On this day in 1941, CBS aired nation’s first all-black radio show

March 30, 1941

CBS aired the nation’s first hour-long network radio show with an all-Black cast. Until then, Black musicians, actors and performers were often barred from radio. 

Ann Tanneyhill of the National Urban League conceived of the idea. Since the 1930s, she had been involved in organizing the league’s campaigns, including vocational training for Black youth so they could get good jobs. 

In 1941, she asked CBS for 15 minutes of free time. CBS responded by asking her to create an hour-long radio show featuring Black performers, but the network gave her no money to pay them. Undeterred, Tanneyhill and her colleague, Ed Lawson, scrambled to design a show that would air in only 10 days. Both the performers and the American Federation of Musicians agreed to waive any fees. 

In her book, “Broadcasting Freedom: Radio, War, and the Politics of Race, 1938-1948,” author Barbara Dianne Savage described how the show opened with Louis Armstrong’s band, followed by Ethel Waters singing “Georgia on My Mind” in Detroit and Duke Ellington’s orchestra playing “Take the A Train.” Marian Anderson sang two songs live from Montreal. 

With war ravaging Europe, the league called for the welcoming of Black Americans in defense jobs. From St. Louis, reigning heavyweight champion Joe Louis told the audience, “We can defend this country against anybody if all of us have a job to do. I know we need the jobs now worse than ever and when they give us a chance, we will punch out a new victory for America.” 

The broadcast helped increase support for Black Americans, and by 1943, the league was able to make broadcasts on all of the national radio networks. This time, Tanneyhill and other leaders highlighted the contributions of Black women to history and the war efforts. CBS ran an hour-long show of her script, “Heroines in Bronze,” that shared the stories of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Phillis Wheatley. 

The show became an even greater success, leading to other networks to begin producing their own shows on the African-American experience. Tanneyhill continued her work with additional broadcasts and played a role in the desegregation of defense plants. In 1948, President Harry Truman announced he was abolishing racial discrimination in the armed forces.