The abrupt end of Black talk radio on 910AM Superstation deprived African Americans of a prominent platform in metro Detroit.
Bishop Wayne T. Jackson plans to change that.
The cofounder of Detroit-based Impact Network, hailed as the only television network that is both Black-owned and independently run, Jackson tells Metro Times that he’s planning on launching a nationwide satellite radio station aimed at an African American audience early next year.
Like its television counterpart, the radio station will feature enlightening programs and ministries from influential thinkers, ministers, and entertainers to engage listeners who are “looking for inspiration,” Jackson says.
Unlike 910AM, which often tackled controversies and featured some combative hosts, the radio programs will focus entirely on inspiring and solution-oriented content.
“With 910AM going out, it’s important for people to know there is a Black-owned, Black media that has responsibility and credibility and is looking to create for the community and support the community,” Jackson’s son Royal W. Jackson, the network’s executive vice president, says. “We want to draw a picture of hope, not a picture of desperation and fear.”
Founded in 2010, the Impact Network has blossomed into a formidable media empire, producing movies and airing in more than 80 million homes across the U.S., the Bahamas, and parts of Africa. The network focuses on “the collective Black experience” and provides positive, uplifting, and family friendly content designed to enrich lives spiritually, mentally, physically, and financially, the Jacksons say.
The Impact Network plans to air that type of content soon on satellite radio.
“Impact Network TV has prominent ministers and pastors around the country, and we have that platform, and we are No. 1 in that area,” Bishop Jackson says. “It’s not just a TV station. It’s an ecosystem where we all come together for Black media and an African American voice.”
Jackson and his wife Beverly Y. Jackson run Great Faith Ministries International on Grand River Avenue in Detroit, where they also have a block-long campus for Impact Network.
To launch the radio format, Impact Network is partnering with radio icon and Detroit native Gerald McBride and “one of the largest and most prominent Black college radio platforms” in the country,” Royal Jackson says.
They intend to announce more details soon, and a soft launch is planned in “the next week or so.”
Detroit will play a prominent role on the radio format, and local voices will be featured, the Jacksons say.
“On the national level, we will be able to have voices talking about what Detroit is really doing,” Bishop Jackson says. “A lot is going on in our community, our churches, and our schools. We have people in our city who need to be heard on a national basis. This is the uplift that our community needs.”
The topics will range from politics and lifestyle to spirituality and gospel music. What’s important, the Jacksons say, is to provide listeners with inspiring content aimed at improving and enhancing their lives, especially at a time when cities like Detroit are portrayed negatively.
“We want to really support the community in a positive and solution-oriented way, not in a way that’s going to draw controversy, but in a way that is going to drive credibility,” Royal Jackson says.
On Friday, white-owned 910AM Superstation fired its Black hosts and changed the format to sports.
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