RICHARD DURHAM

'The Black Orson Welles of Radio'

Richard Durham was the auteur of a unique series 'Destination Freedom' which consisted of 105 scripts of meticulously researched dramatisations of black history and culture. They were produced for the Chicago radio station WMAQ between 1948 and 1950 at a time when American radio and popular culture was substantially influenced by a cultural apartheid. Durham had also been editor of the Chicago Defender and Ebony magazine. His achievements in journalism and broadcasting were not recognised outside the African-American community during his life-time but in recent years William Barlow's 'Voice Over' (published by Temple University Press 1999) J. Fred MacDonald's 'Richard Durham's Destination Freedom' (published by Praeger 1989) and 'Legendary Pioneers of Black Radio' by Gilbert A Williams (published by Praeger 1998) are seeking to emphasise his importance.

SIGRID SCHULTZ

'Woman's answer to Ed Murrow'

Sigrid Schultz was a better, braver and more successful foreign correspondent than Ed Murrow, but her place in the history books of radio is barely present. The daughter of a Norwegian portrait painter she was educated in Paris and Berlin and spoke five languages fluently. She was the Chicago Tribune's and MBS Berlin correspondent. Although 5 feet one inch in height she towered over her male colleagues in the macho culture of foreign correspondents.

She interviewed Hitler several times and:

1- predicted the Second World War,

2- was the first to warn of the dangers the Nazis posed to world peace and the lives of Jews in Hitler's Third Reich,

3- Had to deal with intimidation from the Gestapo,

4- Was injured by shrapnel from an RAF bomb,

5- Was the first to wake up male correspondents such as William L Shirer to tell them Germany had invaded Poland or Ribbentrop had signed the Nazi-Soviet pact.

6- Consistently broadcast for the MBS network including the first report from the Ravensbruk concentration camp.

HILDA MATHESON OBE 1888-1940

'The Highest Achieving Woman in the BBC before the 2nd World War'.

Hilda Matheson founded BBC radio journalism and was responsible for laying down the foundations of qualitative cultural programming. She played a key role in the development of MI5 during the First World War and was recruited by John Reith to develop and enhance the BBC's 'Talks' coverage of British culture. However, her championing of modernity and the sexist environment of the institution created tension and led to her resignation over censorship of a talk on James Joyce. She was left wing- probably communist but patriotic. She had a passionate relationship with Vita Sackville-West and was the first woman to write a book on broadcasting. She was responsible for the mammoth African Survey even though a man took all the credit. She continued her work for MI5/MI6 on the outbreak of the Second World War. Her commitment and overwork in the sphere of public service undermined her health and she died during an operation in 1940. She championed poets, literature and qualitative radio as well as setting out the course for an independent BBC radio news gathering culture. Her significance has been championed by Dr Fred Hunter and writer Michael Carney who self-published her only biography in 1999.

AL BENSON

'The first successful African American disc jockey'.

Known as 'The Ole Swingmaster, Al Benson started as a preacher but began a radio disc jockey persona on the Chicago station WGES in 1945. After 2 years he was so successful he had 20 hours on WGES and WJJD. In 1948 a Chicago Tribune poll named him as the city's most popular disc jockey- he received more votes than the leading white DJs.

Why was he successful?

1. He was the first to speak with a black Southern accent and use black street slang on the air.

2. He was the first to use urban blues hits.

3. He was brilliant at pitching for advertising and sponsorship.

4. He was also political on civil rights. In the '56 Presidential election, he hired a plane and dropped 5,000 copies of the U.S. Constitution over his hometown, Jackson to 'wake up the citizens of Mississippi.'

5. He pioneered the transition to Rhythm and Blues format which became known as R&B.

6. He was financially independent and had his own studio, sold his own advertising spots and made and distributed his own programmes.

Books shown above (left to right):

Richard Durham's Destination Freedom (Scripts from Radio's Black Legacy, 1948-50), Edited by J. Fred MacDonald. Media and Society Series. Praeger. ISBN 0-275-93138-2

Women War Correspondents of World War II by Lilya Wagner. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26287-X

Legendary Pioneers of Black Radio by Gilbert A. Williams. Praeger. ISBN 0-275-95888-4

Stoker (The Life of Hilda Matheson OBE) by Michael Carney. Published by the Author. ISBN 0-9536391-0-X

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