*Tavis Smiley, a celebrated author and media personality recently celebrated the first year of KBLA Talk Radio. Some of the attendees of the event include the staff and renowned Black influencers such as Holy Mitchell — County Supervisor, Shirley Weber — Secretary of State, Areva Martin — CNN commentator, Mark Ridley-Thomas – LA City Councilman and Cynthia McClain Hill – LADWP President.
The luncheon’s highlight was the presentation that described the station as the most credible, trusted and reliable source of information for Blacks in Los Angelenos, according to an independent survey. The findings are incredible news for Smiley, considering that the radio market is highly competitive. Smiley launched the first talk radio show – KBLA Talk 1580 – which is exclusively dedicated for Blacks one year ago last month (Juneteenth 2021).
The station is popularly known as “Progressively Unapologetic” as it serves Los Angeles’ most ignored audience – people of color and progressives. Unknown to most people, KBLA 1580 AM is a heritage station and original home to the iconic Hip-Hop station – KDAY.
The survey was conducted between June 4 and 12, 2022 by Evitarus, a Black owned and LA based public opinion research and policy consulting firm. The survey disclosed the public attitudes and habits towards the media and other sources of information and news.
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Based on the survey, KBLA Talk 1580 fills the gap between relevant programming and provision of content to the Black community. Besides, KBLA also emerged as a popular choice for Black listeners compared to other stations, reports LA Focus.
According to the findings, the station’s listeners were concerned about inadequacy of Black-owned talk radio stations and the ideological imbalance of talk radio. There are only 5 Black-owned talk radio stations in the U.S. Besides, most stations – non-Black owned – are conservative about their political and news coverage which portrays the Black community unfairly while denying them a fair chance to express themselves. KBLA’s success is built on the fresh and diverse voice that it offers the Black community – a break from the popular “all day, all night and all white” norm. The station has also provided a platform for Black talented females in the male-dominated industry to host different shows, in various niches.
Some of the staff present who attended the luncheon include Dominique DiPrima, an award winning and veteran talk radio host (morning drive segment), DL Hughley (comic and political commentator), YoYo (Los Angeles Hip-Hop icon), Areva Martnin (civil rights attorney), Loni Love (host) and Dr. Melina Abdullah (BLM/ LA co-founder).
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