It was sunny day in 1964. Bob Potts, our News Director, and I hosted the morning program. I took a cab to work—the driver had WMCA on (NYC cabbies were rarely WBAI fans) and they were running a somewhat unusual summer contest for a snazzy sports car.
To enter, one had to submit a photo of oneself showing the station's call letters on any part of one's body. The clearest call letters got the wheels.
During our show, I talked about the contest, pointing out how unfair it was to dark-complected people. It didn't take long for the phone to light up. One early caller identified herself as an Afro-American and, with a measure of indignation, accused me of being unfair to people of color. When she informed me that black people also get suntans, I asked her if she would consider competing against me, a white man of Viking ancestry. She thought about that for a moment before admitting that the odds would be in my favor.
Bob and I then improvised a little scene in which we where on WBAI's crowded townhouse roof, checking out a group of stencil-ready sunbathers while pointing out the decidedly discriminatory nature of this contest. We gave out WMCA's number and urged our listeners to register a protest with that station's management.
I had just returned to my desk after the show when my secretary, Joan Henry, said there was a very upset lady on the phone wishing to speak to me. It was a PR lady from WMCA and she came right to the point. "What are you doing to us?", she wanted to know. "What are you doing to yourselves?", I asked, explaining how unfair their contest was to black people. "We never thought of that", she said, as if making a valid excuse. "Please stop having all these people call our station."
Later that day, a call came from WMCA President R. Peter Strauss who admitted the mistake, complemented WBAI and said that he would get back to me.
Not only did he give WBAI $1,000, he also ran three coupon ads in the NY Times, urging people to support WBAI. I don't recall receiving direct response from the ads, but—as you can see—our piggybank was fed.
Admittedly an unorthodox way to raise funds, but nobody lied or promised a cure.
Wow. I can't even imagine a commercial entity giving money to WBAI.
ReplyDeleteHey Google. Whatever happened to Straus?
Google: He worked for the International Labor Office in Geneva, Switzerland from 1950 to 1955, and he was the head of its Washington office from 1955 to 1958.
Straus was appointed as the president of WMCA, the radio station owned by his family, in 1959.[1] According to The New York Times, Straus " turned it into one of the nation’s most innovative radio stations, broadcasting what are regarded as the first radio editorials and political endorsements and helping to popularize rock ’n’ roll."[1] When the Strauses sold WMCA in 1986, they purchased "several weekly newspapers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania", and Strauss became the chairman of Straus News.[2]
Straus was a delegate from New York to the 1960 and 1964 Democratic National Conventions, and "a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party."[5] He was the director of African affairs at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1967 to 1969,[5] and the director of Voice of America from 1977 to 1979.
Fun story.
ReplyDeleteI listened to WMCA a bit during the '80s and '90s, but it was mostly right wing crap talk at that time.
SDL
Malcolm X , wasn't he a black nationalist? killed by his own people? .yeah , i thought so.
ReplyDeleteperfect for bai!
your right there is nothing wrong with being a black nationalist , only is a problem when you
ReplyDeleteare hijacking a radio station to endlessly promote it and "celebrate" it .
What we hear on WBAI is superficial "nationalism" coming from opportunists like Ron Daniels and intellectually handicapped people like Michael Haskins. These are individuals who must resort to a semblance of "rebellion" for most of them are of little substance.
DeleteHijacking WBAI and attempting to be mini Malcolms is something they do in lieu of having honest convictions and an aptitude for contributing to progress.
Straus doesn't seem too happy here Chris. This was a serious guy related to the owners of the New York Times and you showed him up. Did you ever see him again after this?
ReplyDeleteNot that I recall, but our paths may have crossed in Chicago at a NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention when I was with the BBC.
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