THE END OF AN ERA

Friday January 25, 2008 at 9:00 AM marked the end of 14 years of Gospel Music programming in the mornings on WKKC 89.3 FM. During the journey, both students and community benefited from the Gospel Music programming. I wonder what warranted the change after 14 successful years of playing Gospel Music?

Well, change is inevitable and when it occurs there is always some confusion, especially when the new vision is not clearly seen. Sometimes during change the overall plan is hidden behind a myriad of different agendas. I wonder what the overall plan is?

Here is a look at the last 14 years of Gospel Music history on WKKC. I can testify as an expert witness because I was there. In late 1994, then station manager and technical support staffer Kevin Brown decided to program Gospel Music in the mornings on a daily basis. At that time, WKKC's broadcast day was about 17 hours. Kevin added three hours to the broadcast day raising the total to 20 hours. There was no objection to the addition of Gospel Music from the administration.

The decision to add 3 hours of Gospel Music daily became a program called "Gospel Drive" with Mr. Brown as host. Kevin in his own way laid the foundation for gospel music programming in Chicago. "Gospel Drive" was the first Chicago radio program on FM that featured Gospel Music in the mornings.

Gospel Drive was a hit from the beginning. The show was entertaining, informative, inspirational and educational. Gospel Drive impacted the Englewood community. Kevin Brown catered to the wide audience that the Gospel Music generated. Anyone from 12 to 65 could find some entertainment on Gospel Drive. It was not about religion it was about the community and Gospel Music.

Moreover, Gospel music holds a special place in the culture of African Americans. Many use the Gospel in song to move through the toils and strains of life. Gospel music has always been a comfort to African Americans. Gospel Drive focused on providing that comfort of the Gospel in song to start people on their day.

However in 1997, WKKC FM made news headlines as an issue arouse over whether bible reading on WKKC FM violated the rules of separation between Church and State. The fallout over the issue ended the Gospel Drive program and began several management changes. Ironically, the bible reading issue was not attributed to the Gospel Drive program. Gospel Drive was renamed to the Gospel Express with new host Reggie Miles.

The Gospel Express maintained the focus of inspiring the community. However, student participation and preparation was highly emphasized. As a result, a Kennedy-King College student landed a job on 1390 AM when management changed the R&B/Oldies format to Gospel in 1998. It was amazing that so many students and community volunteers desired to participate with Gospel music programming. From 1998 -2003 more students and community volunteers participated on WKKC than in its entire 33 year history.

Yet success was not measured by increased enrollment or opportunities for student participation. There was another agenda at hand. A new state of art building was planned and the administration was looking to eliminate then restructure the Broadcasting Program. The Gospel Express ended in 2003.

During the years 2003 - 2005, WKKC FM was in chaos, yet the Gospel programming survived. In 2005, a new director of broadcasting was brought in with extensive experience in the commercial radio industry. The hire was showcased as adding "class" to WKKC FM.

Well the "class" that came to WKKC FM began by implementing radio professionals or "Legends" to replace students as on air personnel. WKKC became a "professional non-commercial" station. In addition, Gospel music was systematically reduced one program at a time. The first casualty was Thursday evening Gospel, then Weekend Devotion, and finally the morning Gospel programming called Praise, Love and Inspiration.

It's to late for protests, to late for the ministers to get together to save Gospel. The bottom line is that if management believes that it would better serve the station with a change in programming then the station has to do what is best for the station.

However, WKKC FM is an educational non commercial college station that should emphasize "TEACHING AND TRAINING.” There is perhaps no academic discipline whose instruction and scholarship, whether applied or theoretical, has the potential to change the human condition, as does the study of communication.

I hope the students at Kennedy-King get the opportunity to be on the air and play Gospel Music as well as other music genres. Also learn the industry of radio in the classroom .

Kennedy-King College and WKKC FM provided me with an opportunity. Today I teach at Howard University and work in radio at Heaven 600 AM in Baltimore. My career was launched through the opportunity at an educational non-commercial station.

The future of WKKC FM, is in the hands of the students that attend the college.