The Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GAB) is set to honor Jazz 91.9 WCLK with a Broadcaster of the Year Award on Saturday, September 16, at GABCONon Jekyll Island. Nationally known for its award-winning Jazz programming, WCLK is now recognized for its service to the greater metro Atlanta community. GABCON, the largest gathering of Georgia radio and television broadcasters, will be held on September 15 - 16, 2023.
Licensed to Clark Atlanta University (CAU), WCLK 91.9 was one of several African American metro radio stations that took to the airwaves last fall to raise awareness around the 2022 elections with a massive "Voter Education & Get-Out-the-Vote" campaign.
In recognition of their joint effort in supporting "Black Radio United for the Vote," the management, on-air talent, and behind-the-scenes staff of the following Atlanta stations will be recognized collectively as the 2023 Broadcasters of the Year:
- WALR-FM
- WAMJ-FM/WUMJ-FM
- WAMJ-HD2
- WAOK-AM
- WCLK-FM
- WHTA-FM
- WJZA-FM
- WPZE-FM
- WRDG-FM
- WVEE-FM
- WWSZ-AM
- WXJO-AM
In addition to the aggressive push to get out the vote, the stations organized a town hall meeting on CAU’s campus last fall. The candidates included Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and many others. The town hall was held in the CAU Baranco Auditorium in the Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson Student Center. WCLK program director David Linton spearheaded the initiative for WCLK and was one of the featured guests on WSB-TV 2’s “Know Your Vote: A Family 2 Family” special, explaining why the stations needed to pull together for the vote.
“Public service is a hallmark of public radio," says Linton. “It was important for our audiences as a community of listeners to hear the same message regardless of which station they tuned to. The town hall on the campus of Clark Atlanta University allowed the general public and our students to interact and pose questions to the candidates.”
The town hall was moderated by WCLK's host of The Local Take, Kiplyn Primus, and featured many of Atlanta's popular air personalities, including Morris Baxter, Frank Ski, and Ryan Cameron.
“This is our first award from the prestigious GAB," says WCLK general manager Wendy Williams. “But I am certain it won't be our last. It's rewarding to be recognized for our service to the community as much as it is to be lauded for the jazz programming. WCLK is the only HBCU radio station to participate in the campaign.”
About Jazz 91.9 WCLK
Jazz 91.9 WCLK is a professional public radio station licensed to Clark Atlanta University. Jazz 91.9 WCLK is dedicated to developing and providing high-quality multimedia and broadcast programs that uplift, educate, and inform the Atlanta community and worldwide audience. Jazz 91.9 is dedicated to increasing the awareness of the significance of jazz music as an American art form and guiding and training students in all aspects of broadcast and public media services. It is also the home of the Jazz Music Awards.
About Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College, both of which hold unique places in the annals of African American history. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Clark College, established four years later in 1869, was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson, American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing, “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank
Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.