Pioneering African-American radio personality Hal Jackson — a fixture on New York’s airwaves for decades — has died, according to a statement posted on the WBLS website. Jackson was 96.
In his seven-decade career in radio, Jackson accomplished many firsts: He was the first African-American radio announcer on network radio, the first black host of a jazz show on the ABC network and the first black play-by-play radio sports announcer.
He co-founded Inner City Broadcasting Corp., the first African-American-owned and -operated radio station in New York, which acquired WBLS and turned it into one of the most influential outlets in the metropolitan area in the 1970s.
Source: NY Newsday
