July 1969: Celebration Time

School is out for the summer and most of my time has been spent traveling  between Detroit, Flint and Saginaw with Earle and Bobby.

By this time the Saginaw-Flint grapevine has heard that an FM radio station, to be located in downtown Saginaw, was about to become a reality.

 

Everyone was pleased with the progress that had taken place. Now I had a chance to get away from Michigan to celebrate the 4^th with my family in Arkansas and to get some much needed rest.

With all that had been accomplished the most important celebrated event is the birth of my only son, Samuel Williams, III.  

W-3 Soul's Original Location

Earle rented a space upstairs over a hamburger restaurant known for its world famous scramble burger (Doyles). The space although large was an empty shell. We had to go in there and do everything: walls, wiring and carpet,  sections for broadcasting, news room, etc. Earl hired a contractor and we were the helpers (free labor). We pulled together to make this dream a reality.

"In 1968 there were no malls in Saginaw however there were a number of small plazas where businesses were located".

-Bobby Q Day-
Interview 2008

Saginaw 1968

Unknown to the general public, plans were being made for two history making events that would target the large Black  populations of Saginaw and Flint, Michigan in addition to  Bay City, Midland and  surrounding areas.

A recording studio (ULTRA-CITY)  owned and operated by a well known recording band director and leader was established.  Also a Black family out of Detroit built a  licensed FM radio station from the ground up.

I was at the right place at the right time.

Broadcast History

How many of you  remember the TV sitcom show WKRP In Cincinnati that aired from 1978 -1982?

It was a fictional story about a struggling radio station and its small staff. You may also remember that the station was family owned with the son as general manager.

Ten years earlier in 1968 in the city of Saginaw, Michigan an African American family was making history with their owned and operated FM radio station. It was the first of its kind outside the city of Detroit and the second Black owned and operated FM radio station in the state of Michigan.

Were you a listener back then?  Do you remember Donnie "Sweet-Meat" Cool or Miss Sadie?

Joining Bobby & Earle

I was employed in the Detroit Public School System as an (ESRP) Emergency Substitute in a Regular Position, teaching elementary music education & reading classes at Fairbanks Elementary School near Westside, Detroit for the program year 1968-1969.

Bobby moved his family from Detroit to Flint, Michigan to work as a DJ on WAMM- AM radio station in Flint. It was there that Bobby met Earle and agreed to come aboard, Sometime between  November-December 1968.  I’m not sure the exact time.  Anyway, I received a phone call from Bobby, who was in Detroit on business with Earl.  They would be stopping by to share this great idea that Earle had about owning a radio station in Saginaw, Michigan.  Bobby and Earle arrived a short time later.

From the moment of meeting Earle, anyone would get the feeling that this guy was near genius.  After a brief meeting, I agreed to go to Saginaw with Earle the following weekend.  We picked up Bobby in Flint and then traveled on to Saginaw (my first visit ) for a tour of the farmland where the tower would be located and also downtown Saginaw. This was the day that I first saw the building that would house Earle’s FM radio station .

The preliminary work had been completed.  We were ready to move forward with Earle’s dream.

The First DJ's of W3-Soul

Bobby Q Day was working at WAMM-AM when he met Earl Clark, who had recently been discharged from the Navy. Word got out that Bobby Q was working with Earl Clark to start a new radio station in Saginaw, Michigan.

Bobby Q:

"One by one the guys that were looking for radio work would contact me... and we would decide on them" That's the way that went. I can't remember who we hired first, probably a fellow named Donnie Cool (Donnie Sweet-Meat Cool).

Bobby rounded the staff with Sadie Satin (midday), Chuck Grazen (news), Speed Demon (7-Midnight) and Juicy Bruce (Midnight).

"Later Earl decided he wanted to be a Jazz DJ and we named him Playboy McCoy".

Sadie Satin was the first voice heard on W3-Soul. She played a song and then she said "here comes Sadie". We were on the air.

2008 Interview with Bobby-Q-Day

Nearly 40 years ago, I was working a DJ show on WAMM-AM in Flint, Michigan. I was contacted by a young black man named “Earl Clark”. He said he was from Detroit and had studied radio while in the Navy. He had filed for a FM radio station license with the FCC.

The more we talked, I learned he needed an antenna (tower) site for this soon to be radio station; in fact he needed everything from equipment to personnel. I agreed to help him get this station on the air.

We started to look for a tower location. We drove along the country farmlands around Saginaw until we found a farmer who let us lease land to build our tower. My brother-in law who was a super salesman, agreed to join us as Sales Manager.