)
Introduction
U.S. commercial radio stations are held to a looser standard of what constitutes
public interest than they once were because of deregulation (Loomis, 1998;
McGregor, 1998). But Willis Johnson’s weekday morning program on KKDAAM (“Soul 73”) in Dallas, Texas continues to broadcast in the tradition of serving
in the “public interest, convenience and necessity” (Ramberg, 1986) and of stations
serving a predominantly Black audience, such as the legendary WDIA in Memphis,
Tenn. (Cantor, 1992).
Critics of U.S. broadcasters, such as the Media Access Project, have said radio
and television stations should be held more closely to this obligation, which the
courts have interpreted in part to mean providing public access to the airwaves
(“Red Lion,” 1999). The detractors of commercial broadcasting have proposed
that, in return for the more relaxed interpretation of public service, broadcasters be
required to pay spectrum fees for the use of the airwaves, which could in part be
used to help fund public broadcasting (Duggan, Oct. 20,1997). Others have favored
the licensing of low-power FM “microbroadcasting” stations as a way of providing
service to minority communities (Shields and Ogles, 1995). Commercial
broadcasters have opposed both proposals. This case study will show how Willis
Johnson’s program on KKDA-AM, with the exceptional access it provides to the
African-American community of Dallas, provides an example that, if followed by
other commercial broadcast stations, might quiet such calls for change.
KKDA-AM’s Format and Programming: Battling The Giants
KKDA-AM in many ways is a David going against the Goliath of popular
formats, fast-talking hosts, and technology-driven media. Adding to the challenge
is the fact that this small station operates within an area recognized as the seventh
largest market in the nation for advertising (MEDIALANDS). Classified as a
“Rhythm and Blues” station, KKDA-AM competes in a hotly-contested market