An Exploration of the Relationship Between a Black-Owned Radio Station's Organizational Culture and its Social Impact
by Antoinette Carter Jenkins
B.A. in Psychology, August 2006, George Mason University M.B.A. in Business Administration, August 2009, University of Maryland University College
A Dissertation submitted to
The Faculty of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education
May 18, 2014
Dissertation directed by
Neal E. Chalofsky Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning
The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington
University certifies that Antoinette Carter Jenkins has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of Education as of March 4, 2014. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation.
An Exploration of the Relationship Between a Black-Owned Radio Station's Organizational Culture and its Social Impact
Antoinette Carter Jenkins
Dissertation Research Committee
Neal E. Chalofsky, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Dissertation Director
Maria Cseh, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Committee Member
James A. Miller, Professor of English and of American Studies, Committee Member
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Dedication
To Mommy and Granny, my first and most influential teachers, for everything.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the many wonderful people who have enriched my life, offering love and support at various stages of my journey.
To my husband, John: I am so fortunate to have you as my partner in life. Thank you for your boundless love, unwavering support, and for being a loving and nurturing father to our children. I love you and I appreciate you more than words can say.
To my daughter, Alexis: Being your mother is one of the greatest honors and joys of my life. In what seems like the blink of an eye, you have transformed from my sweet little baby girl into an amazing young woman. Thank you for your love, support, and patience. I love you.
To my son, Jared: You are the pure embodiment of love and I am honored to be your mother. Watching you grow to become a brilliant little gentleman with a compassionate heart is a source of great pride for me. Thank you for your love, support, and patience. I love you.
To my precious little one: You have been my constant companion and a treasured source of comfort for the past five months. With every flutter you add joy to my life and excitement for my next phase of motherhood. I love you and I can’t wait to hold you in my arms.
To my stepson, Austin: I am so proud of the man you are becoming and I am grateful that you welcomed me to be a part of your journey. I love you.
To my mother, Laura Nadine Ruffin: You loved me deeply, nurtured my inquisitive mind, and celebrated my every accomplishment. You provided an environment where I was free to exercise my independence in thought, word, and deed.
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For all of that and so much more, I am truly grateful. I miss you immensely and I love you more than words can say.
To my dad, Phil Watson: You have guided me through life with love, honesty, and wisdom, while providing plenty of space for me to exercise independence in navigating my path. Thank you for being a dedicated father and an ardent supporter of our community. I love you and I appreciate you.
To my brother, Chris: I love you.
To Granny and Poppy: Through the beauty of your marriage and love for each other, I learned the true meaning of partnership. Through your community involvement,
I learned the importance of living my values. Thank you for loving me and leading by example.
To Deeda: A long time ago, you told me, “God will provide.” I carry those words and my memories of you in my heart.
To my uncles, Gregory and Vincent, and my aunt, Robin: You have always been there for me and for that I am truly grateful. I love you all so much.
To my parents-in-law, Rev. Holt and Mary Louise Jenkins: Thank you for welcoming me into your family, loving and supporting me, and for being such wonderful grandparents to our children. I miss you both dearly.
To Candice: Your friendship is like none I have ever known and it is a gift that I will forever treasure. Sharing in this dissertation process and other life experiences along the way has been comforting, enlightening, and fun. Thank you for being you. I am so grateful to have you (and your family) in my life.
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To Rubens: You welcomed me into the HOL program and have been a big brother ever since. Thank you for your friendship and support.
To Mr. Patrick Ellis: Getting to know you over this past year has been a gift.
Thank you for welcoming me into the “HUR family,” delighting me with your storytelling, and teaching me about radio production. Your support and encouragement have been immeasurable, and for that I am truly grateful.
To Mr. Jim Watkins: Thank you for granting me the opportunity to learn more about WHUR. It was heartwarming to discover how much you and the HUR family— both past and present—have enriched our community.
To my participants, Vanessa Deal, Molette Green, Renee Nash, Brittani Riddle,
Steve Robinson, Charles Tate, and Jacquie Gales Webb: I learned so much from each of you. Thank you for sharing your time and experiences with me.
To Dr. Neal Chalofsky: Learning with you has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Thank you for taking me under your wing and providing space for me to fly. I appreciate all that you are and all that you do.
To Dr. Maria Cseh: From the moment we met, I knew that HOL was my home.
Thank you for your mentorship, listening ear, heartfelt words, and great big hugs over the years. I am fortunate to have you in my life.
To Dr. James Miller: I am so grateful to have you as a member of my dissertation committee. Thank you for your interest and your support.
To Dr. Thomas Battle: Thank you for your guidance. I sincerely appreciate you.
To the many other family, friends, colleagues, teachers, and students who have offered support and encouragement along the way – Thank you.
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Abstract of Dissertation
An Exploration of the Relationship Between a Black-Owned Radio Station's Organizational Culture and its Social Impact
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. Although these constructs have been researched in isolation, there are no known studies that have considered whether a relationship exists between the two constructs. Furthermore, there is no evidence that either construct has been studied within the context of a Black-owned business. Businesses owned by Black Americans represent an important and fast- growing segment in the American economy and, therefore, warrant further investigation in order to contribute diverse perspectives to research and theory building in organizational science.
The primary research question guiding this study was, “what is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?”
Secondary research questions examined social impact in relation to specific elements of organizational culture and how listeners experience the radio station’s social impact. The study was conducted using case study methodology. The site of this study was WHUR-
FM (WHUR), the commercial radio station owned by Howard University. Interview participants included 10 purposefully selected Black Americans: 8 current and former employees and 2 listeners of WHUR. Other sources of evidence analyzed for the study included observations, documentation, archival records, and physical artifacts.
This study found evidence of a synergistic relationship between the organizational culture and social impact of WHUR. The findings were based on consistencies observed
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between the radio station’s values-based organizational culture and its impact on internal and external communities.
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Table of Contents Dedication ...... iii
Acknowledgements ...... iv
Abstract of Dissertation ...... vii
List of Figures ...... xii
List of Tables ...... xiii
Chapter 1: Introduction ...... 1
Overview ...... 1
Statement of the Problem ...... 3
Purpose of the Study ...... 3
Research Questions ...... 3
Significance of the Study ...... 4
Conceptual Framework ...... 5
Methodology ...... 6
Delimitations and Limitations ...... 8
Chapter Summary ...... 10
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ...... 11
Literature Review Methodology ...... 11
Organizational Culture ...... 11
Social Impact ...... 17
Black-Owned Businesses ...... 24
Chapter Summary ...... 28
Chapter 3: Methodology ...... 29
Methodology ...... 29
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Site ...... 30
Population and Sample ...... 31
Data Collection ...... 32
Data Analysis ...... 35
Trustworthiness ...... 36
Subjectivity ...... 37
Ethical Considerations ...... 39
Chapter Summary ...... 39
Chapter 4: Findings ...... 40
Sources of Data ...... 40
Demographic Characteristics of Interview Participants ...... 40
Interview Participant Stories ...... 43
Organizational Culture and Social Impact of WHUR ...... 49
Mission and Values of WHUR ...... 50
Themes and Subthemes...... 53
Chapter Summary ...... 79
Chapter 5: Interpretations, Conclusions, and Recommendations ...... 80
Conclusions and Interpretations of the Findings ...... 81
Recommendations for Research ...... 94
Recommendations for Practice ...... 95
Concluding Thoughts ...... 97
References ...... 98
Appendix A: WHUR-FM Listener Recruitment Announcement ...... 115
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Appendix B: WHUR-FM Founder Interview Protocol ...... 116
Appendix C: WHUR-FM Leader Interview Protocol ...... 117
Appendix D: WHUR-FM Employee Interview Protocol ...... 118
Appendix E: WHUR-FM Listener Interview Protocol ...... 119
Appendix F: Informed Consent Information Sheet ...... 120
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List of Figures
Figure 1.1 Conceptual Framework ...... 5
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List of Tables
Table 1.1 Definition of Terms ...... 8
Table 3.1 Sources of Data ...... 33
Table 4.1 Demographic Characteristics of Participants ...... 40
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
On December 10, 1971, a fledgling radio station joined the airwaves to fulfill its founder’s vision to “become an amplifying sound of the black community in Washington
[DC]” (Watson, as cited by West, 1971b, p. E5). Today, forty years later, that same radio station boasts industry awards, prominent market rankings, and continues efforts toward its original vision to “carry the sounds and ideas that are a part of the black community”
(Watson, as cited by West, 1971b, p. E5). How has the radio station pursued its vision of impacting the Black community of Washington, DC over the past four decades?
It is possible that the radio station has continued on a trajectory toward its vision because it represents what Collins and Porras (1994) defined as a “visionary company” (p.
1). “Visionary companies are premier institutions—the crown jewels—in their industries, widely admired by their peers and having a long track record of making a significant impact on the world around them” (Collins & Porras, 1994, p. 1). An organization’s core ideology, which represents the sum of its core values and purpose, is a key element “in building a visionary company” (Collins & Porras, 1994, p. 73). The purpose of an organization is its reason for existence and can generally be ascertained from its mission statement. “Core values are the organization’s essential and enduring tenets, not to be compromised for financial gain or short-term expediency” (Collins & Porras, 1994, p. 73).
Combined, the purpose and core values serve as guiding principles in the actions of an organization, which result in its impact.
It is not known if the radio station meets the criteria proposed by Collins and
Porras (1994); however, it is assumed that there is some attribute that has contributed to
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its continued efforts for the past forty-two years. For a Black-owned radio station to survive the inherent disadvantages facing minority-owned businesses in American society (U.S. Small Business Administration, n.d.) is no small feat, particularly when the social climate of its founding in 1971 is considered. During that time, American society was adjusting to the recent enactment of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin and requires integration of public places. Between 1964 and 1967, a series of racially-motivated civil disturbances led then-president Lyndon B. Johnson to establish a National Advisory
Commission on Civil Disorders. In 1968, The Commission reported its findings and concluded, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal” (U.S. Riot Commission, 1968, p. 1). Soon thereafter, revered civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
The struggle for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement extended to all facets of life for Black Americans, including the broadcasting industry. Although Black ownership of radio stations emerged in 1949, the number of stations owned represented mere fractions compared to those owned by White counterparts. By 1970, there were 16
Black-owned radio stations, representing .002 percent of all U.S. radio stations (Barlow,
1999). A successful, national campaign for minority radio station ownership during the late-1960s to early-1970s paved the way for more Black-owned radio stations, including the radio station previously profiled, Howard University’s WHUR-FM (WHUR). During the 1970s, Black-owned radio stations increased from 20 to 140 (Barlow, 1999). As of
2011, there were 11,293 commercial radio stations in the U.S. (Federal Communications
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Commission [FCC], 2012). Of those, Black Americans owned 351 commercial radio stations, representing 3.1% (FCC, 2012).
As the historical context indicates, WHUR was founded during a particularly challenging era for Black Americans and has continued to operate in an industry that remains underrepresented by Black owners. Despite these challenges, WHUR has continued to flourish, which suggests that its organizational culture has endured and it continues to impact its audience.
Statement of the Problem
A relationship between the organizational culture and social impact of businesses in general, and Black-owned businesses in particular, has not been established in scholarly literature. To date, there is no evidence that organizational culture in the context of Black-owned businesses has been empirically researched. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the social impact of a Black-owned business has been empirically researched. The absence of such research inhibits exposure to diverse perspectives on the constructs of organizational culture and social impact, and the possible relationship thereof, thereby rendering our understanding of the phenomena incomplete. To address this void, a case study of a particular Black-owned business, the radio station previously profiled, is proposed to enhance our understanding of the relationship between organizational culture and social impact.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this case study is to explore the relationship between a Black- owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact.
Research Questions
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This study was guided by the following research question: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact? Secondary questions guiding this research included:
1. How is the stated mission of the radio station consistent with its social impact?
2. How are the artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted
organizational values of the radio station consistent with its social impact?
3. How do listeners of the radio station experience its impact?
Significance of the Study
This research endeavor represents the first known attempt to study the relationship between the organizational culture and social impact of a Black-owned business. As such, this study has the potential to contribute foundational scholarship on the relationship between those constructs. Insights gleaned from this study could support theory building to aid our understanding of how organizations impact their surrounding communities—not through targeted corporate social responsibility initiatives, but simply as a way of being.
For the research community, this study has the potential to enhance the extant body of literature across various disciplines by offering insights into a Black-owned business, the social impact of a mass media outlet, and how organizational culture contributes to that impact. For the practice community, an understanding of social impact could inform Black-owned businesses of how they can have a positive influence on the communities in which they serve. For the participants of the study, this research has the potential to reinforce the mutual significance of the radio station and its listeners
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as the “sound of the black community in Washington [DC]” (Watson, as cited by West,
1971b, p. E5).
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for this study is intended to elucidate the perceived relationship between organizational culture and social impact in the context of a Black- owned commercial radio station, Howard University’s WHUR-FM. The following graphic offers a rendering of the perceived relationship, which is conceptualized as one of mutual influence.
Washington, DC Metro Area Black American Community
WHUR-FM Social Impact
Organizational Culture
Figure 1.1 . Conceptual framework of the relationship between organizational culture and social impact.
The conceptual framework was influenced by two theories: cultural dynamics model and social impact theory. The cultural dynamics model (Hatch, 1993) illustrates the
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organizational culture component of the framework; social impact theory (Latané, 1981) illustrates the social impact component of the framework.
Cultural dynamics model. Expanding on the work of Schein (1984), Hatch
(1993) proposed a model of cultural dynamics of organizations. The model retains values, artifacts, and assumptions as the elements of organizational culture as conceptualized by
Schein (1984), and introduces symbols as a fourth element (Hatch, 1993). The model depicts values, artifacts, symbols, and assumptions in a dynamic circular exchange of mutual influence facilitated by “manifestation, realization, symbolization, and interpretation processes” (Hatch, 1993, p. 661). For the present study, the cultural dynamics model provides a comprehensive framework for researching organizational culture.
Social impact theory. Social impact describes the influence a person’s actions have on another (Latané, 1981). Social impact theory conceptualizes “social impact as being the result of social forces…operating in a social force field or social structure”
(Latané, 1981, pp. 343-344). Social impact can manifest as “changes in psychological states and subjective feelings, motives and emotions, cognitions and beliefs, values and behavior” (Latané, 1981, p. 343). For the present study, Latané’s (1981) definition of social impact will be used to interpret how the radio station affects its listeners.
Together, the cultural dynamics model and social impact theory form a multi- faceted lens through which the organizational culture of the radio station and its social impact can be analyzed and interpreted.
Methodology
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This case study is informed by a social constructivist worldview, which assumes that “individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work.
Individuals develop subjective meanings of their experiences—meanings directed toward certain objects or things” (Creswell, 2009, p. 8). Case study methodology will be used to understand the relationship between the radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The study will be based on analysis of multiple sources of evidence, specifically, participant interviews, observations, documentation, archival records, and physical artifacts (Yin, 2009).
Site and population. The site of this study is Howard University’s commercial radio station, WHUR-FM, located in Washington, DC. The population for this study is stakeholders of the radio station, specifically current and former general managers, employees, and listeners.
Sample selection and size. The sample for this study is the founding general manager, current general manager, employees, and listeners of WHUR. The founding general manager and current general manager of WHUR were purposefully selected based on the criterion that they were involved with the creation of the station. Employees of WHUR will be purposefully selected based on the criteria that they have been employed by the station for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 42 years.
Listeners of WHUR will be selected based on the criteria that they have listened to the station at least once per week for a minimum of 12 months. To ensure sufficient data saturation, a minimum of six total WHUR leaders, employees, and listeners will be interviewed (Guest, Bunce, & Johnson, 2006).
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In addition to participant interviews, recordings of listeners interacting with the station during live broadcasts will be sampled to gauge how programming is experienced in real time. The potential sample includes continuous daily recordings, so recordings for the study will be selected using a random purposeful sampling strategy, which “[a]dds credibility to [a] sample when [the] potential purposeful sample is too large” (Creswell,
2007, p. 127).
Delimitations and Limitations
Delimitations. The delimitations of this study were established by the researcher’s purposeful selection of research methodology, context, and participants. As a qualitative case study of a particular organization, this research endeavor does not aim to produce generalizable results.
Limitations. A potential limitation of this study is the need for interview participants to recall information about past experiences. Another potential limitation is that the researcher’s presence in conducting interviews and observations could bias participant responses or behaviors.
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Table 1.1
Definition of Terms
Term Definition Source Black or African American “A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups U.S. Census Bureau, n.d., para. 3 of Africa.”
Black-owned business “firms in which blacks or African-Americans own 51 U.S. Census Bureau, 2011, para. 10 percent or more of the equity, interest or stock of the business”
Organizational culture “the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has Schein, 1984, p. 3 invented, discovered, or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems”
Social impact “any of the great variety of changes in physiological states Latané, 1981, p. 343 and subjective feelings, motives and emotions, cognitions and beliefs, values and behavior, that occur in an individual, human or animal, as a result of the real, implied, or imagined presence or actions of other individuals”
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Chapter Summary
The purpose of this first chapter was to describe the basis for studying the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The background and purpose of the study were presented. An approach to conducting the study was proposed by providing the research questions, conceptual framework, methodological overview, and significance of the study.
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Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
The purpose of this literature review is to establish the context for the case study.
This chapter is organized into four general sections: (1) organizational culture, (2) social impact, (3) Black-owned businesses, and (4) chapter summary.
Literature Review Methodology
A literature review was conducted to identify research on the constructs of organizational culture and social impact within the context of a Black-owned business.
Various databases were searched including ABI/INFORM Global, Academic Search
Premier, Business Source Premier, JSTOR, and PsycINFO. Searches were limited to scholarly, English language articles. Searches were conducted using combinations of complete and/or truncated terms, including: “organization* culture,” “organization* values,” “organization* assumptions,” “organization* artifacts,” “organization* symbols,”
“social impact,” “Black or African American and business*,” and “Black or African
American and radio.” Searches of individual terms yielded results; however, combined searches did not yield results. Articles found that were not included in the study were eliminated based on incongruence with selected definitions of organizational culture, social impact, and Black-owned business.
Organizational Culture
Organizational culture, the essence of organizations, is defined as
the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered, or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. (Schein, 1984, p. 3)
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Organizational culture manifests in artifacts, values, and assumptions (Schein,
1984). Schein (1984) conceptualized these elements of culture as a topology of progressive tangibility wherein assumptions represent the bottom level, values represent the middle level, and artifacts represent the top level. Assumptions are subconscious, taken-for-granted expectations “that determine perceptions, thought processes, feelings, and behavior” (Schein, 1990, p. 112). Values are the espoused and enacted beliefs held by organizational members. Finally, artifacts include all aspects of the organization that can be observed through sensory functions, such as the physical office environment, social climate, dress code, and records.
Hatch (1993) expanded on the three-tiered model of organizational culture as presented by Schein (1984). The resulting framework, the cultural dynamics model
(Hatch, 1993), conceptualizes organizational culture as an interactive loop. The loop is composed of artifacts, values, assumptions, and one additional element: symbols. Hatch
(1993) introduced symbols as a fourth cultural element to account for both Schein’s
(1984) model and symbolic-interpretive perspectives. The model is based on four processes: manifestation, realization, symbolization, and interpretation, which generate the cultural elements. Manifestation is the process in which assumptions are translated into values. Realization is the process of transforming values into tangible artifacts.
Symbolization “links an artifact’s objective form and literal meaning to experiences that lie beyond the literal domain” (Hatch, 1993, p. 670). Interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to symbols. Hatch (1993) posited that each of these processes could occur simultaneously, either proactively or retroactively, thereby rendering organizational culture a dynamic collection of processes. In this nonlinear model, “the processes co-
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occur in a continuous production and reproduction of culture in both its stable and changing forms and conditions” (Hatch, 1993, p. 661).
Both Schein’s (1984) and Hatch’s (1993) models highlight the significance of interdependent elements in forming the basis of organizational culture. Combined, these elements represent a gestalt of organizational life. Separated, each element stands as a construct that can provide particular insight into an organization.
Assumptions
Assumptions are tacit beliefs commonly held by organizational members. These taken-for-granted beliefs manifest in the perceptual, cognitive, and emotive responses of organizational members (Hatch, 1993). Schneider and Shrivastaval (1988) identified nine themes of basic assumptions in organizations based on a literature review of individual, group, and organizational dynamics. The themes of assumptions featured in the model (Schneider and Shrivastaval, 1988) include: persecution, exorcism, dependency, pairing, grandeur and power, philosophic, guilt, influence, and nihilism.
The themes were proposed to form a theoretical framework for deciphering and analyzing the basic assumptions in organizations (Schneider and Shrivastaval, 1988); however, the authors did not identify any efforts to validate the model.
In a case study of assumptions, Swanberg (2004) explored how gender assumptions influenced the adoption of family-friendly policies within an organization.
Swanberg (2004) conducted in-depth interviews with 30 participants from a local government parks and recreation division. The findings of the study suggest that gendered assumptions in the case organization impeded implementation of family- friendly policies and practices for employees.
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Values
Values are “guiding principles in life” (Schwartz, 1999, p. 25), which represent human biological, social, and survival requirements (Ros, Schwartz, & Surkiss, 1999).
These deeply held beliefs are believed to be transcendental, guiding action in all facets of human life (Argandoña, 2003; Rokeach, 1979; Schwartz, 1999). The transformation of values into action has been conceived as a progressive process:
Values are reflected in decisions ; the repetition of values in decisions shows the existence of a virtue (and strengthens it); and the body of virtues shapes a character , which gives consistency to subsequent decisions until a conduct is defined. (Argandoña, 2003, p. 16)
Organizational values. Just as personal values guide the actions of individuals, organizational values influence the actions of organizations. Organizational values are defined as
the beliefs held by an individual or group regarding means and ends organizations “ought to” or “should” identify in the running of the enterprise, in choosing what business actions or objectives are preferable to alternate actions, or in establishing organizational objectives. (Enz, 1988, p. 287)
The original values of an organization are believed to reflect the personal values of its founder(s) (Scott, 2002), as influenced by national culture (Hofstede, 1985) and humanistic assumptions about how the organization should operate (Schein, 1983).
The significance of values in organizations has spawned research aimed at understanding how the construct affects organizational effectiveness, both internally and externally. Internally-focused studies have explored the relationship between organizational values and decision-making (Ravlin & Meglino, 1987), employee mobilization (Quenneville, Bentein, & Simard, 2010), ethical conduct (Akaah & Lund,
1994; Ghosh, 2008; Jin, Drozdenko, & Bassett, 2007), interdepartmental collaboration
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(Chen & Tjosvold, 2008), organizational identity and organizational sense of community
(Cicognani, Palestini, Albanesi, & Zani, 2012), power (Koslowsky & Stashevsky, 2005;
Tjosvold, Coleman, & Sun, 2003), process innovation (Khazanchi, Lewis, & Boyer,
2007), work-life balance (Burke, 1997; Burke, 2000; Burke, 2001a; Burke, 2002), and workaholism (Burke, 2001b). Externally-focused studies have explored the relationship between organizational values and constituent relationships (Voss, Cable, & Voss, 2000), corporate social responsibility (Khandelwal & Mohendra, 2010), marketing effectiveness
(Badovick & Beatty, 1987; Dunn, Norburn, & Birley, 1994), natural environmental issue response (Bansal, 2003; Berkhout & Rowlands, 2007), quality of service and/or products
(Beatty, 1988; Burke, 1999), and selling performance (Flaherty, Dahlstrom, & Skinner,
1999).
Based on the assumption that employees have “a blend of certain personal values they carry over into the organization and certain organizational values they adopt and share” (Badovick & Beatty, 1987, p. 20), some researchers have explored the nexus between personal and organizational values as it relates to various outcomes. Value congruence has been researched in relation to charismatic leadership (Huang, Cheng, &
Chou, 2005), development of values statements (Zhang, Austin, Glass, & Mills, 2008), individual and organizational performance (Posner, Kouzes, & Schmidt, 1985), job satisfaction (Diskiene & Gostautas, 2010; Kumar, 2012), organizational commitment
(Finegan, 2000; Johnson & Jackson, 2009), and work attitudes (Posner, 1992; Posner,
2010).
Artifacts
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Artifacts are tangible outputs produced by organizational members based on values and assumptions (Schein, 1984). Artifacts include creations such as documents, communication, lore, organizational structure, office space, etc. Ostrom (1980) took conceptualization of organizational artifacts a step further, suggesting that the organization itself is an artifact, “which, in turn, always [functions as a tool or instrument] in the creation of other artifacts” (p. 310). Empirical studies of organizational artifacts are primarily composed of qualitative case studies exploring how artifacts mediate relationships (Bechky, 2003), elicit emotions (Rafaeli & Vilnai-Yavetz,
2004), affect strategy (Higgins, McAllaster, Certo, & Gilbert, 2006), and facilitate replication and innovation (Güttel, Konlechner, Müller, Trede, & Lehrer, 2012).
Survey research conducted by Luria and Rafaeli (2008) investigated how employees interpret organizational commitment to safety through artifacts. A total of
520 employees of three organizations participated in the study. The study was conducted in two phases—the first qualitative, the second quantitative. The results of the study suggest that most participants interpreted safety artifacts as symbols of regulatory compliance and organizational commitment to employee safety.
Symbols
Like artifacts, symbols are sensible products of organizations (Hatch, 1993).
These products become symbols as organizational members assign subjective meanings to them. Symbols have been studied in relation to perceived psychological climate
(Ornstein, 1986), organizational speech (Carbaugh, 1988), management development
(Preston, 1993), social identity (Pratt & Rafaeli, 1997), and quality standards (Bell,
Taylor, & Thorpe, 2002). Conceptual papers have explored symbols in relation to power
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(Das, 1988), executive compensation (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1988), marketing
(Glastetter & Kleiner, 1989), organizational socialization (Fogarty & Dirsmith, 2001), and job title inflation (Martinez, Laird, Martin, & Ferris, 2008).
Social Impact
Social impact is defined as
any of the great variety of changes in physiological states and subjective feelings, motives and emotions, cognitions and beliefs, values and behavior, that occur in an individual, human or animal, as a result of the real, implied, or imagined presence or actions of other individuals. (Latané, 1981, p. 343)
Social impact theory is a “framework for understanding how a person is affected by his or her social environment” (Nowak, Szamrej, & Latané, 1990, p. 364). The theory is based on a mathematical model for predicting social influence according to three principles: social forces, psychosocial law, and multiplication versus division of impact
(Latané, 1981). According to the social forces principle of the theory, “the amount of impact experienced by the target should be a multiplicative function of the strength, S, the immediacy, I, and the number, N, of sources present” (Latané, 1981, p. 344). Strength denotes the significance of the source in terms of power as perceived by the target.
Immediacy refers to the proximity between the source and the target, unobstructed by barriers. Number is the quantity of sources. The resulting equation for calculating social impact based on these factors is I = f(SIN) .
The psychosocial law principle of the theory was based on Latané’s (1981) assumption that “the first other person in a social force field should have greater impact than the hundredth” (p. 344). Thus, while the hundredth person may have an impact, his or her significance will have marginally decreased with each successive person following the first. The equation for this principle was represented as I = sN t. in which the amount
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of social impact, I, is the product of “some power, t, of the number of sources, N, times a scaling constant, s” (Latané, 1981, p. 344). The value of the positive exponent, t, is less than one, so the resulting impact should be proportional to the root of the number of people (Latané, 1981).
The final principle, multiplication versus division of impact, describes the scenario in which multiple targets exist in a social force field. In such situations, Latané
(1981) argued that impact is divided among the targets, thereby rendering it less impactful. This principle is represented by the opposite formula of the psychosocial law as I = s/N t. In this formula, the exponent, t, is a negative number with an absolute value less than one.
Social impact theory was originally conceptualized as a static, one-sided process in which a powerful majority influences a passive minority. Latané (1981) noted that enhancement of the theory “would specify the means whereby the consequences of social impact cumulate as the people in a social setting react to and interact with each other” (p.
355). Toward that end, the phenomenon of social impact was reconceptualized as a dynamic process in which individuals actively engage with their social environment to exert or experience influence (Latané & Wolf, 1981).
Mullen (1985) challenged the merits of social impact theory based on the results of a meta-analytic evaluation. In particular, Mullen (1985) evaluated the factors of strength and immediacy, as those elements distinguished social impact theory from his self-attention theory and Tanford and Penrod’s (1984) social influence model. Mullen
(1985) argued that published studies based on social impact theory emphasized the number of sources over their strength and immediacy factors, rendering them the
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“forgotten elements” (p. 1460) of the theory. The meta-analysis was based on 16 studies; nine tested strength, seven tested immediacy. The results of the meta-analysis led Mullen
(1985) to conclude that studies based on self-reports demonstrated influence of source strength and immediacy, but studies based on behavioral measures did not. Therefore,
Mullen (1985) concluded that social impact theory had limited utility.
Jackson (1986) responded to Mullen’s (1985) critique of social impact theory. In the response, Jackson (1986) indicated that Mullen’s (1985) meta-analysis was flawed because he did not accurately describe social impact theory, his categorization of the articles was misleading, and he excluded a large set of studies from the evaluation.
Jackson (1986) challenged Mullen’s (1985) assertion that social impact theory is descriptive rather than predictive. Jackson (1986) conceded that although social impact theory does not explain why influence occurs, it still has predictive power. In questioning Mullen’s (1985) categorization scheme for the meta-analysis, Jackson (1986) argued that the distinction of self-report studies from those based on behavior measures was inconsistent and rooted in faulty reasoning. Lastly, Jackson (1986) questioned the criteria that Mullen (1985) applied in selecting studies for the meta-analysis. In particular,
Jackson (1986) questioned Mullen’s (1985) requirement that studies had to be based on manipulation of source strength or immediacy and number, as social impact theory is formulated on six variables—strength, immediacy, and number of both sources and targets. This concern was, in Jackson’s (1986) estimation, the most serious because the
“overly restricted sample” (p. 512) undermined the credibility of Mullen’s (1985) conclusions.
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Empirical studies of social impact include several aimed at testing Latané’s
(1981) theory. One such study, conducted by Nowak et al. (1990), studied attitudes in relation to social impact. The study was a computer simulation of attitude change in an interactive group setting. Most of the simulations were based on 1,600 individuals, represented in a square 40 x 40 matrix. The results of the simulations supported social impact theory by demonstrating attitude changes through majority group increases from
70% to between 86% and 94%. Clusters of like-minded subgroups subscribing to the majority opinion formed within the matrix, whereas the few groups holding minority opinions existing on the fringes of the matrix—a phenomenon cited by the authors as analogous to “minority groups living on a social margin” (Nowak et al., 1990, p. 368).
Successive simulations generated fewer attitude changes as “the modeled society reached a state of equilibrium” (Nowak et al., 1990, p. 368).
Sedikides and Jackson (1990) conducted a field experiment to test social impact theory. The 224 participants in the study were visitors of a bird exhibit at a zoo.
Experimenters tested and observed participants’ compliance with instructions to not lean on railings in the exhibit area. The behavior of participants was measured four times during their progression through the exhibit: before instructions were given, immediately after instructions were given, once the experimenter departed the room, and after they entered the next room of the exhibit. The zoo patrons were approached in their naturally occurring groups, which ranged from one to six individuals. Data were analyzed using mixed-subjects factorial design with groups as the unit of analysis. The researchers found that strong sources were more influential than weak sources and that influence was
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greater when the sources were immediate. The findings support the source strength and source immediacy elements of social impact theory.
Additional studies testing social impact theory have explored social impact in relation to conformity (Latané & L’Herrou, 1996), heritability of attitudes (Bourgeois,
2002), and physical space (Latané, Liu, Nowak, Bonevento, & Zheng, 1995). Social impact has also been studied without any reference to Latané’s (1981) theory. Many of the articles in this vein lack a clear definition of social impact and are not based on empirical research. Examples include articles discussing the social impact of dental health practices (Gift, Reisine, & Larach, 1992), economy (Auld, 2004; Lee & Vivarelli,
2006; Thiele, 2003), industry (James, 1978; Khan, Seng, & Cheong, 1990; Kripa &
Surendranathan, 2008; Nance, Garfield, & Paredes, 1994; Taber, Walsh, & Cooke, 1979;
Watkins, 1994), project management (Labuschagne, Brent, & Claasen, 2005; Uranga,
Lucellas, & Conciencia, 2005), public policy (Jaeger, 2004), technology (Mine, 1986;
Schumann, 1984; Veith, 1980), and war (Modell & Haggerty, 1991).
Empirical articles include a few qualitative studies, each with different applications of the term “social impact.” Ismail (2001) conducted a study to assess the economic and social impact of a micro-loan program in Malaysia. The study was based on survey and interview data from 100 rural poor women, of which 60 were beneficiaries of the micro-loan program, and the remaining 40 were not. Social impact was gauged by comparing the social position of the two groups of women as measured by their socioeconomic status and level of influence within their households. The micro-loan program was determined to have achieved social impact because women in the experimental group gained higher social status than women in the control group.
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Roper and Shah (2007) explored the social impact of branding on children. The study was based on data collected from focus group interviews with teachers at low- income schools in the United Kingdom (UK) and Kenya and open-ended questionnaire responses from 100 children aged seven to eleven who attended the schools. Social impact was defined as “emergent positive and/or negative effects that occurred as a result of branding to young children that were recognized by both the children and the teachers”
(Roper & Shah, 2007, p. 713). The authors concluded that the social impact of branding was evident in the reported importance of brands to social acceptance among children, the use of brands by children to disguise poverty, and similarities in brand popularity among children in the UK and Kenya, despite differences in economic development between the two countries.
Whitney, Sagrestano, and Maslach (1994) studied the social impact of individuation. Social impact was defined as one’s ability “to command the attention of others and thus have a better opportunity to shape and direct subsequent social outcomes”
(p. 1140). The authors hypothesized that individuals who are highly differentiated on the dimensions of creativity, leadership, and nonverbal expressiveness would be more likely to achieve social impact. The research included three studies: one to create a prototype to measure the individuation construct, one testing the prototype on a sample of 96 undergraduate psychology students for validation purposes, and one testing the prototype on 94 master of business administration students. The authors concluded, “high individuators have a stronger social impact than low individuators because they behave in ways that attract people’s attention; they take charge of groups and lead them in new directions; and they engage in activities in more creative ways” (p. 1150).
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As the review of social impact literature demonstrates, there are many conceptions of “social impact.” The common thread is that the construct is applied to denote instances in which the actions of people—either as individuals or a collective— affect other people.
Social Impact of Radio
In an article discussing the social impact of radio, Bartlett (1947) declared, “The growth and influence of radio-broadcasting in the United States is one of the most dramatic chapters in the history of communication” (p. 89). Bartlett’s (1947) assessment was deduced from descriptive statistics about the growth of radio ownership in the U.S.
At that time, Bartlett (1947) predicted, “There will be ‘voices’ everywhere, and radio may become more like magazines, with each station aiming its programs at a certain type of listener” (p. 89).
Bartlett’s (1947) prediction came to fruition. The medium of radio is now used to transmit music, news, and targeted messages to people around the world. Although there are no known studies assessing the social impact of radio as a defined construct, studies have been aimed at understanding the impact or influence of radio programming.
Examples of studies exploring the impact of radio programming include research on educational interventions (Borzekowski & Macha, 2010; Liddell & Masilela, 1990), health promotion (Agha & Meekers, 2010; Boulay, Storey, & Sood, 2002; Bridges,
Searle, Selck, & Martinson, 2010; Solomon et al., 2009; Usdin, Scheepers, Goldstein, &
Japhet, 2005), mood and quality of life (Travers & Bartlett, 2011), and social attitudes
(LaKind & Hornstein, 1979; Paluck, 2009).
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Articles exploring the impact of radio programming specifically targeting Black
Americans appear to have only emerged within the past twenty years. Such articles have discussed the use of radio in education (Johnson, 1992), health promotion (Hall, Johnson-
Turbes, & Williams, 2010), and sports promotion (Johnson, 1995). Empirical research has explored the impact of radio in domestic violence prevention (Wray et al., 2004), health promotion (Hall, Rim, Johnson-Turbes, Vanderpool, & Kamalu, 2012), politics (di
Leonardo, 2012), and social construction of risk (Gandy, 2001).
Black-Owned Businesses
As of 2007, the most recent year for which there are official U.S. Census Bureau data, there are 1.9 million Black-owned businesses in the United States (2011). This increase of 60.5% in the period from 2002 to 2007 demonstrated that “Black-owned businesses continued to be one of the fastest growing segments of our economy” (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2011, p. 1). Despite the recent increase in Black-owned businesses, there have been few empirical studies of that particular segment. Of the studies that exist, the focus has been on threats to survival (e.g., Fairlie & Robb, 2007). While it is important to identify weaknesses and threats to survival, it is equally important to identify strengths and opportunities for survival. Elements of organizational culture have been identified as essential to the endurance and impact of organizations (Collins & Porras, 1994; Hofstede,
1985). However, there are no known studies to date that have explored the role of organizational culture in Black-owned businesses.
Hornaday and Nunnally (1987) conducted an empirical study to determine if differences existed in the owner and organizational characteristics of Black-owned businesses compared to White-owned businesses. The study was delimited to businesses
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that were independently owned and operated for at least three years with less than $3 million in sales. The sample of White-owned businesses was drawn in 1985 from the apparel retail and real estate industries. The following year, a sample of Black-owned businesses was drawn from various industries. The authors did not offer any reasoning for collecting the samples in different years and for delimiting White-owned businesses to two particular industries. Forty-seven White business owners and 34 Black business owners were interviewed for the study. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank- sum test and Chi-square. The authors concluded that a relationship exists between firm size and owner educational level for both Black- and White-owned businesses. However, neither the direction nor the strength of the relationship was explained. The authors further concluded that Black business owners were more likely to express a need for their businesses to grow, whereas White business owners were more likely to prioritize internal improvements. The authors concluded by citing the delimitations of their study as limitations, but argued that since the results “confirm other work in the field…none of these limitations seem fatal to the importance of the study” (Hornaday & Nunnally, 1987, p. 37).
Robb (2002) conducted an empirical study to determine variations in survival rates between businesses owned by women compared to those owned by men and businesses owned by minorities compared to those owned by non-minorities. The author hypothesized that business survival rates would be equal among the groups. Longitudinal data from the U.S. Census Bureau were analyzed using survival analysis. The findings suggested that Black-owned businesses, among others, are “less likely to survive than businesses owned by whites” (Robb, 2002, p. 395). The author acknowledged that the
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study “could not control for the owner and business characteristics that may influence business outcomes” (Robb, 2002, 395). Thus, the study did not offer any insights into why some businesses survive while others do not.
An empirical study by Fairlie and Robb (2007) investigated why Black-owned businesses are less likely to succeed than White-owned businesses. The authors hypothesized that the disparity was attributable to “[t]he inability of blacks to acquire general and specific business human capital through exposure to businesses owned by family members “ (p. 292). U.S. Census Bureau longitudinal data of small businesses reported in 1992 were analyzed using logit and linear regression models to predict outcomes of Black-owned businesses. The findings suggested that the hypothesis was supported, as the linear decomposition estimates indicated that “black-owned firms have lower profits and sales, hire fewer employees, and are more likely to close than white- owned firms “ (Fairlie & Robb, 2007, p. 312). As with the previous study by Robb
(2002), this study did not advance understanding of how some Black-owned businesses beat the odds of survival.
Each of the studies reviewed support the U.S. Small Business Administration’s
(n.d.) presumption that Black-owned businesses are inherently disadvantaged. However, none of these studies explored the organizational culture of Black-owned businesses, the social impact of Black-owned businesses, or a possible relationship thereof. A review of scholarly literature on Black-owned radio stations as a particular type of business was conducted for insights to aid the present study.
Black-Owned Radio Stations
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As of 2011, there were 11,293 commercial radio stations in the U.S. (Federal
Communications Commission [FCC], 2012). Of those, Black Americans owned 351 commercial radio stations, representing 3.1% (FCC, 2012). This small number might explain why there is a dearth of scholarly literature on the topic of Black-owned radio stations. Barlow (1999) attributed the paucity of literature “to the lack of scholarly attention given to radio in general” (p. xi) and to the predominance of Black radio as a local medium. Literature searches for articles on Black-owned radio stations resulted in two results, both case studies conducted within the first decade of the 21 st century.
Johnson (2004) conducted a case study of KJLH-FM, based in Los Angeles, CA.
The case was focused on the radio station’s coverage of the riots that ensued in reaction to the verdict of the Rodney King trial. Data were collected through content analysis of one of the station’s call-in programs during the four-day period of April 29-May 2, 1992, after the verdict was announced. The author also conducted 18 interviews with radio station employees between December 2001 and August 2002. Based on the results of the study, Johnson (2004) concluded that KJLH-FM fulfilled its community-focused mission and “has empowered its listeners to participate in the political process by informing them of the power of their vote and its ability to change the system” (p. 364).
Squires (2000) applied ethnographic and survey research methods to study
WVON-AM, the only Black-owned talk radio station in Chicago, IL. The ethnographic data collection included participant observation, interviews with radio station employees and listeners, and content analysis of broadcasts. Survey data were collected from 232 randomly selected listeners on the radio station’s mailing list. Similar to Johnson’s
(2004) observations in the case of KJLH-FM, Squires (2000) noted, “WVON grounds
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itself in a community ethic and a commitment to disseminating information shared by its listeners” (p. 77). Squires (2000) concluded that listeners and staff of WVON regard it as an important source of information, and that it “provides an institutional basis for Black discourse and links to certain forms of political action and organization” (p. 89).
Chapter Summary
The overall findings of this preliminary literature review suggest that there is an opportunity to contribute to our understanding of organizational culture by studying a
Black-owned organization. Most studies of Black-owned businesses to date have focused on threats to survival, with the exception of two case studies focused on the contributions of Black-owned radio stations. Thus, our knowledge of those businesses that not only survive, but also impact their surrounding communities, is severely lacking. Furthermore, considering the theorized centrality of organizational culture to organizational outcomes, it seems appropriate to explore the culture of a Black-owned business that has operated with a vision to impact its community. None of the studies reviewed for the organizational culture and social impact constructs identified the context as a Black- owned business in the U.S. Therefore, a study with that focus could be a valuable contribution to the field.
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Chapter 3: Methodology
The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between a Black- owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The primary research question guiding this study was: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact? Secondary questions guiding this research were: How is the stated mission of the radio station consistent with its social impact? How are the artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted organizational values of the radio station consistent with its social impact? How do listeners of the radio station experience its impact?
This research study was informed by a social constructivist worldview, which assumes that “individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work.
Individuals develop subjective meanings of their experiences—meanings directed toward certain objects or things” (Creswell, 2009, p. 8). The epistemological assumptions of social constructivism are consistent with a nominalist ontological perspective.
Nominalism assumes “that the social world external to individual cognition is made up of nothing more than names, concepts and labels which are used to structure reality”
(Burrell & Morgan, 1979, p. 4).
Methodology
This study was based on the exploration of real-life phenomena—organizational culture and social impact—in the context of a radio station and its milieu (Yin, 2009); therefore, case study was selected as the most appropriate methodology. Case study research “relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion” (Yin, 2009, p. 18). This multifaceted approach “allows
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investigators to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-life events” (Yin,
2009, p. 4).
Site
The site of this study was WHUR-FM (WHUR), the commercial radio station owned by Howard University, a historically Black university located in Washington, DC.
WHUR was purposefully selected as the site for this case study based on its status as an enduring Black-owned business that has operated continuously for over 40 years. In
1971, Katherine Graham, then-president of The Washington Post , donated the radio station to Howard University “to stimulate the intellectual and cultural life of the whole community and to train more people for the communications industry” (West, 1971a, p.
B7). On December 10, 1971, WHUR went live with a format called, “360 Degrees: The
Black Experience in Sound” (Barlow, 1999, p. 236), a mix of music and news programming targeted to the Black community of Washington, DC. Today, WHUR is classified as an urban adult contemporary station (Arbitron, 2013). With a signal that reaches beyond Washington, DC to Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, it is estimated that WHUR has nearly 500,000 daily radio listeners
(WHUR-FM, n.d.). In addition to its flagship signal, WHUR operates a high-definition
(HD) station and two satellite stations under the umbrella of the Howard University
Radio Network. As of December 2012, WHUR was ranked fifth among radio stations in the Washington, DC market (Arbitron, 2013).
Prior to initiating the study, the researcher contacted the general manager of
WHUR to request permission to research the site. The researcher submitted the prospectus of the study to the senior producer of WHUR, an appointed designee of the
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general manager. The researcher then met with the general manager by phone to discuss the proposed study and obtained his approval. The general manager followed up his verbal approval of the study with a formal site permission letter that the researcher submitted to The George Washington University Institutional Review Board (IRB) as part of the IRB review process for the study. The general manager also followed up with the senior producer to confirm that the study was approved and asked him to serve as the point of contact for helping the researcher to coordinate the study.
Population and Sample
The population for this study was current and former employees and listeners of
WHUR. Purposeful sampling methods were used to select interview participants for the study. Sample selection criteria were applied as follows:
1. Employee of WHUR for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of
42 years, or
2. Listener of WHUR at least once per week for a minimum of 12 months
and a maximum of 42 years
Interview participants were recruited to participate in the study between June and
August 2013. The founding general manager, current general manager, and senior producer of WHUR were deliberately invited to participate in the study based on their experiences as employees during the first year of its inception. All three invitations were accepted. Thereafter, the senior producer assisted the researcher in identifying other employees to invite to participate in the study. Snowball sampling was also used to identify employees to interview for the study. Ultimately, five current employees of
WHUR were successfully recruited through these processes.
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Listeners were indirectly recruited for the study through an IRB-approved announcement (Appendix A) that was posted on the researcher’s blog and promoted using the social media Web sites Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Twenty-two individuals who had publicly expressed their commitment as listeners of WHUR using the Facebook plug-in feature on the station’s Web site were directly contacted either via private Facebook message or e-mail and invited to participate in the study. One public official who was identified by a research participant as a listener was invited to participate in the study via phone and e-mail. Also, a political analyst who self-identified as a listener of WHUR in a published memoir was contacted via e-mail and invited to participate in the study. None of these outreach efforts were successful. The two listeners who ultimately participated in the study had deep histories with WHUR. One was referred by the founding general manager based on his experience as a listener of the station from the moment it went on the air; the other was a long-time listener and close friend of a former disc jockey whom the researcher met while observing an oral history roundtable facilitated by WHUR.
Data Collection
The data collection process for this study was conducted between June and
August 2013. Consistent with the principles of case study research, data were collected from various sources (Yin, 2009) including archival records, direct observation, documentation, interviews, physical artifacts, and social media Web sites. Specific sources of data are outlined in Table 3.1.
Participant interviews were guided by IRB-approved protocols developed for
WHUR’s founding general manager (Appendix B), leaders—current general manager,
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senior producer, and news and public affairs director (Appendix C), employees
(Appendix D), and listeners (Appendix E). The protocols were tailored to particular subsets of the sample to focus the lines of inquiry on the aspects of the case with which each was anticipated to have the greatest level of familiarity (Weiss, 1994).
Data collection process. Data were collected as opportunities allowed without strict adherence to a particular sequence. The chronology of data collection was primarily dictated by whether or not the activity needed to be scheduled. Methods that required scheduling, such as interviews, direct observation, and analysis of artifacts and historical recordings, were prioritized over methods that could be completed solely on the researcher’s schedule, such as analysis of documents and social media content.
As interviews were scheduled with participants, they were provided with an electronic copy of the IRB-approved informed consent information sheet (Appendix F) for the study. Interviews followed a semi-structured, in-depth format and were audio recorded with permission from participants. Participants were informed of their right to participate in the study anonymously; however, none of them requested anonymity. Each participant was interviewed once, with the exception of one who was interviewed twice due to an audio recording failure during part of the first interview. Five participants were interviewed in person, four were interviewed by phone, and one was interviewed via
Skype. Interviews ranged between 34 minutes to 3 hours and 25 minutes.
Additional data collected included formal observations of WHUR-hosted events and a live broadcast, informal observations of the station’s headquarters, analysis of contemporary and archival programming, a transcript from an oral history roundtable
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Table 3.1
Sources of Data
Type of Evidence Source of Evidence Archival Records • 25th Anniversary Video • Historical programming
Direct Observation • WHUR headquarters • Gospel Spirit production • WHUR-NBC4 Community Forum: “Investing in our Youth in Prince George’s County” • Oral History Roundtable #2 • Live programming
Documentation • Gospel Spirit listener correspondence • Oral History Roundtable #1 transcript • News articles • Press releases • WHUR Web site
Interviews • In-depth interviews with founding general manager, current general manager, six current staff, and two listeners of WHUR
Physical Artifacts • Awards and trophies • Photographs • Memorabilia
Social Media • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube
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facilitated by WHUR in September 2011, photographs, memorabilia, news articles, Web site content, and Facebook and Twitter posts. Throughout the course of data collection, observations, interviews, and reflections were documented in the form of field notes, interview notes, and memos, respectively.
Data Analysis
Participant interviews were transcribed and analyzed along with other sources of data including field notes, memos, organizational documents, Web site content, and audiovisual materials. Analysis of these multiple sources of data facilitated triangulation of evidence in the case (Yin, 2009), ultimately allowing for “a detailed description of the case and its setting” (Creswell, 2007, p. 163). Data were analyzed using the broad method of “Eclectic Coding [which] employs a select and compatible combination of two or more First Cycle coding methods” (Saldaña, 2009, p. 188). This method was selected based on its appropriateness for “studies with a wide variety of data forms (e.g., interview transcripts, field notes, journals, documents, diaries, correspondence, artifacts, video)”
(Saldaña, 2009, pp. 188-189). The eclectic coding process was based on two forms of coding: In Vivo coding and open coding. “In Vivo Codes” (Saldaña, 2009, p. 91) were used for coding participant interviews and quotes in other documents. This particular type of coding was applied to direct quotes for the purpose of preserving participants’ voices in the study. Open codes were used for coding all other sources of data. Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software was used as a tool for storing and coding newspaper articles collected for the study. All other sources of data were coded manually.
As patterns emerged through the coding process, data were organized by preliminary themes. Once this process was completed, the researcher scheduled separate
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peer-debriefing sessions with two doctoral program colleagues. The first session was conducted in person and was facilitated as a card sort activity in which the researcher placed cards naming themes on a table and the reviewer organized cards of statements according to the themes. The researcher and reviewer concluded the session by discussing the results of the card sort activity and whether or not the reviewer’s results were consistent with those of the researcher. The next session was conducted electronically with the second reviewer conducting the same sorting activity using an
Excel workbook provided by the researcher. The first worksheet of the workbook listed the themes; the second worksheet listed statements in one column and included a blank column for assigning themes. Once the sorting task was completed, the researcher and reviewer met via Skype to discuss the results. As a result of these sessions, the researcher was able to identify consistencies and differences in interpretations of the themes and revisit the data accordingly.
Trustworthiness
The following validation methods were employed to ensure trustworthiness of the study (Creswell, 2007):
• “Prolonged engagement and persistent observation in the field [which included]
building trust with participants, learning the culture, and checking for
misinformation that stems from distortions introduced by the researcher or
informants” (p. 207)
• Triangulation of data collected for the study by “corroborating evidence from
different sources to shed light on a theme or perspective” (p. 208)
• Peer debriefing to facilitate “an external check of the research process” (p. 208)
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• Documentation of researcher bias in the following subjectivity statement
• Member checking was facilitated by inviting participants to review their personal
biographical sketches composed by the researcher and preliminary analyses with
descriptions of the themes. Seven out of 10 participants responded. All
respondents verified the accuracy of accounts and supported the presentation of
data. One respondent request deletion of a statement from a quote. Another
respondent requested an addition to the biographical sketch and additions to
quotes.
• Transferability of data was facilitated by providing “rich, thick description” (p.
209)
• External examiners have been commissioned to audit the study
Subjectivity
Listening to WHUR while riding in the car with my mom was one of my favorite pastimes as a little girl growing up in Washington, DC. The haunting beauty of Smokey
Robinson’s voice introducing the “Quiet Storm” as we drove through the city at night; the comforting consistency of Patrick Ellis’s voice over the “Travelogue” bed on Sunday mornings; my mother’s angelic voice singing along to gospel songs on our way to
Brookland Union Baptist Church are many of my cherished memories as a listener of
WHUR. These experiences contributed to my development by helping me to learn about my cultural identity while providing a soundtrack for my life.
When I was 12 years old, my mother met and fell in love with the founder of
WHUR. From the moment we were introduced, he became my dad. Over the years our bond has strengthened through grieving over the loss of my mother, sharing
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responsibilities in raising my little brother, granting my hand to my husband, grandfathering my children, and everything in between. I admire my dad and have always enjoyed being an audience when he shares oral histories about his life. For years,
I have listened with delight as my dad occasionally shared his reflections on the thrills and challenges he experienced in establishing WHUR. Of all the times he shared his experience at WHUR, there was none more exuberant than his reflections following a reunion with some of his original team members during an oral history roundtable facilitated by WHUR in September 2011. When my dad visited me following the session,
I was in the process of listing ideas for my dissertation research to discuss with my academic advisor. The gleam in my dad’s eyes and the pure joy that emanated from him as he shared the events of the day compelled me to scrap the list of ideas I had compiled in favor of a study of WHUR. I was intrigued by the fact that after 40 years, current and former employees of an organization could come together and pick up where they left off, refer to each other as family, and genuinely enjoy spending an entire day with each other reminiscing about the good old times. I expressed my interest in conducting the study and my dad’s joy intensified. A few weeks later, he invited me to join him in attending
WHUR’s 40 th anniversary celebration on December 10, 2011, where I had the opportunity to meet the current general manager, senior producer, and a host of other current and former affiliates of WHUR—all of whom expressed support in my interest to focus my dissertation research on the station.
As I engage in this research, I will be ever cognizant of the fact that my personal pride in my dad’s legacy was the impetus for my pursuit of this study. This deep subjectivity will require me to be especially vigilant in maintaining awareness of where
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and how I show up in this work so as not to undermine its trustworthiness and rigor. I am confident that my commitment to privileging individual experiences and applying validation techniques will mediate the potential confound presented by my subjectivity.
Ethical Considerations
Given the nature of the questions asked for the study, it was not anticipated that participants would feel stress or emotional discomfort during interviews. However, the following measures were taken to ensure the protection and well-being of participants:
• Participants were told and reminded that they were free to skip any questions or
stop the interview at any time if they were uncomfortable
• All computers used for the project were password protected
• Participants were assured that they would not be identified when the results of the
research project are reported in journals or at scientific meetings, if anonymity
was requested
• Participants were notified that information about their involvement in the study
would not be released unless required by law
Chapter Summary
The purpose of this third chapter was to describe the methodology for studying the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The research design was presented by providing information about the site, population, sample, data collection method and process, and data analysis. Also, validation and risk management were addressed in discussions about trustworthiness, subjectivity, and ethical considerations.
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Chapter 4: Findings
The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between a Black- owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The main research question guiding the study was: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact? Secondary research questions guiding the study were: How is the stated mission of the radio station consistent with its social impact? How are the artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted organizational values of the radio station consistent with its social impact? How do listeners of the radio station experience its impact? As a result of the data analysis described in Chapter 3, three themes and several subthemes emerged. This chapter is organized as follows: 1) sources of data, 2) demographic characteristics of interview participants, 3) stories of interview participants, and 4) organizational culture and social impact of WHUR as described by data in the three themes and subthemes.
Sources of Data
This case study research was based on analysis of data collected from a variety of sources including archival records, direct observation, documentation, interviews, physical artifacts, and social media Web sites. Specific sources of data are outlined in
Table 3.1.
Demographic Characteristics of Interview Participants
In-depth interviews were conducted with WHUR’s founding general manager, current general manager, six staff members, and two individuals who have been listeners of the station since its inception. Interview participants included a total of ten Black
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American men (N = 5) and women (N = 5). The demographic characteristics of interview participants are outlined in Table 4.1.
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Table 4.1
Demographic Characteristics of Interview Participants
Participant Gender Position Title Employment Status Length of Service (Years)
Patrick Ellis M Senior Producer/Host Current 42
Molette Green F News Reporter Current 8
Renee Nash F Director of Information and Public Affairs Current 30
Brittani Riddle F Producer/Program Director Current 5
Steve Robinson M Producer/Program Director/Host Current 8
Jim Watkins M General Manager Current 42
Phil Watson M General Manager Former 1.5
Jacquie Gales Webb F Host Current 23
Participant Gender Position Title Sector Years as a Listener
Vanessa Deal F EEO Specialist Government 42
Charles Tate M President Non-profit 42
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Interview Participant Stories
Vanessa Deal. Vanessa is a veteran of the U.S. Army who currently works as an
Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist for the federal government. She was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, but over the years, she has come to also regard Washington, DC as home. Listening to the radio was a treasured daily ritual for Vanessa’s family during her upbringing. Vanessa “started listening to WHUR when it first came on board” (V.
Deal, personal communication, August 16, 2013). Her interest in WHUR deepened when her childhood friend, Milton Allen, became an on-air personality for the station during his years as a student at Howard University. In preparation for Milton’s first broadcast,
Vanessa suggested two sign-on songs for his program: “Put Your Mind in Your Pocket,” by Midnight Movers Unlimited, and “Space Race,” by Billy Preston, which he played in tribute to her. In the years since, Vanessa has enjoyed being a regular listener of WHUR, expressing that she likes “the news and…the music because it reflects different periods, and particularly The Quiet Storm , that plays a lot of music that was active as [she] was… growing up” (V. Deal, personal communication, August 16, 2013).
Patrick Ellis. Patrick is the senior producer of WHUR and host of Gospel Spirit , the top-rated Sunday morning program in the Washington, DC market. He joined
WHUR in 1971 as a volunteer to support his then sister-in-law, Kay Lindsey, by co- hosting her show, How to Eat to Live . Through that experience, Patrick became a producer and continued to work as a volunteer at WHUR for the next four years, while working full time as head of the technical library at the Gillette Research Institute. In
1975, he was offered a paid, full-time position on the production team of WHUR. Four years later, former program director, Jesse Fax, asked Patrick, “Why don’t you come in
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on Sunday mornings and play gospel music?” (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1,
2013). Patrick spent the next month researching the gospel music genre, then signed on to the air with Gospel Spirit at 6 a.m. on May 27, 1979. Patrick was recognized in 2009 with an official proclamation from Prince George’s County, MD (Skalski, 2009) in honor of his status as “the Washington area’s longest running on-air personality and ratings leader” (Harrison, Bland, & Johnson, n.d.). The proclamation is proudly displayed in
Patrick’s office at WHUR along with an array of many other proclamations, awards, and station memorabilia.
Molette Green. Molette is a part-time news reporter at WHUR. She started her career at WHUR as an intern during her years as a student at Howard University. After graduation, she worked in television news for several years. She returned to WHUR eight years ago. Molette’s current role, which she describes as “everything that does not require playing records” (M. Green, personal communication, July 25, 2013), includes filling in as a news anchor for various programs, moderating town halls and political forums, and weekly appearances on a local NBC affiliate for “Talk Around Town,” a segment designed to highlight hot topics of interest to WHUR’s listeners. Molette values working at WHUR because “[i]t’s a great place to work!” (M. Green, personal communication, July 25, 2013).
Renee Nash. Renee is the news and public affairs director of WHUR. She has been an employee of the station for 30 years. She was inspired to come to WHUR after hearing Patrick address her broadcast production class during her undergraduate studies at Bowie State University. Renee “bugged [Patrick]…after meeting him…kept in contact with him and asked him if…[she] could just come sit in the studio with him” (R. Nash,
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personal communication, June 11, 2013). Patrick allowed Renee to visit and from there she became a volunteer, an intern, and then she was hired as a writer and “progressed up the ladder over the years” (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013). Working in a business where employment can be contingent on successful contract renewal, Renee decided that it would be prudent “to have a…plan B, so [she] went to law school” (R.
Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013). Renee earned her law degree from
Howard University in 1999 and juggled her legal practice with her job at WHUR until
2002. In addition to her role as news and public affairs director, Renee is a producer and an on-air personality.
Brittani Riddle. Brittani is a producer and programmer for WHUR’s HD2 and
Sirius XM stations. She started her career at WHUR as an intern while pursuing an undergraduate degree in radio production at Howard University. As an intern, Brittani worked for WHBC, the student-run radio station overseen by WHUR. The internship model is designed for students to be paired with their counterparts at WHUR for mentoring. As a management intern for two years, Brittani was paired with a WHUR music director the first year and a program director the second year. Upon graduating in
2008, Brittani was invited by WHUR general manager, Jim Watkins, to join the team.
Over the past few years, Brittani has enjoyed the opportunity to “do things a little more creatively, as far as programming and content” (B. Riddle, personal communication, July
1, 2013) for the digital and satellite components of the Howard University Radio
Network.
Steve Robinson. Steve, or “Big Steve,” as his colleagues affectionately call him, is a producer and programmer for WHUR’s HD2 and Sirius XM radio stations. He has
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been an employee of the station for the past eight years. Steve got his start in radio by co-hosting a sports program on student-run WHBC while pursuing a degree in physical education at Howard University. In 2005, he became an intern serving in the role of assistant general manager for WHBC. Steve’s counterpart at WHUR was general manager, Jim Watkins, whom he still regards as his mentor. Steve joined the staff of
WHUR full time upon graduation. His work at WHUR has allowed him the opportunity to combine his passions for music and sports in the sense that “there’s constantly variety, whether it’s the team, or whether it’s…the musical…trend at the time…there’s constantly something changing and new, either by like, song to song, or play by play, that I really enjoy having in my career, you know, and that’s why I love it here” (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013). In addition to his roles as producer and programmer, Steve hosts The Takeover , a weekly hip-hop program.
Charles Tate. Charles is a civil rights activist, development theoretician, radical thinker, author, and president of the Booker T. Washington Foundation. A close friend of
WHUR’s founding general manager, Phil Watson, he “was in the station the night it went on the air and [has] been a listener pretty much since then” (C. Tate, personal communication, August 27, 2013). Charles recalled that there
were probably 300 or so people packed in there…and…from the time they started with playing the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ they played the…’Black National Anthem,’ they played the Howard University anthem, and then they played ‘Shaft!’ [laughs] And so the place was rocking. It was a glorious experience. I’m as happy that I was there for that as I was to have been at the March on Washington. (personal communication, August 27, 2013)
His experience with the station during its early years was primarily centered on his advocacy for racial minorities to have equal access to media ownership opportunities.
Charles regarded WHUR as
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a resource…because of what it was and that it was part of Howard University, premier Black university in the world…and so it was always…an exemplar of what we were trying to get local people to do with cable TV. And often in those…seminars, workshops, we did a lot of that…Phil and other members of the staff of WHUR would participate in those sessions. (personal communication, August 27, 2013)
Jim Watkins. Jim has been affiliated with WHUR since its founding in 1971.
He started as a volunteer engineer while holding a full-time job as an engineer for ABC
News. He was soon hired as chief engineer of WHUR and built the station in a trailer.
He left WHUR a few years later when he was asked to build Howard University’s television station, WHUT. In 1985 he was asked to lead WHUR as general manager, a request that he initially greeted with resistance. An engineer by trade, Jim agreed to “do it for a couple of months…if [Howard University] promise[d] to do a national search and find a…general manager, ‘cause [he was] gonna go back into engineering” (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013). When he began that seemingly temporary assignment 28 years ago, Jim discovered operational challenges and “started to make some…very simple changes with respect to how [WHUR] delivered on the air. By about the sixth or seventh month, [WHUR got its] first number one Arbitron rating” (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013). Under Jim’s leadership, WHUR has pioneered localized syndicated broadcasting with programs including the Tom Joyner Morning
Show and the Steve Harvey Morning Show, consistently maintained presence in the top
10 Arbitron ratings for the DC market, expanded globally through digital, satellite, and web-based platforms, and won many industry awards for excellence in radio broadcasting and community service.
Phil Watson. Phil is the founder and visionary of WHUR who brought years of experience as a strategist and radio executive to his role as general manager. He did not,
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however, intend to work for Howard University. Phil had come to Washington, DC representing Pacifica radio in its bid to secure an FM license. Howard University was also pursuing that FM license, the last remaining channel in the Washington, DC market.
Although both entities lost their bids, Phil had impressed his opponent, Dr. James Cheek, then-president of Howard University. Dr. Cheek asked Phil to come to Howard when
Katharine Graham, then-owner of The Washington Post donated her under-performing radio station, WTOP-FM to Howard University, but he declined because he had just accepted a position with National Public Radio (NPR). Phil recalled,
Katharine Graham took me up to the Hill and I sat with Senator Cranston, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Tunney, the two California senators, and they beat me up and said, ‘Why wouldn’t I…?’, ‘cause I had turned Dr. Cheek…down…He had tried to take the Pacifica license and President Nixon had supported that. I had won that round, which was why he definitely wanted to hire me. So now I say, ‘No,’ and he then lobbied, very effectively, ‘cause she said, ‘Let me take you to lunch,’ and then she took me up to the Hill for lunch with these three senators who just lambasted me, ‘How could I turn my back on this great Black institution?’ So I went back to my friends at NPR, and apologized and said, ‘Look, the political pressure is too great…I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t go over there and try to help them launch.’ (personal communication, August 13, 2013)
Upon agreeing to go to Howard University, Phil was hired by Dr. Cheek and the
Board of Trustees to construct the radio station. The Board “directed [him] initially to reduce the power of the station [from 50,000 watts] to 10 watts so that [they] wouldn’t disturb the community” (P. Watson, personal communication, August 13, 2013). As general manager, Phil was the only authority recognized by the Federal Communications
Commission, so he ignored the Board’s directive because WHUR “would no longer be a commercial radio station and that might raise serious questions about whether or not we would be valid to own the actual license” (P. Watson, personal communication, August
13, 2013). Phil developed a plan for WHUR and assembled a team to implement the plan
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for a launch date of December 10, 1971. When the station launched, Phil pledged,
“Howard University Radio, WHUR, will amplify the sounds, voices, and experiences of
Black America. We will be responsive to your needs, tastes, and desires” (Ellis, Ashby,
& Watkins, 1996). As the station became popular, the political climate of Howard
University became untenable for Phil as efforts were directed toward ousting him. After constructing WHUR, seeing it on the air, and hiring and mentoring staff to develop the initial sound, he left his position after 18 months. In the years since his departure, it is evident that his effect on the station has endured. Jim, who credits Phil as his mentor, cited many lessons that he learned from Phil during the early days of WHUR, notably, be
“loyal to the cause, not to the person, ‘cause if the cause is good…it’s gonna be fine” (J.
Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013).
Jacquie Gales Webb. For the past 23 years, Jacquie has hosted the Sunday afternoon gospel program on WHUR. In recent years, she has extended her program to
HURVoices, one of the station’s Sirius XM channels. She describes her job as a cherished opportunity to “curate good gospel music and to stay involved in the community as far as religious and social activities” (J. G. Webb, personal communication,
August 14, 2013). In addition to her role at WHUR, Jacquie works full time at the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting and hosts programs for churches and other organizations on weekends. Throughout her career, Jacquie has garnered many awards and recognition for excellence in production.
Organizational Culture and Social Impact of WHUR
Analysis of data collected from various sources suggests that the organizational culture and social impact of WHUR are inseparable. Exploration of these constructs
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revealed a dynamic interplay between what the radio station is and what it does. In this section, data are presented that describe the mission and values of WHUR and the three major themes and various subthemes that emerged in the research study.
Mission and Values of WHUR
To learn about the organizational culture of WHUR, interview participants were asked to describe the mission and values of the organization. According to Phil,
The founding mission was to create a broadcast training laboratory that…created a seamless relationship between the…academic community and the professional world. So my students would come through the laboratory and could go right into the marketplace. That was the concept. And in that concept, it protected the commercialism of the station, in order to make sure that students could seamlessly move from HUR to KYS or NBC. You had to have an entity that had transitional relationships. (personal communication, August 13, 2013).
As current general manager, Jim describes “three missions: serve the university, make money, and serve the…general public. I mean…it’s very simple, like any [laughs] other radio station, [both laughing] and we, we do that pretty, pretty well” (personal communication, June 11, 2013). Current employees echoed Jim’s description of a three- fold mission:
I mean…I think our mission is really three-fold, I mean, obviously…our task is to…one, be…a learning environment for…students who are at Howard University, be it those…in Communication…be it those who are in Business, and other…schools within the university. And then, of course, it is to serve our…listening audience with…broadcasting…excellence…and community service…and, obviously, we are a revenue-generating…facility…for the university. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
HUR…was set up to…not only be this, you know, commercial radio station, but also…serve a vital role in the community through community service, and that’s why the station has done a lot of outreach…in the community; holding…political forums to introduce listeners to…candidates…who will…become elected officials and make…decisions about their lives…But the station also is an integral part of Howard University education…particularly for the School of Communication, those students…are supposed to be utilizing the radio station as a learning tool. That’s what I did when I was a student at Howard. I used the radio
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station…to…hone my skills as a journalist, as a broadcaster. Um, so…the radio station has more than one purpose, not just to play music and entertain, serve the community and also serve the Howard University…student population. (M. Green, personal communication, July 25, 2013)
Well, it's interesting [clears throat]…HUR has many missions. The bare bones, bottom-line mission of a commercial station is number one to make money. It is, after all, a commercial frequency. HUR is owned and operated by Howard University, a, an historic Black college or university, and it's had a history of community involvement. Deep community involvement. So, another mission of HUR is to, um, support the community that it serves and enlighten the community it serves. But it only can do that if it makes money [both laugh]…Um, another mission of HUR, um, is to promote the university…unfortunately, a lot of universities don't understand that and they treat the radio station like another English department, and they don't give it what it needs to operate as a business. But, you know, I…thank God for Jim Watkins. He's somehow been able to get Howard to understand that HUR is a business and needs to operate a bit differently than, um, a regular department in…the university. (J. G. Webb, personal communication, August 14, 2013)
Employees varied in how they described the values of WHUR, but community was the prevailing theme:
...the station, in the spirit of what we’ve done since the inception, we’ve won several national awards for community service…we’ve won every award that the National Association of Broadcasters has had out…from the coveted…Service to America Award…we’ve got two of those, Crystal Awards, we got two Marconi Awards, and, I mean, that really speaks to the staff and the spirit of the folks that are here…I couldn’t be more proud, you know…and I know that…the folks that…have been here before feel that way, ‘cause I, I hear from ‘em… (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Well, the values are probably based into…the values of the university, which are the core values of community service…they call it ‘servant leadership,’ you know…very simple, you know…being honest brokers, I mean, I get no complaints from my clients that we didn’t do what we said we were gon’ do. Uh, honest business practices. You will hear about no scandals here. When I first came here, I made sure that the general sales manager and general manager never touched cash, I never touch his check, I never see it. The checks and balances are all here, we can do audits, but Jim ain’t going to jail for nobody. And, you know, your word is your bond, and if we say we’re gonna do something, we’re gonna do it. And, so…I get no complaints. Uh, treat your people the way you wanna be treated. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
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I mean, well, the number one value is…connecting to the community…and, you know, we know who our…typical listener is…and so we know what that listener is expecting from us. We’re dealing with people who are generally educated…who own homes, who have children, who work…who are educated people…their middle class values, and, the station understands that that segment of the community also feels a need to give back…to those who are less fortunate…and so, that’s the model to which we ascribe, and…that’s how we run the station in general, I think. (M. Green, personal communication, July 25, 2013)
I would say the biggest thing is serving the community…and when I say serving the community, serving the Howard community, serving the DC Metropolitan community, and, now, serving the global community. Um, honest and true programming. Um, honest and, and true distribution of music, either new or classic music. (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
The fact that it is…owned and operated by Howard University is a plus in a world where all of the other…radio stations that are programming to the Black community, if they're not public, they're owned by one of the big conglomerates, you know, Clear Channel, Radio One, Cumulus, and...more and more you see stand-alone radio stations like HUR being eaten up by these giants, and the problem with that is, you know, there, there are advantages to being in a conglomeration like that, but you lose that local control if you're in a conglomerate and you're...and the people who are running you are located in another city, not yours, you lose the local connection. You, you lose, for example, I try to play as many good local artists in my gospel program as possible. You know…the…syndicated, uh gospel radio stations where it's one program director, they tend to not play a lot of the local artists who are in the, the local stations. They stick with the top 40 playlist, you know? So, that…has been another benefit for me is hearing from the local artists how much they appreciate the fact that they do get airplay on WHUR and they are very...the ones that I play are very good. Yeah. (J. G. Webb, August 14, 2013)
I mean, that station’s been involved in community initiatives practically since the beginning. Um, going back to the days of South African Apartheid, when Nelson Mandela was, you know, imprisoned, [breathes deeply] and even back then, which would’ve put us in…I guess like the early to mid-70s…And…then, uh, we’ve…had community affairs initiatives to help, uh, Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Research, and we’ve had initiatives to, uh, support and help the NAACP. I remember, I think this was, I wanna say, back in the early 80s, [clears throat] when…this university was in trouble…and I remember we had a radio- thon…to help them out…moving into the 90s…when you had this phenomenon called ‘boarder babies,’ in which…crack-addicted mothers…were going into hospitals and having these children, and then basically, they were abandoning the children, and leaving them in the hospital, and the problem was particularly…severe at Howard University Hospital, and they had these, these kids, the kids got to be known as ‘boarder babies,’ because they were, they were
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boarding in the hospitals…So we had this Boarder Baby-thon in 1990, and we in fact raised [breathes deeply] $150,000, and the money was used to…renovate this transitional home. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
Renee described the values of WHUR as family-friendly:
Um, our values, wow. Well…I would say that we are a very, uh, family-friendly radio station, and, you know…we pride ourselves on…not being, you know, that shock radio…that if you’re riding in the car with, even with your children, many days, uh, and…throughout the day…you can actually listen…We try not to be…offensive and we try not to push the envelope too much. Even though we cater to an adult audience, it’s not so much an adult audience where the content is adult, it’s just mature. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Brittani described the values as quality programming, earning and profit, and fair treatment of employees:
Um, what’s important, of course, is to always provide quality content for the listener. Also…that everyone that works here gets a fair shot. One thing I can say about the employees here, I feel like everyone is treated with the same amount of respect…and the same level of fairness. So if I make a mistake, and Steve makes a mistake, he’s not gonna be treated differently than I was. Um, I also think one of our values is of course to make money, but just to always be the best station we can possibly be. So I think those are like our main, core values. (personal communication, July 1, 2013)
Themes and Subthemes
Three major themes and several subthemes emerged from the data analysis and are outlined as follows:
1. “It’s a Family Thing”
a. Co-Workers as Family
b. Listeners as Family
c. “Take Care of Your People”
d. “Guide ‘Em”
2. “Employment of Enjoyment”
a. “It Was Something that I Wanted to Do”
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b. “Opened Up My Head”
c. Creativity
d. “We Were Fortunate”
e. Value Congruence
f. Balance
3. “We Can’t Take for Granted the Power of What We Do”
a. “Do Something”
b. “Created a Market”
c. “Amplify the Sounds, Voices, and Experiences of Black America”
The following sections present the themes and subthemes, supported by quotes of interview participants and data from other sources.
Theme 1: “It’s a family thing.” Family is central to how employees and listeners described their experiences with WHUR. The word “family” was consistently used to convey the strength of relationship bonds with co-workers and between the station and its listeners. Quoted reflections on relationships with co-workers, listeners, and examples of care and mentoring represent the family theme.
Co-workers as family . Current and former employees of WHUR refer to it as the
“HUR family” (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013). Co-workers were referenced as family members during participant interviews conducted for this study and oral history roundtables facilitated by WHUR.
…I mean, and, and the HUR family…we, you know, we really, really are… a family, we have, one of our co-workers who’s, uh, going through cancer right now…and…you know, we raised money for her…it’s just a very family-friendly, um, spirit that we have here and a lot of us have been here a long time, you know, so…we’ve grown to, to know people’s family, I mean, my kids literally have grown up here, you know…my daughter, just a few weeks ago, graduated from
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Howard University…So, they’ve seen her grow, I mean, and when she graduated…all of these aunts and uncles in here were just very proud of her, it’s like, ‘Oh we remember you running around here like this, and now…you’re a grown woman’…And it’s like that for so many other people who are here at the station…we’ve seen their children just, you know, go from here to there, and, you know, folks become grandparents and, and all of that, so, it’s kinda cool. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
It’s a family environment. I love my family. I love my HUR family. Much like a family, you have your disagreements, you have your fights, you have your, your misunderstandings, but you-, at the end of the day you come together as one to get a job or accomplish something that is bigger than you or your disagreement or, you know, that family member. I love that dynamic that I share with my family at home and my family here at WHUR…Things I’ve learned over the years…you couldn’t pay for, you know, so, because of that…I’m not saying, I, um, I can’t leave here, what I’m saying is I, I don’t see it in my near future. I don’t want to, you know. I love this place. (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
One of the things I do like about here is that it’s very family-oriented, so it’s that type of vibe…everyone…plays a part in those type of efforts, whether it’s me going out and helping set up for an event, or just being there all day, or…making sure that we cross-promote the different events that everyone is doing, so it’s…just about making sure that, no matter what station you may individually work for, that we’re all doing the same thing with one common goal. (B. Riddle, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
As you know I'm still here at HUR, even though not full time, but still do the radio show. Because the feeling of family was very present to me. Being a young man from Trinidad in the Caribbean and coming here, you know, with a passion for that voice in the box, you know, just the feeling of family made me feel at home." (Watson et al., 2011, p. 26)
Analysis of framed photographs and news article clippings displayed along the walls of the WHUR headquarters supported the organization’s regard of staff, both past and present, as members of a family. For example, in Patrick’s office, there is a large framed collage of approximately 100 images that appear to be dated between 1971 and the 1980s.
The images included are of current and former employees, recording artists, variations of
WHUR’s logo, and clippings of news article headlines. The collage conveys the
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impression that these people and times reflected in the images are of enduring importance to WHUR.
Listeners as family . Staff described familial relationships with listeners that suggested a mutual desire to belong and connect. As Brittani has observed, “a lot of the times, I really feel like [listeners] feel like they know us…and I like that. I feel like they think they’re a part of the WHUR family” (personal communication, July 1, 2013).
Similarly, participants who host radio programs expressed a feeling of knowing their listening audience, even if they may not know everyone personally.
Well, I mean…I think obviously one of the, you know, the big times in my life…[was] when I went through breast cancer, and I, um, you know, I, I told my story on the air, about how I found it, um, and what my, my process was gonna be, and, you know, and just, there’s so many women and men who, um, had, you know, family members, you know, sisters, mothers, spouses, girlfriends, um, they, they wrote in…when I was off, I mean, I got, [pause] I got so many letters and, and flowers, [chuckles] and I was just like, I mean, I, I was just overwhelmed, well-wishes…the station did a show where I was able to call in and, you know, talk about my…progress…and just the…support, not just from, you know, the listeners, but obviously from my HUR family members…who, you know, came to see me, who would call and, and check on me, so [sniffs]. I mean, just that, I mean, I lost my mother, uh, a few years ago, so, almost three years ago, and just, the, the, the love from listeners who say, you know, ‘Renee, I’ve been there, done that…’ (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
...I have a real personal relationship with the audience, you know, when they correspond…and, we’re just…we’re just family…I know a lot of ‘em, although I may not know them personally, but I know who they are, where they live, you know, sometimes wha-…their family members’ names are…maybe what they do…‘cause they’ve shared some of…their lives with me…over 34 years (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
The ability to play wonderful gospel music and interact with the audience that WHUR has [are the reasons why I’m still here]. We've become…a family. And…it's a blessing to me to be able to curate good gospel music and to stay involved in the community as far as religious and social activities. (J. G. Webb, personal communication, August 14, 2013)
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Listeners have also expressed a feeling of kinship toward WHUR and/or the station’s importance to them and their families. Vanessa described her relationship with WHUR as it manifests through the ritual of listening to one of her favorite programs.
I’ll cut on the Quiet Storm and…just drive around DC…You get the full effect. It’s a little different than sitting in the house…there’s a tag that goes, ‘WHUR Sounds Like Washington.’ That, that is a tag, but whoever came up with that was a very, very astute person, simply because the identification, the two are almost inseparable. I feel like I’m home. I feel a sense of kinship. At one time, DC was Chocolate City. Even when I was in the military in Georgia, I would drive home on the weekends and sometimes not make it out of DC to even go to Baltimore. I would hit DC, cut on the Quiet Storm , stay, visit friends or whatever, and then go back to Georgia [chuckles]. So, you know, I mean, it’s always been something. I felt, I’m home. I’m welcome. I’m among my people, my peers. Um, I’m appreciated. I can identify with what I’m hearing. I can relate to it. There is a relationship between what I’m hearing and my-, myself, my spirit. And everybody wants to…feel like they belong or have a sense of identity. So for me it was, it was almost an identity. (personal communication, August 16, 2013)
Many listeners take the opportunity to connect with WHUR by calling into programs, posting messages on social media Web sites, and sending correspondence. For example,
Patrick receives an average of 60 letters from Gospel Spirit listeners each week (personal communication, July 28, 2013). The correspondence is generally sent for the purpose of requesting song dedications and “shout outs” (on-air acknowledgments) in honor of the memories, birthdays, and anniversaries of family and church members. Many of the listeners thank Patrick for his service and take pride in sharing how long they and/or their family have been listeners of Gospel Spirit . Patrick has established trust with his listeners and engendered goodwill by diligently fulfilling their requests to acknowledge family and friends. This in turn has compelled many of those who correspond to do so routinely because they feel connected to him.
“Take care of your people.” Participants described an ethic of care, both in terms of management philosophy and deeds. Examples included efforts to support the personal
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needs of staff as well as listeners. One former employee described taking care of young staff by preparing home-cooked meals and hosting dinners (personal communication,
August 10, 2013). Jim and Steve illustrated the ethic of care among staff at WHUR through their perspectives.
And I think it’s, I think it’s really important that, when you start looking at the whole DNA of what this radio station is, that it really started with the concept of one guy, and then putting together a team that bought into that. I mean, working with…Phil Watson showed me a lot of little things that people…don’t even realize. Give you a good example, [clears throat] payday would come, and he would have all these volunteers that weren’t getting paid. He’d cash his check and pay all of them. And he did it consistently, would never say anything, would never say anything, but that endeared everyone to him, ‘cause he was taking care of his people. And you learn from that, take care of your people, they gon’ take care of you. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
…my mother was hospitalized and we were in the process of…building our Sirius XM channel…to be able to go home and see about my mother overnight and then…a day later, coming back to…the, DC area and back to work…speaks volumes to the staff and management here because immediately when I was alerted that she was being taken to the hospital, you go into your own panic mode and it’s just like I have to get outta here. I called my immediate director, I called a couple co-workers, and I called my general manager, and all of them said the exact same thing, ‘Go. We’re good here.’ You know. ‘Keep us posted. Let us know what you need.’ And, like I said…it keeps coming back full circle to that family-oriented environment where people recognize your concerns outside of here and they treat ‘em as if they’re their own…And I’ve seen that with other people to where I’ve seen co-workers have to shoot out of here in the blink of a eye because a family member just recently may have been hospitalized, and I’m talking about a couple hours before you’re supposed to go on the air. And to see the entire station rally, not just behind them, but behind that department, and say, ‘Well, what do you need from us? What can we do to help this situation? Do you need,’ on the, the employee side, ‘do you need somebody to go with you to make sure you get there safe?’ (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
Support for listeners was described in many forms, most notably in WHUR’s efforts to feed and clothe those in need, and finance Howard University students’ community service initiatives during Spring Break.
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A positive impact for us would be [pause] the fact that as a commercial, urban radio station, we do three fundraisers a year, that’s unheard of. We feed the hungry for Thanksgiving, and that’s usually between 70 and 80 thousand dollars…we do our drives…for coats and toys for the kids…we do one for Howard, which is basically raising funds to send students during Alternative Spring Break all over the country. And, I mean, you making 60, 70 thousand dollars for, for a radio-thon, is not...penny-money, especially in this economy. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
...we raised over $80,000, and, uh, we were able to purchase enough food from Wegmans to distribute…1,900 Thanksgiving baskets…and a basket consisted of a 10-12 pound turkey, fresh greens, fresh sweet potatoes, you know, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, all the other [sniffs] trimmings, and since, you know, one basket could feed…a family of six, so do the math here, we…were able to feed over 11,000 people last year…In addition to that, we gave $23,000 to the Capital Area Food Bank. So that’s…the station’s biggest…community initiative, remote broadcast, it’s the biggest event that we host every year, is that annual…food drive, Food2Feed. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
…when the economy was, stumbled, and the housing market collapsed…we knew that it was having an impact in our community, especially in terms of people…being in trouble and being faced with foreclosure, and so here again, you know, the DNA kicked in, and we decided we need to do something about this, we need to try to [breathes] educate people, and…even beyond just educating people, doing something, being proactive…in taking some steps…to help people, to keep their houses from being foreclosed, and so we, [breathes] you know, started working on that initiative, which became Protect Your Dream, and we did that for, I think about four years or something like that. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
...another thing that we do, is, we do a listener trip every year, somewhere in the world. It is not a contest. We choose where we wanna go, we have a company…that we use, a Black-owned company, travel agency, they set everything up, we tell the listeners where we wanna go, we pick a disk jockey here…to be the host, and people take their money, and they send it in, and they travel with us. And we travel with as few as 60 folks, and as high as 125, 130 folks, and we just came back from Paris this year. We’re going to New Zealand next year...I mean, we’re not even giving away a…trip. People said, ‘We want to be with you, because we know you do it right, it’s worth our money, it’s gonna be educational, it’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be safe, and it’s, it’s, HUR.’ (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
“Guide ‘em.” Current and former employees described their experiences with formal and informal mentoring opportunities at WHUR. One former employee recalled
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fondly, “I was recruited by Phil Watson, who was my mentor” (Watson et al., 2011, p.
16). Renee illustrated the relationship between WHUR and student-run WHBC by explaining, “we partner with our sister station…student station here, and so we have those students who come through, and we mentor them” (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013). Data suggest that mentoring has been embedded in the practices of WHUR since the station’s founding. Reflecting on the station’s early years,
Jim and former members of the staff recalled,
…the one thing I learned from Phil was, you are loyal to the cause, not to the person, ‘cause if the cause is good…it’s gonna be fine. And that’s…always been my philosophy, I guess that’s why I’ve lasted for [chuckles] 42 years at the university. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
…I was Phil's Executive Administrative Assistant, and by that I mean if Phil went out of town, I went out of town. If he was going someplace, I sat in his office at his right hand. I mean, I actually sat in his office right where his right hand was. So…I learned radio, I guess, at the feet of a master. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 29)
So for me, from the time I came out of high school to the time that I…went to Shaw University until the time that Phil Watson plucked me out of Channel 9 television in New York City, I came up with, working with some wonderful people who are sitting at this table right here. It was all about trying to deal with music, total experience in sound. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 38)
…perhaps my greatest contribution as Program Director is sitting down there at the end of the table because I talked Patrick-, who had never in life done radio before, I said, ‘Patrick, you need to do the gospel show,’ and I knew he would be successful. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 51)
In describing how the station is currently managed, Jim shared his own philosophy of mentoring.
...the thing about the young folks is that they’re too stupid to know they can fail, so they don’t. That’s the way I was…it never dawned on me that coming to Howard, I was gon’ fail. Never, you know. So you try to find folks that are like that, you know, you just have to…guide ‘em. So, you know…that takes care of that piece. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Steve, a beneficiary of Jim’s approach to mentoring, offered his perspective as a mentee.
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…to be able to do things that you never thought you would be able to do, or never thought of would be in your vocabulary is amazing to me…and I owe all of that to our general manager, Jim Watkins…he’s always lived by this ideology that students and young people can accomplish anything because they’re too stupid to know that they can fail. They don’t worry about it, they just move forward with…a goal in mind and they’re willing to do any and everything to get it done, you know. And that’s the way that I’ve always lived my life…If somebody tells me I can’t do it, that’s when I want to…That’s when I want to be able to achieve and…the success is my best piece of revenge…and I think we connected, meaning myself and Mr. Watkins, on the fact that with our different backgrounds, we have a lot of similarities…We both fell in love with radio. We both…are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that this place succeeds. And I’ve learned a lot from him being his intern, to being his employee, he’s still my mentor, you know, even years later…and like I said, I still call him Mr. Watkins [chuckles] as if it was day one. He gets on me about that because we’re professionals, but I just-, there’s a respect factor. I respect the position he’s given me. I respect the things that he has afforded me. (personal communication, August 19, 2013)
Brittani shared some of the lessons that she learned from one of her WHUR mentors during her time as an intern at WHBC.
It was a lot of fun…I really got to learn more about programming, and trying to figure out ways to bring in the listener, whether it’s a contest, or new music…and also about, just networking. I know, a lot of times, just working with Traci, I would sit in her office when she would work with the label representatives that would come in and bring in new music, and she would tell me, you know, ‘Always try to have a good relationship with people,’ but also, ‘know why you like a song, and why don’t you like a song,’ as well as ‘Do you think it’s a good fit for the station? Will it sound good? Will the listeners react to it positively or negatively?’ So, just…putting…critical thinking on as far as like, listeners and trends and tryin’ to, you know, just stay ahead, for the listeners. (personal communication, July 1, 2013)
Renee, reflecting on her past 30 years at the station, shared the meaningfulness of her role as mentor and mused at the evolution of how students have addressed her as she has matured.
I value the fact that I have been able…to see so many young people kinda pass through, and know that, in…some small way, that I’ve touched their lives. I-, my girlfriend and I laugh all the time, ‘cause I remember, I started here, I was Renee, then I became Ms. Renee, now I’m Ms. Nash, [both laugh] so, it’s so funny,
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because I used to call people ‘Mr.’ and ‘Ms.’ and, you know, and now I’m that person, and so it’s, it’s just funny. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Theme 2: “Employment of enjoyment.” Current and former employees reflected fondly on their experiences as members of the WHUR family. Former employees described the significance of their experiences at WHUR in the trajectory of their careers. Current employees shared the reasons they have remained at WHUR. The data suggest that for employees past and present, WHUR has fostered an environment conducive to meaningful work. Quoted examples of intrinsic motivation and reflections on learning, creativity, opportunity, value congruence, and balance represent the meaningful work theme.
To illustrate how visitors of the station perceive the work environment, Jim shared,
...I’ve had people that come in, um, White people that come in, who, are supposed to be experts in the industry, and they go on the interview and they go, ‘This place feels like a radio station, you know. You see people here smiling, you see people enjoying their work.’ (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
“It was something that I wanted to do.” Most of the current WHUR employees interviewed for this study described starting their employment at the station either as unpaid volunteers or as interns paid a nominal stipend. Patrick summarized his reason for volunteering at the station by saying, “I was busy paying my dues and learning my craft, and that’s what was more important at that time than pay” (personal communication,
July 1, 2013). Further reflection by Patrick and insights offered by Jim describe why they chose to volunteer during the founding era of WHUR.
Yeah, I didn’t, I got paid nothing for four years, but I, I was enjoying what I was doing, and I would come to the radio station in the, in the afternoons, evenings, and sometimes, it seemed like all weekend long, producing these shows with…my sister-in-law. (P. Ellis, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
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…I overheard two…congressmen talking about the fact that Howard was getting a radio station. And…I had set up for the…hearing that I was at, and…I said, ‘Well, I think I need to go down there,’ because…I had been doing radio studios and stuff like that, and I said, ‘Yeah, that would be-, that would be a fun job.’ So…the next day, I came down to the…radio station, and I met with Mr. Phil Watson, who was the general manager, and I told him that…I was an engineer at ABC. He said, ‘Yeah, I know who you are,’ which kinda surprised me. I said, ‘Well, you know, uh, I could build your radio station for you, and I’ll do it for free, I’ll volunteer my time.’ So…one thing led to another, and I volunteered my time. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Then I went home, I called my mother down in Richmond, I told her I was gonna leave ABC and go to Howard, and they pitched a bitch. Why would I leave a job to do that? Oh, she was so angry, it was crazy, she was so angry. But I took the job anyway, because to me it was…it’s something…that I wanted to do, and I was doing studio, stuff like that, but I wanted to build a radio station from scratch, and this was a perfect opportunity. (J. Watkins, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Steve shared a recent example of a time when he chose to go to work during his time off because he anticipated that his colleagues might need support.
When the [George Zimmerman] trial was over…the verdict came down I wanna say maybe like 9:00 that evening and I was hanging out with some friends and it was just like…a very relaxed session and then we saw the scrolling ticker on the TV and it…gave the verdict and I turned to all of them, I said, ‘I have to go into work,’ because I knew immediately that our news department would be in here and an extra set of hands helping to do production is something that they would probably need. (personal communication, August 19, 2013)
“Opened up my head.” Current and former employees shared examples of learning out of necessity, interest, and as a result of mistakes. Learning processes were generally described as organic.
I always tell people…I come through the doors of HUR, I always learn something. Um, it’s either something to do, or something not to do, so I feel as long as I’m still…in an environment where I can still learn, that’s an environment conducive to, to me staying. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
…when I came to WHUR all I knew really was rhythm and blues…After I left HUR, if I had to be grateful for one thing, it really opened up my head to a [wide array] of music that I was not familiar with. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 84)
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And one evening, guy named John Orman, he’s passed away now, but he was an engineer, and one evening, he took me down to the studios, and we went from room to room, and he said, ‘Okay,’ you know, says, ‘This is a microphone,’ and ‘This is a mixer,’ and ‘This is a console,’ and ‘This a turn-table,’ and yada yada yada yada. And, I think it took about an hour and a half, he spent with me that night, and when it was over, he said, ‘Okay, I know your, your head is swimmin’…and you’re probably intimidated with all of this…but, just get in there and work with it, and…you’ll get the hang of it.’ And, sure enough, in a little while, I got the hang of it, and I was in there with the console, you know, mixing shows, and…spinning records, and doing this and that and the other. [breathes deeply] And…that was the beginning of my becoming a…technical producer (P. Ellis, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
...so I told…the program director, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll [host the gospel show] but you gotta give me 30 days to do some homework.’ So, he did, and, you know, I began to learn more about gospel music and, [breathes] I’d go around to these church bookstores, and ask the clerks, you know…what the hot records were, and find out what the customers were buying, and so forth and so on [breathes]. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
WHUR is, uh, an amazing entity, you know. It allows students who didn’t study anything from production to broadcast journalism to make a career in radio. It gives you firsthand opportunities and you get hands-on training to be a professional mover and shaker in this business. And, you know, it’s, the, the things that I have learned over the past years here at WHUR are just priceless, you know. Um, I get paid to do a job, but, you know, I, I am completely, and utterly, truly blessed to have this opportunity and I cherish it. (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
At times, employees have pursued learning opportunities by observing colleagues at other stations whom they respected. For example, one former employee described the experience of observing another radio station’s newscast to learn techniques for improving The Daily Drum for WHUR.
And so I think the news department, as a part of The Daily Drum , that one hour long newscast, which was based in large measure on All Things Considered , because I actually went over to watch the production of All Things Considered at [one] point to learn how to better do that newscast. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 60)
During a recent oral history roundtable facilitated by WHUR, Renee shared a story about a time when she learned from a broadcaster at another station. She was going to College
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Park, MD to cover her first story as a news reporter: the death of University of Maryland
All-American college basketball forward, Len Bias. Renee expressed that she was not aware of Len Bias, so she tuned in to another radio station to learn about him from veteran disc jockey, Donnie Simpson, while she was in the car on her way to cover the story (personal communication, August 10, 2013).
Formal training of staff was rarely discussed. However, Jacquie mentioned that training does occur, “if there are any changes…in technology, such as the last meeting I was called to. They trained us on the Adobe editing system that they are planning to put in” (personal communication, August 14, 2013). Jim shared an example of a time when he identified the need for staff to receive formal training when he first became general manager.
Now, when I came aboard, I hired a speech and drama coach for the on-air staff, because, I said, ‘Okay, if we gon’ get to that next level, I’m not hearin’ it. And they need help, ‘cause no one’s ever nurtured that part.’ So I went to the School of…Fine Arts, and met up with Dr. Henrietta Edmunds, and she came here to, uh, give speech and drama coaching to all the announcers. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Creativity. Accounts of current and former employees and direct observations of
WHUR suggest that it is, and has always been, an organic organization with a flat structure. Within this environment, creativity has been mainstay. Phil described fostering creativity in the early days of WHUR based on the philosophy that guided his approach to managing staff.
Well, see, what I had learned in a previous experience, what I brought to Howard was, I could see the talent and potential in all the people that I hired. I could see it better than they could see it. So my mantra was, 'do it.’ (Watson et al., 2011, p. 29)
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A former employee who worked at WHUR during the founding era declared, “what we were allowed to do, which is what many people are not allowed to do, we were allowed to be creative” (Watson et al., 2011, p. 85). Current employees also shared their perspectives on creativity at WHUR.
...I have a lot of creative energy, and creative juices, and creative ideas, and radio was just a great medium to…express myself… especially back in the early days of HUR when things were kind of free-form, I mean, generally speaking…back then, here, at the station…if you had an idea…you could just go for it, just do it. And, and everybody at the station was kinda on the same creative, intellectual wavelength, that whole DNA piece that I talked about a little earlier on, you know. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
I also really love the fact that here, I feel like here, I can do things a little more creatively, as far as programming and content. One of the shows that I produce is a series called ‘Activists and Politics,’ and it’s basically about African Americans in diaspora, and anything dealing with, you know, politics, whether it [is]…the Civil Rights Movement, or…voting rights, and things of that nature, so I feel like I’m able to create content freely here, without some type of restraint on me, so if I have…an idea, it’s very easy to bring it to life, I feel like. (B. Riddle, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
We know…there are a host of radio stations…and then there are a host of other platforms people can go to for music…so…we’ve gotta always be creative in our thinking of finding new ways to get people; through social media…through, just, all of the platforms…and that’s the goal…just really have our people out there. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
“We were fortunate.” WHUR has been described as a work environment where people have gained employment and professional development opportunities. For some employees, those opportunities have led to self-discovery and new opportunities in other media organizations, or different fields entirely; for others, those opportunities have served as building blocks for a continuous career at WHUR.
Well, um, let me thank WHUR for all it's done for me personally because I came to Howard in '71, not to be a professor, but to work for HUR. Through HUR I became associate professor. I'm tenured. I've been chairman of my department twice. I've written three books. I've been, I've had a Fulbright fellowship twice.
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Now I have 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. HUR didn't do that now [PIONEERS LAUGH]. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 73)
So I came out writing a story [about the riot at Lorton Reformatory], which later got promulgated around the country. And the next thing I know, I was up for an award, never written a news story-, never written a news story in my life. But that's the kind of thing-, there was a holistic atmosphere at the radio station, where nothing was really off limits. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 29)
“Give Me Shelter”…was my very first project that I took on when I came into the position that I’m in now as the director of…news and public affairs, that was in…2002. I had just…been off…for about six months, I had just gone through breast cancer, [sniffs] and I was able to come back…and take on a new position ‘cause I just wanted to-, I had been in news for a long time…I wanted to do something else…beyond just reporting news, I wanted to, you know, be in the community, I wanted to do some philanthropic things. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
You know what? …it’s amazing, because…I don’t feel like it’s been 30 years…but I think, probably, what has kept me here is just the…ability to…move up…the various ranks. I started as a writer…well, I started as a volunteer first and foremost, then I was an intern, and then I’ve just kind of progressed up the ladder over the years, and it’s, it’s really a very family-friendly…environment, and…it’s fun. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
I remember one day, I was walkin’ by the program director’s office, Andre Perry, and Andre said to me, um, ‘Why haven’t you applied for one of these jobs?,’ and I’m like, ‘One of these jobs? What jobs?,’ and he said, ‘You know, the four producer slots that Tom has just created…You should, you should get one of them.’ And I remember saying, ‘But I have to put together a demo tape,’ and he said, ‘Y-, you don’t need any demo tape, you’ve been here for four years, we know what you can do. Go up to the, um, employment office, HR, and fill out an application so we can process it and you can get one of these positions,’ and so, there you have it…I got one of the positions. (P. Ellis, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Well, um, one of the things that kept me here, this was actually my first job, so, when I graduated from Howard, back in 2008, I was an intern here, and I was getting ready to graduate and Mr. Watkins said, ’Well, I want you to, you know, come join my team, come join us,’ so that’s one of the reasons that kept me here. (B. Riddle, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
Patrick and a former employee described their experiences joining WHUR by way of a family member’s recommendation and influence, respectively.
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So, you know…it’s been…professionally rewarding, and, I’m, you know, I’m really blessed to have had [breathes] the kind of career, on-air career, uh, that I’ve had over 34 years…and then the professional career that I’ve had, just in general, here at the radio station. I mean, I never would’ve thought [breathes] when my sister-in-law asked me over the dinner [short chuckle] table in 1971, ‘Would you like to come co-host this radio show with me?’ I never would’ve dreamed that that was literally gonna be the beginning, of, of, well now, a 42-year career in broadcasting, and a 34-year career, um, being a popular radio personality in the market, and especially when it’s my hometown, I mean, you know, I was born here, raised here, and all of that. So, it’s…a good thing. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
I got there in 1973. And I don't want to say I was kind of an interloper but the groundwork for the station had already been laid by the time I got there. And I was, I really was kind of an outsider. Um, Phil Watson just told me, for the first time, you had to understand my dad was the, uh, professor of music at Howard. That had some doing as to my coming on board. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 49)
Others described the experience of being hired during the early years of WHUR, when unemployment was high, particularly among Black Americans. A current employee reflected on how he became one of the first employees hired, sharing, “I walked in, as the story goes, with an arm full of records under my arms, knowing that I was going to be there” (Watson et al., 2011, p. 25). Several former employees attributed their employment opportunity to Phil, recalling, “I was hired by Phil Watson to be Musical
Director here at WHUR” (Watson et al., 2011, p. 16); “And what Phil started doing was hiring these graduates from the Columbia School of Journalism” (Watson et al., 2011, p.
28); “And so Phil hired me. I think of the first three people…he hired Norman. He hired myself. He hired Charlene Watts. And I think we were the first three folks to kind of form the team” (Watson et al., 2011, p.18).
Although Phil had the authority as general manager to make employment decisions for WHUR, those decisions were not always free from opposition. Jim
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described challenges that Phil faced from people who did not agree with his decision to entrust the engineering responsibilities of the station to a 19-year-old.
So, you know…what Phil had to go through was the fact that I was so young. ‘Why are you gonna put some punk kid in charge of a technical operation, in charge of all this money and all this kinda crap?’ You know? And so…he worked his magic, and I was able to get the job. And I have been at Howard ever since. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Value congruence. Examples of congruence between employees’ personal values and those of WHUR emerged in several interviews.
For me, [short chuckle]…I think…HUR…lines up with…my core values and, and that is being, you know, family-friendly…I’ve been…here through dating, marriage, children, divorce, you know, children grown…and having to…go through those different aspects of my life and, and learn from the people who’ve been here with me, learn from our listeners, who’ve been supportive, [sniffs]…and, you know, we just have…a good mix of [chuckles] very intelligent people here, you know? From relationship people to financial people, so, [sniffs] you know, you kinda are in here with experts all day long, and…you kinda get great advice and all of that, right in your workplace, so, yeah. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
I was created on core values and I’ve evolved over the years because of the things that I’ve experienced, but I haven’t changed who I am from my foundation, you know. I’ve evolved as a person, but things that I’ve held true, I mean, everything to me, from, you know, family, to my word of honesty, to my work ethic are all heightened when I come to work here, because those are similarities that I share with just [an] entity that’s bigger than me and everyone who works in it. (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
[Gospel music is important to me because] I believe in God. Because I believe that the gospel music that I play…provides enlightenment…consolation, uplift…can provide some sort of help to humans as they go about the human experience…it's a positive contribution. It's a way of…getting closer to your maker. And music, in general, unites peoples. Different types of people…I found that I have an audience of not only Christians, but...Jews…Muslims. I've…had…interactions with audience members who have been Latino. So it's been, for me, very important in my spiritual development to act as a channel and try and channel whatever God's will is for his people through positive music. (J. G. Webb, personal communication, August 14, 2013)
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Balance. The ability to balance work and personal responsibilities was highlighted by several employees as an appreciated attribute of the employment experience at WHUR. A former employee recalled feeding his or her newborn child while hosting live broadcasts (personal communication, August 10, 2013). Another former employee humorously recalled getting a phone call to relieve Renee of her reporting duties during former Washington, DC mayor Marion Barry’s 1990 trial for the possession and use of crack cocaine (personal communication, August 10, 2013). Renee had gone into labor while covering the story at the courthouse, but she kept working until the other reporter arrived, then handed over the tape and went to the hospital to have her baby. Molette, Renee, and Steve shared additional examples of how they have experienced balance at WHUR.
It’s a great place to work! Uh, it’s flexible hours for me, as a freelancer, who is also a mom. I’m a mom of two young, young kids, and…that’s been great. But the most rewarding thing that’s really kept me at the station is, I get to do stories, cover news stories, um, that really impact the community in a way that…makes a difference. (M. Green, personal communication, July 25, 2013)
I used to be on the air at five o’ clock in the morning…and I was a single parent at the time, and so I brought my kids in in the morning with me, and they slept in my office until it was time for them to go to school, they’d be in here brushing their teeth, [sniffs] one of my colleagues, who ran the board when I was on the air, she would do my daughter’s hair for me…and my kids would brush their teeth, eat their breakfast, and my dad would pick ‘em up and take them to school. And, you know, Jim knew, everybody knew it, you know, so it wasn’t something like I was hiding them, but they were well-mannered kids, and…as a matter of fact, Patrick used to work in the morning too, [sniffs] and so, if my dad came too early, he would open the door for my dad while I was on the air, so it’s just that family spirit. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Everybody has a life outside of this place, and you never know if today is a good day or a bad day for them personally. Sometimes it does affect professionally, because again, we’re all human. But, during those times of fear, you can be a comfort to your radio family and that just doesn’t speak to the people I work with here, that speaks to the community who loves and adores WHUR. (S. Robinson, personal communication, August 19, 2013)
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Theme 3: “We can’t take for granted the power of what we do.” With a radio signal that extends beyond Washington, DC to Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and new technologies that bring the station to global audiences, WHUR reaches more than half a million listeners daily. This audience includes the community that WHUR affects through its broadcasts and community outreach initiatives. It also includes the music industry at-large, which has been influenced by the station since its inception. Quoted reflections on community-focused initiatives, evolution of the music industry, and providing a platform for the voices of
Black Americans represent the social impact theme.
“Do something.” Current and former employees shared examples of WHUR’s community involvement at local, national, and international levels. Patrick explained that decisions about initiatives that WHUR will support have occasionally come from Howard
University, but generally are made at the station level.
I mean, of all those community…initiatives we talked about, a little while ago…I mean...some of them came as initiatives from the university, for example, when Fisk University was in trouble, you know, Howard came to us, and more or less [short chuckle] charged us with helping them out, you know, and Howard charged us with the Boarder Baby Initiative…[long pause] but most of the initiatives have…been started by the radio station. (personal communication, July 1, 2013)
At the local level, WHUR supports the community through annual food, coat, and toy drives and raises money for Howard University students to engage in community service during Spring Break. In the past, the station has responded to critical needs indicative of the times including the initiative to build a transitional home for babies born to mothers addicted to crack-cocaine, build a shelter for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence, and support opportunities for underserved populations.
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We went on the air for our first phonathon or circusathon or whatever. And the angle, the spin that we put on it was to take handicapped kids to the circus…We started getting money from all over the place…That night around 11:00 I happened to get a phone call from a friend of mine who was a not so successful pimp saying he's working with the pimps downtown to see if they can raise the money...the circus cost was $11,000 for that day. Saturday morning I had $9,000 cash money in my hand. A lot of it was wrinkly. Some of it smelled, you know, the whole bit. But I had it. By 2:00 that afternoon we had $13,500...it was the first time I had seen the entire Washington, DC community--the day community and the night community--come together and drop thirteen five on the table and say there's your circus. Okay? (Watson et al., 2011, pp. 77-78)
…the DC Black Repertory company needed money…Robert Hooks and Jim Vance from WRC came by…I was on the air and we were…raising money, getting people calling in from everywhere. We raised about $15,000. That was a nice thing. DC Black Rep kind of got started, off the ground. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 79)
…we…did a program called “Give Me Shelter,” and it was a radio-thon, we did it over a five-year period, and Give Me Shelter was a program…to raise money to help build a new shelter in Prince George’s County…it was…a very powerful thing because, during that time, domestic violence, particularly in Prince George’s County, was just really…getting out of control, they had several high profile cases there…one woman was set ablaze by her husband and all of that. So that’s probably the one that sticks out in my mind, and that we were able to raise…$800,000 to help build…a new shelter in Prince George’s County, so we took a…20-bed facility that they had, and we raised enough money to increase that facility to 55 beds…got them a new van and so forth, so that’s probably…one of the events…that we did over a period of five years that really sticks out in my head and I felt really good about. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Reflecting on national politicians’ reactions to early WHUR broadcasts, Phil said, “They didn't know what they had accomplished and I'd get a call from a senator or White House or you know, someone calling that had heard something that had touched them” (Watson et al., 2011, p. 80). Following are a few examples of actions by the station that had impact on a national level.
Yeah, I mean…you never know what politics are involved…behind doors, but I guess just because…at that time, James Cheek was the…president at Howard, and I’m sure he, [breathes] you know, probably had good friends at Fisk [University], and because we, you know…it was another HBCU [historically Black college and
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university] that was in trouble, and so Howard stepped up to the plate to try to help ‘em out. (P. Ellis, personal communication, July 1, 2013)
…the Congressional Black Caucus was holding hearings. There was nobody in the hearings. But we were broadcasting it. And when we started broadcasting it, other stations wanted to pick it up. And, and because of that the Congressional Black Caucus became a national phenomenon. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 53)
…Governor Wallace was shot. And [Mark Randolph and Clint Walker] put together an evil piece, which included Ray Bryant and Red Foxx singing prayer for the Governor. And Peola Spurlock, who was my public affairs, community relations person…comes running into my office. 'Oh my God! Do you hear what they're doing on the radio? This poor man is dying and near death'...I said, Peola, you know, you are absolutely right...when they finish, tell them I told you to sit there and speak. And so they did this piece and wrapped. And Peola walks in the studio and she says, 'We're all God's children and I want to extend.' And so I got calls from everywhere. 'Tell her it's magnificent. It's wonderful.’ (Watson et al., 2011, p. 80)
Two former employees recalled how the influence of WHUR reached an international audience.
Another thing about the impact of WHUR overall was that in December of 1974, Christmas Day, I was broadcasting because I live close to the station so I worked all the holidays. Plus, not being a Christian, Christmas didn't mean much to me. So I'm working Christmas Day and I get a call from the head of the United States Secret Service saying that a man has just crashed through the gates of the White House in a car, and was standing in front of the White House with what appeared to be explosives strapped to his body. And as they approached him, he would not speak to them in English. He spoke to them only in Arabic. And when they finally figured out what he was saying, he was demanding that the only way he would give himself up was if a message was broadcast on WHUR radio warning the Ambassador of Pakistan that something drastic was about to take place in Pakistan and that he should prepare for it. So the Chief of the US Secret Service, after I took the call and told him yes I would do it, shows up at the back door of WHUR. By the door of WHUR, comes into the studio, stands there while I broadcast the message that this guy said he wanted broadcast. And at that point after I broadcast, the guy had his car parked in front of the White House, a number of flares strapped to his body, turned out not to be explosives. The door of the car opened, the radio tuned to WHUR radio, and when he heard that broadcast that's when he gave himself up and that's how that ended. That's how, regardless of what the rating said, that's how influential WHUR was in those days. (Watson et al., 2011, pp. 62-63)
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…WHUR was constantly reporting on the covert activity of the US government to fund counterrevolutionary movements or to fund helping the Portuguese government to maintain its colonies in Africa. And because we kept reporting those stories or knowing that there was a bill up to be written about or something was going on, it stopped. Henry Kissinger did not get his covert aid to give to either the Portuguese government or to give to the counterrevolutionaries in those places. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 64)
“Created a market.” The impact of WHUR extends beyond its listening audience to related industries. As one former employee observed, “We created a market that wasn't there” (Watson et al., 2011, p. 40). Other former employees echoed this observation by sharing their perspectives on how WHUR impacted the music and electronics industries during the early years of its existence.
…Terry Collier, Minnie Ripperton, in boxes, at the Soul Shack, boxed up, being sent back to Schwartz Brothers because they weren't selling. 'Get 'em out of my store. I don't want 'em.' Then all of a sudden HUR is on the air. Then all of a sudden, George Gillespie is not only sending back for the ones he sent back, but ordering 500 more of some of the albums. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 37)
…Aretha Franklin was going to produce her gospel album, and she produced it and now she was terrified because there was a woman named Rosetta Tharpe who had done the crossover. So I get a call, you know. And at first it's a typical pitch, you know. But then Aretha's on the phone herself. And she says I just want you to listen. I'm really scared. I want you to tell me what you think. And I think I called Andre in, I think Clint Walker and said why don't we just take this album and play it so I can get back to her. And they looked at me. I said just play it. What's the problem? Just play the album. Well, what I didn't know was the album wasn't, wasn't in the shops yet. So we played the album and then there was a run the next day. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 67)
We wound up with a set of stores that paid attention, bought time on the air. The same thing with the stereo. I had Jim buy equipment so that we could get the light on, you know. And people went out and bought new stereo systems. So all of this was working in tandem. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 40)
…WHUR brought into play careers that you might not even think about. Angela Winbush, for example. Now I ran into Angela five years ago in Tampa, Florida at a program…she interrupted the show to say to the audience that that's the man that's responsible for taking me to the recording studio, the very first time and launching my career. And I went like...You know, I love you but I, I had nothing to do with it other than take a group of students, students who came over and
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protested that they want a part of this radio station. And we say, okay, fine. We're going to make you a part. That sort of thinking came from Phil. (Watson et al., 2011, p. 65)
…Smokey Robinson initially didn't want to [allow WHUR to use the title of "Quiet Storm"]…I made the call to Smokey and said, Smokey, we need to use the title of your song. We got something here [and] we think it works. "Hell no," from Los Angeles. Hung up the phone. I called him back. He wouldn't take the call. Now I think he's counting his checks. Okay? Okay? (Watson et al., 2011, p. 65)
WHUR’s impact on the music industry is also evident in the display of memorabilia in its headquarters office. For example, displayed in a main hallway of the station is a framed platinum sales award “presented to WHUR to commemorate the sale of more than
1,000,000 copies of the Arista Records album and cassette, ‘Duotones,’” (Recording
Industry Association of America, n.d.) by recording artist, Kenny G.
“Amplify the sounds, voices, and experiences of Black America.” WHUR’s founding pledge to “amplify the sounds, voices, and experiences of Black America”
(Ellis et al., 1996) seems to have endured. Examples from Phil, current employees, and listeners highlight how WHUR has been used as a platform for voices in the community to educate and inform.
Mark Randolph I think took two students with him to-, down to Mississippi to interview Fannie Lou Hamer. And [coughs] they interviewed the prisoners who actually strip-searched her, [coughs] ‘cause you know they had, when they pulled her off the bus, they…had prisoners, male prisoners, strip-search her. And she in tears as she’s being interviewed by Mark Randolph explains that she was a virgin, and that the only man in her life to that time to have ever touched her or see her privates was her husband. And [chuckles], so, when we ran that interview and Nina Simone singing, ‘Mississippi Goddamn,’ White folk all around the beltway called into the station and said, ‘Please don’t do this to us.’ It was rush hour. They were pulling off to the side of the road. They were gettin’ the evil eye [chuckles], you know, passing off on they road. They were just terrified [chuckles] that, you know, we were causing…We got tons of letters that we have to be careful with inflammatory programming, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. (P. Watson, personal communication, August 13, 2013)
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Well…I think, you know, HUR…it, and this is something that I hear a lot from our listeners because, obviously, you know, I’m out in the, out in the community a lot, and people really see HUR as a, as a community station, we do, we do a lot of philanthropic events…we really impact the community. I, I always like to say that we can’t be in the business of just, you know, reporting what’s wrong, that we’ve actively gotta be out there to engage ourselves to make it better, so we can’t just report that there are hungry people, or…youth out there who need coats, or battered women out there, or gang violence out there, we’ve actually gotta be out there trying to do something about it, and so we try to do that, you know, not through, just with our programming, but, you know, also with our community outreach, so, you know, we’ll have coat drives and toy drives and food drives, but we’ll also have town hall meetings, so that we allow, you know, the community to come together and, and bring…a lot of the stakeholders together…so they can talk to the mayor or the county executive, and…religious leaders and business leaders that they may not otherwise be able to engage in whatever’s going on in the community. (R. Nash, personal communication, June 11, 2013)
From the time of WHUR’s founding, Charles lauded it as an exemplar for people of color in America pursuing ownership of media outlets. He explained his regard of the station as a model by stating,
Well, number one as an example of Black ownership of a major radio station in the nation’s capital and the kind of programming that that station was doing to the Black community. We wanted people to understand if they had a cable franchise, so they would be able to do that with television, that that’s what the struggle for ownership was really about. It wasn’t about the entertainment. The entertainment was going to…generate the revenue and the income. But the reason we really wanted ownership of those stations was so that we could create jobs and other things for those communities they serve and to give those communities a voice like WHUR was giving the Black community in Washington. That was a powerful message. (personal communication, August 27, 2013)
Charles also shared the historical significance of WHUR from the perspective of activists demanding change in America at the time of the station’s launch.
That’s the thing to realize about the significance of people who had been in the movement, so many of them being in Washington at the time that WHUR was put on the air. They did not need WHUR to convince them about, um, you know, the importance of media and the importance of Black ownership of media. They already knew that. What they needed WHUR for was to have access to a powerful medium in that city to pursue the goals of home rule and Black development…you’d have to imagine a place where…Black folks did not have a voice in the public discourse because we didn’t own newspapers or television
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stations or radio stations, by and large. And, so…outside of Black churches, we were not represented in the ownership of any of the opinion-making, power- making institutions of America. (personal communication, August 27, 2013)
Vanessa and Charles offered insights as listeners on the importance of having a public voice to draw attention to political and social issues.
I learned that we do have a political voice. I learned that, you know, there was a forum where very highly educated people were turning out that make a difference in life and maybe 25 years later it would be diff-, things would be different. Like we have an African American president. You know, that was almost unheard of when I came up. You know, people would have said, ‘Oh, quit joking.’ But I think, um, it became a reality base for African American children to say you, you can, you can aspire to be more. Yes you can. And I just saw it as a forum to, to motivate young people or to bring us together in some consensus about things that were important, like politics. (V. Deal, personal communication, August 16, 2013)
There are always lynchings, acts of terrorism in America against African people that capture the mood of the people, like the assassination of Trayvon Martin, right up the road here from where I am. Um, and you say, ‘How many more?’ You know, it’s, it’s not like he is the only Black male who has been shot down in the streets by White people. In this country, everyday, there are three, four examples. And after a while, you’re outraged and then there’s particular circumstances of that killing, just, you know, unbelievable. But then we had Amadou Diallo, shot down at the door to his apartment in New York, uh, 40 bullets, you know, and it was an execution. Then you had the young brother from Jamaica, Sean Bell, shot down, who was at a bachelor party and they killed him. You had the young brother [Oscar Grant] out in Oakland that the movie, the new movie…’Fruitvale Station,’ is all about that killing. He was lying face down on the uh-, at…a metro station out in…Oakland/San Francisco area and this cop shot him in the back and killed him and then was not charged. He was released…that simply shows, look, in this country we have no security, no protection. That’s the other thing about having a voice, a public voice where you can voice your ideas, feelings, demands for justice, your concerns and you can call people into account. (C. Tate, personal communication, August 27, 2013)
At times, listeners voice their displeasure with the actions of WHUR. On April 1, 2013,
WHUR played an April Fool joke on listeners by temporarily changing the station’s format to country music, but as Jim described, not all listeners realized it was a joke.
…we took the station Black country. We had been planning that for a couple of weeks, there were only eight people here who even knew it was gonna happen.
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Changed the website, we did everything-, well see…here was the trick: we did everything a station would do if they were going to change the format. That was the joke! So when you listened to it, you didn’t know that it was a joke. And we blew up Twitter and Facebook like you would-, aww, aww people are still mad over that, ‘cause they got punk’d! (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Analysis of Facebook comments posted by listeners in response to the station’s bogus status update (WHUR, 2013) that it was now a country music station called “TWANG
96.3” illuminated Jim’s assessment of the level of frustration that some listeners experienced when they thought their favorite adult urban contemporary station had gone country. While some listeners interpreted the joke as lighthearted fun, many others expressed annoyance and threatened to either temporarily or permanently change stations.
Real changes in programming have also evoked strong responses from listeners. A notable example was the decision to switch the morning drive program from a team of local hosts, to the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show. The Washington
Post reported,
Since dumping its popular morning team and replacing it this week with comedian Steve Harvey's syndicated program, the District radio station (96.3 FM) has been deluged with complaints by the hundreds. The backlash has inspired calls for a boycott of the station, which is owned by Howard University and has been among the highest-rated in the market. (Farhi, 2006, p. C01)
Jim discussed this particular protest by members of the listening audience and emphasized the critical role of listeners at WHUR and the importance of their opinions, even if they do not agree with business decisions.
...our listeners have taken possession of the stat-, this is their radio station. Now, we do something they don’t like, they let us know [both laugh] immediately. Now, sometimes, we gotta take ‘em kicking and screaming, I mean, we had, we had pickets outside the door when Steve Harvey was here…Steve Harvey was by far-, oh, they hated it! ‘Why are we gon’ do Steve Harvey?’ and they wrote the president, they wanted me fired, the whole nine yards. But, see, what they didn’t know was what I knew, it was what we learned from Tom Joyner, and that is…people would-, people would buy into it, and they did, they did, and look,
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Steve Harvey the hottest thing in media right now, you know, and he LOVES this radio station, anything we wanna do, I can pick up the phone and call, and say, ‘Hey, man, I need s-,’ ‘I’ll, I’ll figure out a way to do it.’ And that’s good! That’s good. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Chapter Summary
This chapter presented the sources of data that were collected and analyzed for the case study, stories of interview participants, and a summary of the data organized by the key themes: “It’s a Family Thing,” “Employment of Enjoyment,” and “We Can’t Take for Granted the Power of What We Do.” These themes provide insight into the manifestation of WHUR’s organizational culture and social impact. The first theme, “It’s a Family Thing,” captures the sense of familial connectedness expressed by employees
(past and present) and listeners in describing their relationship with WHUR. The second theme, “Employment of Enjoyment,” illustrates the environment of meaningful work that has been fostered for employees of WHUR through organizational policies, practices, and community outreach initiatives. The third theme, “We Can’t Take for Granted the Power of What We Do,” speaks to the breadth of WHUR’s effect on its local, national, and international communities—communities, which in turn, affect WHUR.
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Chapter 5: Interpretations, Conclusions, and Recommendations
The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between a Black- owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The primary research question guiding the study was:
1. What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational
culture and its social impact?
Secondary research questions guiding the study were:
2. How is the stated mission of the radio station consistent with its social impact?
3. How are the artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted
organizational values of the radio station consistent with its social impact?
4. How do listeners of the radio station experience its impact?
This study was conducted based on the researcher’s curiosity about the possible relationship between what an organization is (organizational culture) and how it affects society (social impact). Although these constructs have been studied in isolation, there was no evidence that a possible relationship between the two had ever been investigated.
A Black-owned business was selected as the site of the study as research on such organizations is limited, which inhibits our understanding of organizational phenomena from diverse perspectives.
Analysis of data collected from interview participants, archival records, direct observation, documentation, physical artifacts, and social media Web sites generated three major themes: “It’s a Family Thing,” “Employment of Enjoyment,” “We Can’t
Take for Granted the Power of What We Do,” and various subthemes. Interpretations and conclusions gleaned from the data analysis are presented in this chapter, which is
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organized as follows: 1) conclusions and interpretations of the findings, 2) recommendations for research and practice, and 3) concluding thoughts.
Conclusions and Interpretations of the Findings
The results of this study indicate that the organizational culture and social impact of WHUR are inextricably bound in a synergistic relationship of mutual influence. The stated mission, values, and actions of the organization are consistent with how it affects stakeholders—both internal and external. Data collected for the study indicate that the organization has an extended history of performing what its three-fold mission statement declares:
The station serves the community by assisting in the resolution of human and social problems, particularly those of the under-served poor and African- American communities. Second the station serves as a source of revenue to the University and to programs sponsored by the University. Third the station serves as a facility for the practical training of Howard University students pursuing careers in the areas of news, engineering, production, sales, business, radio broadcasting, radio management, and related disciplines with particular attention to cooperation with the John H. Johnson School of Communication and the School of Business. (Howard University, 2012, pp. 99-100)
Consistencies observed between WHUR’s mission statement and its actions suggest a commitment to a holistic brand of social responsibility that addresses the needs of the organization’s surrounding communities and its internal community. In executing its mission, WHUR influences the “psychological states and subjective feelings, motives and emotions, cognitions and beliefs, values and behavior” (Latané, 1981, p. 343) of people through music, news and information programming, mentorship, and community outreach. Likewise, WHUR is affectively influenced. Thus, the flow of social impact is bidirectional and dynamically interacts with the organization’s culture.
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Analysis of the dynamic interplay between artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted organizational values (Hatch, 1993) revealed an organizational culture based on values of family and community. As with its mission statement,
WHUR’s organizational values represent a commitment to holistic social responsibility.
WHUR’s values of family and community appear to be based on assumptions of oneness among Black Americans and a responsibility to help to those in need. According to
Schein (1983), these assumptions can be traced back to the founder, because those individuals “often start with humanistic and social concerns that become reflected in organizational structure and process” (p. 25). Jim likened the embedded nature of
WHUR’s founding assumptions and values to DNA in explaining their endurance beyond
Phil’s tenure:
And I think it’s, I think it’s really important that, when you start looking at the whole DNA of what this radio station is, that it really started with the concept of one guy, and then putting together a team that bought into that. I mean, working with…Phil Watson showed me a lot of little things that people…don’t even realize. Give you a good example, [clears throat] payday would come, and he would have all these volunteers that weren’t getting paid. He’d cash his check and pay all of them. And he did it consistently, would never say anything, would never say anything, but that endeared everyone to him, ‘cause he was taking care of his people. And you learn from that, take care of your people, they gon’ take care of you. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Through observation of Phil’s leadership style, Jim learned and chose to perpetuate “a pattern of assumptions that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems” (Schein, 1983, p. 14). The affective nature of those founding assumptions and values that have endured is consistent with the way that WHUR affects and is affected by members of its family and community, or, in other words, its social impact. This evidence has led to the overall finding that, in the context of WHUR,
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organizational culture and social impact are dynamic constructs engaged in a synergistic relationship of mutual influence. This finding has generated the following conclusions:
1. A community-minded organization can have an impact on the community through
synergy between its (internal) organizational culture and (external) business
practices
2. A community-minded organization’s holistic social responsibility includes how it
operates as a community both internally and externally
Synergy Between Organizational Culture and Impact on the Community
Levinson (1994) declared, as a psychological verity, “All organizations recapitulate the family structure and the behavioral practices of the culture in which they are embedded” (p. 429). Although no empirical data were presented in support of this purported truth, the present study exemplifies the claim. “Family” was a common refrain among employees and listeners in describing their experiences with WHUR. In the traditional sense, a family is a group of related people, so the use of that term connoted a feeling of permanence in the strength of relationship bonds among co-workers and between the station and its listeners. Such an orientation toward the familial is not uncommon in Black American culture. What has yet to be explored is manifestation of this proclivity among Black Americans in an organization’s culture and the affective dynamics between an organization and its stakeholders.
Family orientation at WHUR presented as a core organizational value rooted in assumptions of oneness among Black Americans and a responsibility to help those in need. Examples of family orientation varied, but were centered around helping behaviors and feelings of connectedness—the kind of help and connection that humans are often
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socialized to expect from kinfolk. Among Black Americans, kinfolk have historically included extensive networks composed of both relatives and non-relatives, or “fictive kin”
(Chatters, Taylor, & Jayakody, 1994, p. 297). The prominence of fictive kin in the kinship networks of Black Americans is believed to be a traditional orientation rooted in
West African cultures that served as a bonding and survival method during American slavery (Chatters et al., 1994). “Actual or genuine kinship bonds served as the models for affective obligations among non-kin; these responsibilities were then transferred into broader social and communal obligations” (Chatters et al., 1994, p. 298).
Renee’s reflection on how her “HUR family” expressed love and support as she experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment is an example of the familial helping behaviors of fictive kin:
Well, I mean…I think obviously one of the, you know, the big times in my life…[was] when I went through breast cancer, and I, um, you know, I, I told my story on the air, about how I found it, um, and what my, my process was gonna be, and, you know, and just, there’s so many women and men who, um, had, you know, family members, you know, sisters, mothers, spouses, girlfriends, um, they, they wrote in…when I was off, I mean, I got, [pause] I got so many letters and, and flowers, [chuckles] and I was just like, I mean, I, I was just overwhelmed, well-wishes…the station did a show where I was able to call in and, you know, talk about my…progress…and just the…support, not just from, you know, the listeners, but obviously from my HUR family members…who, you know, came to see me, who would call and, and check on me, so [sniffs]. I mean, just that, I mean, I lost my mother, uh, a few years ago, so, almost three years ago, and just, the, the, the love from listeners who say, you know, ‘Renee, I’ve been there, done that…’ (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Grayman-Simpson and Mattis (2013) explained these behaviors declaring, “The helping tradition within the African American community is uniquely characterized by a combined focus on dedicated time, skills, and financial resources toward activities aimed at dismantling obstacles to Black progress and empowering individual and families” (p.
244). Thus, in the foregoing example, members of the WHUR staff and listening
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audience, serving in the roles of fictive kin, mitigated challenges that Renee might have otherwise experienced following a cancer diagnosis by “dismantling obstacles” toward her recovery with love and support. Illustrating the consistency of WHUR’s “family- friendly…spirit,” Renee reflected on how the HUR family has supported another member experiencing cancer:
…I mean, and, and the HUR family…we, you know, we really, really are… a family, we have, one of our co-workers who’s, uh, going through cancer right now…and…you know, we raised money for her…it’s just a very family-friendly, um, spirit that we have here… (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
The financial support provided to Renee’s colleague was aimed at mitigating the potential hardship that could ensue from the cost of cancer treatment. In both examples, the support provided was voluntary, timely, and abundant—just as would be expected from supportive, related kin.
The family orientation of WHUR is expressed not only during times of hardship, but also in times of celebration, and in the ordinary routines of everyday life. Reflections of current and former employees revealed that the HUR family has been a constant and appreciated presence through many of life’s ups, downs, and routines. Marriage, divorce, birth of children and grandchildren, single parenthood, loss of relatives, purchase of a first car, illness, and graduation were cited among examples of personal life experiences and rites of passage that WHUR employees have experienced and shared with each other during their tenure of employment at the station. The support that employees have provided through these and other life experiences has strengthened working relationships and fictive kinship bonds between them and their “home,” WHUR.
Listeners also expressed a sense of kinship with WHUR and, similarly, Patrick and Jacquie both indicated that they regard listeners of their respective programs as
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family. As hosts of two long-running gospel programs, Patrick and Jacquie have been able to establish meaningful and enduring relationships with members of their listening audiences. The consistency and stability of both programs appears to be a source of comfort for their listeners—much like the comforts of home and family on whom you can depend. Observation of the production of Patrick’s program, Gospel Spirit , and analysis of correspondence from his listeners provided insight into the depth of the familial connection he shares with his audience. Listeners write to Patrick on a weekly basis to request song dedications and “shout outs” (on-air acknowledgements) to honor the memories, milestones, and accomplishments of loved ones. The fact that listeners submit such requests indicates that they and/or the loved ones whom they wish to honor would find the broadcasting of those dedications on WHUR meaningful. The significance of a personalized dedication on Gospel Spirit speaks to the value of the program in the lives of listeners and their families.
Sometimes a sense of kinship with WHUR does not manifest through support given or received or connection between announcer and listener, but rather as a feeling of the familiar, conjured up by a song or a program. Vanessa conveyed this sentiment in describing how she is affected by one of her favorite WHUR programs, the Quiet Storm :
I’ll cut on the Quiet Storm and…just drive around DC…You get the full effect. It’s a little different than sitting in the house…there’s a tag that goes, ‘WHUR Sounds Like Washington.’ That, that is a tag, but whoever came up with that was a very, very astute person, simply because the identification, the two are almost inseparable. I feel like I’m home. I feel a sense of kinship. At one time, DC was Chocolate City. Even when I was in the military in Georgia, I would drive home on the weekends and sometimes not make it out of DC to even go to Baltimore. I would hit DC, cut on the Quiet Storm , stay, visit friends or whatever, and then go back to Georgia [chuckles]. So, you know, I mean, it’s always been something. I felt, I’m home. I’m welcome. I’m among my people, my peers. Um, I’m appreciated. I can identify with what I’m hearing. I can relate to it. There is a relationship between what I’m hearing and my-, myself, my spirit. And
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everybody wants to…feel like they belong or have a sense of identity. So for me it was, it was almost an identity. (personal communication, August 16, 2013)
Other listeners have expressed the meaningfulness of the Quiet Storm in their lives through remembrances of the show’s inaugural host, Melvin Lindsey. Although Melvin was no longer an employee of WHUR at the time of his death in 1992, he is still remembered and loved as a member of the HUR family. Colleagues have shared fond memories of Melvin at oral history roundtables facilitated by WHUR, and for the past several years, his contributions to WHUR have been commemorated through postings on the station’s Web site and social media pages, with listeners encouraged to share their reflections. Melvin, like many other members of the HUR family who have left or passed on, is gone but not forgotten, thus reinforcing the permanence of many relationships at WHUR.
WHUR’s family orientation is rooted in a broader organizational value of community. Several employees cited “community” as a core organizational value, but did so in the context of describing the station’s external relations at the local, national, and international levels. It is clear, however, that community-mindedness is also enacted internally at WHUR. This synergistic attribute of the organization’s culture and business practices speaks to the strength of relationship bonds between WHUR staff and the community-at-large. Chalofsky (2010) defines community as “a body of individuals organized into a group with awareness of some unifying values and purpose” (p. 144). In the case of WHUR, community in and of itself is a unifying value and its community- focused mission serves as a unifying purpose. The synergy between the station’s values- based culture centered on family and community and its community involvement has
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created an organization that does not simply do community service; it is one with its community. Community involvement in an organization with a values-based culture
fosters an open relationship with the community in which it operates, and the relationship is sensitive to the community’s culture and needs. The company plays a proactive, cooperative, and where appropriate collaborative role in making the community a better place to live and conduct business. (Chalofsky, 2010, p. 125)
The station’s actions in the community have served to address the needs and interests of individuals, families, and communities, while also enhancing the meaningfulness of work for WHUR employees. Renee described the station’s community involvement as a social imperative,
Well…I think, you know, HUR…it, and this is something that I hear a lot from our listeners because, obviously, you know, I’m out in the, out in the community a lot, and people really see HUR as a, as a community station, we do, we do a lot of philanthropic events…we really impact the community. I, I always like to say that we can’t be in the business of just, you know, reporting what’s wrong, that we’ve actively gotta be out there to engage ourselves to make it better, so we can’t just report that there are hungry people, or…youth out there who need coats, or battered women out there, or gang violence out there, we’ve actually gotta be out there trying to do something about it, and so we try to do that, you know, not through, just with our programming, but, you know, also with our community outreach, so, you know, we’ll have coat drives and toy drives and food drives, but we’ll also have town hall meetings, so that we allow, you know, the community to come together and, and bring…a lot of the stakeholders together…so they can talk to the mayor or the county executive, and…religious leaders and business leaders that they may not otherwise be able to engage in whatever’s going on in the community. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
The mindset that the station has a responsibility to support the community-at-large is embedded in its culture and the listening audience’s expectations about its role in the community. WHUR is not, however, looked to as a savior for the community. Instead, it is viewed as a collaborative partner. The success of WHUR’s efforts to support the community is attributable to the station’s effectiveness in engaging its listening audience in supporting the needs of others in the community. Similarly, the audience of WHUR
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has been effective in heightening the station’s awareness about community needs and garnering its support. Thus, social responsibility is shared between the station and its listeners, with each influencing and supporting the other toward action.
Holistic Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility was originally conceived to describe the responsibility that manufacturing organizations have to mitigate adverse effects of their business outputs on the environment, but it has evolved “to a much broader concern for any organization’s impact on employees, the surrounding community, society, and the planet” (Chalofsky, 2010, p. 121). WHUR’s internal and external operations embody this holistic definition of social responsibility. In addition to the station’s community involvement, current and former employees have described its work environment as one where they feel valued and are provided with opportunities to engage in work that is personally meaningful. Chalofsky (2010) defines such organizations as meaningful workplaces, indicating they have
values-based organizational cultures that consider employees just as important as customers, if not more so. In fact, they treat all the stakeholders, stockholders, executives, employees, customers, suppliers, the community, and the larger society with value . The culture drives the style of leadership; how people work, grow, and live their lives; the relationship between the organization and the world outside the organization; and their identity and image as a place of work. (p. 14; italics in original)
Within meaningful workplaces, employees are more likely to have the opportunity to engage in meaningful work, which is defined as “the way we express the meaning and purpose of our lives through the activities (work) that take up most of our waking hours”
(Chalofsky, 2010, p. 11). The meaningfulness of work is enhanced when employees are able to be authentic and bring their whole selves to work (Chalofsky, 2010). In such
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organizations, employees are enticed by the intrinsic rewards that come from being part of a culture of community as opposed to external rewards such as fringe benefits.
Current and former employees of WHUR shared fond recollections of their work experiences at the station. Evidence of defining attributes of meaningful work—intrinsic motivation, learning, creativity, opportunity, value congruence, and balance—emerged in analysis of the data representing this theme. Former employees expressed the sustained meaningfulness of their work at WHUR as they have pursued other career opportunities.
Current employees expressed how the meaningfulness of their work has enriched their lives and contributed to their commitment to WHUR. The majority of employee data analyzed for the study indicated that their employment at the station began on a voluntary basis. Some employees started at WHUR as student interns, while others volunteered their time because they were inspired by the possibilities of a Black-owned radio station.
In the cases of Jim and Patrick, both had full-time, paid jobs at other organizations when they chose to volunteer at WHUR. Jim recalled,
…I overheard two…congressmen talking about the fact that Howard was getting a radio station. And…I had set up for the…hearing that I was at, and…I said, ‘Well, I think I need to go down there,’ because…I had been doing radio studios and stuff like that, and I said, ‘Yeah, that would be-, that would be a fun job.’ So…the next day, I came down to the…radio station, and I met with Mr. Phil Watson, who was the general manager, and I told him that…I was an engineer at ABC. He said, ‘Yeah, I know who you are,’ which kinda surprised me. I said, ‘Well, you know, uh, I could build your radio station for you, and I’ll do it for free, I’ll volunteer my time.’ So…one thing led to another, and I volunteered my time. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
A teenaged engineering prodigy at the time, Jim seized the opportunity to contribute his skills and expertise to help build the fledgling enterprise over which he now presides.
The experience supporting the effort to build WHUR was more valuable to him than a paycheck, which indicates the primacy of intrinsic motivation in guiding his decision.
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Patrick expressed a similar sentiment in explaining his decision to work at WHUR during his off hours from paid employment at the Gillette Research Institute:
Yeah, I didn’t, I got paid nothing for four years, but I, I was enjoying what I was doing, and I would come to the radio station in the, in the afternoons, evenings, and sometimes, it seemed like all weekend long, producing these shows with…my sister-in-law. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
For Patrick, the excitement of learning radio production and the opportunity to work alongside his sister-in-law served as motivating factors that compelled him to volunteer at
WHUR in his spare time. Thus, as in the case with Jim, the work itself was more meaningful than the potential for pay.
Learning opportunities and the freedom to be creative were cited by many employees as valued attributes of their employment experience at WHUR. The station has historically been a haven for people to learn and/or develop their craft, whether it was broadcasting, production, engineering, management, sales, or any combination thereof.
There is very little room for error in live radio, so it is remarkable that employees have been able to enjoy such freedoms, but not surprising considering the values-based culture of the organization. The significance of learning in the employment experience at
WHUR was captured in its founding mission to
create a broadcast training laboratory that…created a seamless relationship between the…academic community and the professional world. So my students would come through the laboratory and could go right into the marketplace. That was the concept. And in that concept, it protected the commercialism of the station, in order to make sure that students could seamlessly move from HUR to KYS or NBC. You had to have an entity that had transitional relationships. (P. Watson, personal communication, August 13, 2013)
Although students are now trained primarily at student-run WHBC, the commitment to fostering learning at WHUR has endured. The relatively flat, organic structure of WHUR seems to be particularly conducive to fostering autonomy and flexibility in pursuing
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interests. Furthermore, the mentoring orientation of staff provides a safe environment for employees to engage in learning and development. Steve, a former student intern whose academic background is in physical education, expressed his gratitude as an employee who has benefitted from unrestricted learning opportunities at WHUR:
WHUR is, uh, an amazing entity, you know. It allows students who didn’t study anything from production to broadcast journalism to make a career in radio. It gives you firsthand opportunities and you get hands-on training to be a professional mover and shaker in this business. And, you know, it’s, the, the things that I have learned over the past years here at WHUR are just priceless, you know. Um, I get paid to do a job, but, you know, I, I am completely, and utterly, truly blessed to have this opportunity and I cherish it. (personal communication, August 19, 2013)
The learning environment fostered by WHUR has had an enduring positive impact on students and other novice professionals by providing valuable opportunities to attain and develop knowledge and skills in the business of radio under the guidance of experienced mentors. Conversely, WHUR has benefitted from the competitive advantage of having a well-trained and loyal staff.
Several employees indicated that value congruence was an appreciated attribute of their employment experience at WHUR. Family, honesty, work ethic, and spirituality were cited as examples of employee personal values that aligned with the organizational values of WHUR. Consistency between organizational values and personal values has helped employees to feel a sense of belonging in the organization. Furthermore, it has allowed employees to feel comfortable in expressing their authentic selves through their work and interactions with colleagues and listeners. These findings relate to those of
Posner et al. (1985), who concluded, “Strong shared values provide individuals with a sense of success and fulfillment, a healthy (less cynical) assessment of the values and
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ethics of their colleagues, subordinates, and bosses, and a greater regard for organizational objectives and significant organizational constituents” (p. 303).
In creating an environment where employees are allowed to bring their whole selves to work, WHUR has helped its staff to balance work and personal responsibilities.
An example shared by Renee highlights how she experienced balance when her children were school-aged:
I used to be on the air at five o’ clock in the morning…and I was a single parent at the time, and so I brought my kids in in the morning with me, and they slept in my office until it was time for them to go to school, they’d be in here brushing their teeth, [sniffs] one of my colleagues, who ran the board when I was on the air, she would do my daughter’s hair for me…and my kids would brush their teeth, eat their breakfast, and my dad would pick ‘em up and take them to school. And, you know, Jim knew, everybody knew it, you know, so it wasn’t something like I was hiding them, but they were well-mannered kids, and…as a matter of fact, Patrick used to work in the morning too, [sniffs] and so, if my dad came too early, he would open the door for my dad while I was on the air, so it’s just that family spirit. (personal communication, June 11, 2013)
Serving in the roles of fictive kin, Renee’s colleagues helped her to simultaneously deliver a live radio broadcast and prepare her children for school. The support provided to Renee addressed a short-term need and allowed her to continue growing in her career at WHUR, thus, providing a win-win for her and the organization. She was able to keep the job that she loves and continue providing for her family. WHUR retained a valuable employee by strengthening her engagement in and commitment to the organization by showing compassion and support for her life roles beyond that of employee. This example is one of many that illustrate the workplace community fostered at WHUR, and how it operates as a community both internally and externally.
In summary, the findings of this study suggest that WHUR affects and is affected by its stakeholders in a manner consistent with its mission statement, founding values of
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family and community, and overall organizational culture. The station’s employees and listeners are a community that engage in helping behaviors consistent with Black
American cultural traditions, often to the extent of fulfilling the role of fictive kin. The primacy and magnitude of WHUR’s focus on employee well-being and community involvement contribute to its status as a meaningful workplace where employees are able to engage in meaningful work—work that makes a difference both in their lives and the lives of their community.
Recommendations for Research
The present study has contributed foundational scholarship on the relationship between organizational culture and social impact. As this study was a qualitative research endeavor, its findings are not intended to be generalizable. Thus, additional studies exploring the relationship between organizational culture and social impact in other contexts are encouraged.
The insights gained from this case study of WHUR highlight the importance of diverse perspectives in enhancing understanding about organizational phenomena.
Continued research of minority-owned businesses in general, and Black-owned businesses in particular, is recommended to enrich theory building in organizational science with contributions from underrepresented populations.
Although the present study was not conducted to investigate organizational commitment and employee engagement, it would be remiss to not acknowledge the extended tenures and zeal for the work of WHUR described by employees interviewed for the study. The length of employment for current employees interviewed ranged from five to 42 years. These employees have chosen to stay at WHUR for some reason;
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however, because the phenomena were not explored in this study, it is not known if/how their apparent commitment and engagement are related to the organization’s culture and social impact. Therefore, further research exploring how organizational commitment and/or employee engagement are related to one or both constructs is recommended.
Finally, as a Black-owned organization born out of a history of racial injustice and inequality in America, WHUR has overcome pervasive social challenges to become what it is today. The station’s role in American history in general, and Black history in particular, is rich and worthy of further exploration and documentation. The contributions of Black Americans are often omitted from or minimized in historical accounts of the development of America, so preservation and publication of the station’s history (and those of other Black-owned businesses) is recommended to establish a more complete account of American history.
Recommendations for Practice
Although this research endeavor represents a case study of a particular organization, lessons learned from this case could serve as a basis for other organizations to experiment with changes aimed at enriching their relationships with employees and the broader community. As this study has revealed, the creation and cultivation of synergy between organizational culture and external business practices has been effective for
WHUR. Other organizations may find it helpful to engage human resource development
(HRD) professionals in assessing the status of the relationship between their organizational cultures and external business practices and addressing any impediments to synergy.
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As a meaningful workplace, WHUR has reaped the benefits of an engaged and committed cadre of employees. Organizations seeking to build a meaningful workplace would be well served to consider how the following tenets might be incorporated into their way of work:
1. It’s not about the perks; it’s about the culture.
2. The organization supports the whole person and the whole person is engaged in
the organization.
3. The organization is truly a community. (Chalofsky, 2010, p. 158)
In taking steps toward building a meaningful workplace, organizations will demonstrate to employees that they are just as valuable, if not more so, than customers and other stakeholders (Chalofsky, 2010).
WHUR’s long-standing practice of cultivating permanent employees from the ranks of student interns and volunteers has been an effective employee recruitment and development strategy for the organization. Many employees who joined WHUR through those pathways have remained with the organization for extended tenures. Other organizations seeking to strengthen their organizational cultures and promote employee commitment might consider the potential benefits of employing student interns and volunteers and cultivating the talent of those individuals through mentoring and development in preparation for permanent roles.
Lastly, with a holistic approach to corporate social responsibility, WHUR has demonstrated that it has the power to alleviate social problems for its internal and external communities. Organizations seeking to enhance their approach to social responsibility are encouraged to engage HRD professionals in designing or auditing their
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employment practices, community involvement, and diversity and inclusion initiatives to ensure that they are targeted toward enriching the quality of life for their employees and the community-at-large (Chalofsky, 2010). Through genuine commitment, organizations have the potential to incorporate social responsibility into their organizational cultures, thereby laying the groundwork to achieve synergy between what the organization is and what it does.
Concluding Thoughts
Throughout my life, I have appreciated WHUR as a resource in learning about and connecting with my cultural identity. Over the years, I have also come to know it as an important part of my dad’s career trajectory. Now, as a result of this study, I understand more deeply why it is important to me, why it is important to him, and most importantly, why it is important to our community. WHUR is more than just a radio station. It is community of people continuously striving to improve the lives of other people.
As I engaged in this research process, I was welcomed at WHUR with open arms and treated as “family” by everyone with whom I had the privilege to co-creating knowledge for the study. It has been an honor to conduct my dissertation research on an organization that is meaningful to my community and me. I leave this study with a fuller appreciation for all that WHUR is and the people who make it possible. I have been profoundly affected by this experience, and for that I am truly grateful.
“It’s more than you. It is more than me. No matter what we are, we are a family” (Eyen
& Krieger, 1982, Track 5)
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Appendix A WHUR-FM Listener Recruitment Announcement
[Date] Attention Listeners of WHUR-FM 96.3!
Are you a frequent listener of WHUR? Have you been a listener of WHUR for 12 months or longer? If so, you are invited to participate in a research study on WHUR that I am conducting for my doctoral dissertation.
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. Specifically, the study will focus on how listeners are affected by the programming and community activities of WHUR. The main research question guiding this study is:
What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
Participation in the study involves a 60- to 75-minute interview with a possible 15- minute follow-up discussion at a later date. Interviews can be conducted in person or by phone/video chat. Interviews will be audio recorded if you choose to consent.
This study is being conducted by: Dr. Neal Chalofsky and Antoinette Jenkins, Doctoral Candidate, The George Washington University, IRB #041301
If you would like to participate in this study please contact: Antoinette Jenkins [Email] [Phone]
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Appendix B WHUR-FM Founder Interview Protocol
Time of interview: Date: Place: Interviewer: Participant: Position of participant:
(Briefly describe the project.)
Research Question: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
1. Warm-Up: Background a) What was your role at WHUR? b) How long were you an employee of WHUR? c) What prompted your decision to leave WHUR?
2. Understanding/Perceptions of Organizational Culture a) What was the founding mission of WHUR? b) How did WHUR pursue its mission? c) How would you describe the founding values of WHUR? d) How did you experience those values?
3. Understanding/Perceptions of Social Impact a) How did WHUR impact its listeners? b) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? c) What is your idea of a positive impact that a radio station can make?
4. Concluding Questions a) Do you have anything you would like to add? b) Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think is important for me to know? c) Is there anything that you thought about telling me, but didn’t? d) Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? e) Can you tell me how this interview experience was for you?
(Thank the individual for participating in this interview. Assure him or her of confidentiality of responses and potential future interviews.)
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Appendix C WHUR-FM Leader Interview Protocol
Time of interview: Date: Place: Interviewer: Participant: Position of participant:
(Briefly describe the project.)
Research Question: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
1. Warm-Up: Background a) What is your role at WHUR? b) How long have you been an employee of WHUR? c) What has kept you at WHUR?
2. Understanding/Perceptions of Organizational Culture a) What is the mission of WHUR? b) How does WHUR pursue its mission? c) How would you describe the values of WHUR? d) How do you experience those values?
3. Understanding/Perceptions of Social Impact a) How does WHUR impact its listeners? b) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? c) What is your idea of a positive impact that a radio station can make?
4. Concluding Questions a) Do you have anything you would like to add? b) Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think is important for me to know? c) Is there anything that you thought about telling me, but didn’t? d) Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? e) Can you tell me how this interview experience was for you?
(Thank the individual for participating in this interview. Assure him or her of confidentiality of responses and potential future interviews.)
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Appendix D WHUR-FM Employee Interview Protocol
Time of interview: Date: Place: Interviewer: Participant: Position of participant:
(Briefly describe the project.)
Research Question: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
1. Warm-Up: Background a) What is (was) your role at WHUR? b) How long have you been an employee of WHUR? (How long were you an employee of WHUR?) c) What has kept you at WHUR? (What prompted your decision to leave WHUR?)
2. Understanding/Perceptions of Organizational Culture a) What is the mission of WHUR? b) How does WHUR pursue its mission? c) How would you describe the values of WHUR? d) How do you experience those values?
3. Understanding/Perceptions of Social Impact a) How does WHUR impact its listeners? b) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? c) What is your idea of a positive impact that a radio station can make?
4. Concluding Questions a) Do you have anything you would like to add? b) Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think is important for me to know? c) Is there anything that you thought about telling me, but didn’t? d) Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? e) Can you tell me how this interview experience was for you?
(Thank the individual for participating in this interview. Assure him or her of confidentiality of responses and potential future interviews.)
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Appendix E WHUR-FM Listener Interview Protocol
Time of interview: Date: Place: Interviewer: Participant: Position of participant:
(Briefly describe the project.)
Research Question: What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
1. Warm-Up: Background a) What is your profession? b) How long have you been a listener of WHUR? c) How often do you listen to WHUR? d) Why do you listen to WHUR?
2. Understanding/Perceptions of Social Impact a) How do you feel when you listen to WHUR? b) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? c) How does WHUR impact your life? d) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? e) How does WHUR impact your community? f) Can you tell me about a time when you experienced this? g) What is your idea of a positive impact that a radio station can make?
3. Concluding Questions a) Do you have anything you would like to add? b) Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think is important for me to know? c) Is there anything that you thought about telling me, but didn’t? d) Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me? e) Can you tell me how this interview experience was for you?
(Thank the individual for participating in this interview. Assure him or her of confidentiality of responses and potential future interviews.)
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Appendix F Informed Consent Information Sheet
An Exploration of the Relationship Between a Black-Owned Radio Station’s Organizational Culture and its Social Impact
IRB # 041301
Principal Investigator: Neal Chalofsky, EdD, [Phone] Graduate Research Student: Antoinette Carter Jenkins, MBA, SPHR, [Phone]
INTRODUCTION
You are invited to participate in a research study being conducted by Antoinette Jenkins under the direction of Dr. Neal Chalofsky of the Department of Human and Organizational Learning in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at The George Washington University.
First, we want you to know that participating in this research is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to participate, or you may withdraw from this study at any time. You will receive no direct benefit from participating in this study. This research may give us knowledge about how the culture of an organization relates to its impact on society. Before you decide to participate, please take as much time as you need to ask any questions and discuss this study with colleagues, family, or friends.
If you are an employee of WHUR-FM, your employment status will not, in any way, be affected should you choose not to participate or if you withdraw your participation at any time.
You must be at least 18 years or older to participate in this study.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
You are being asked to participate in this study because you have told us that you are either an employee or current listener of WHUR-FM and have been for 12 months or longer.
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact. The main research question guiding this study is: • What is the relationship between a Black-owned radio station’s organizational culture and its social impact?
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In addition, the following three exploratory questions will help answer the main question and fulfill the purpose of the study: 1. How is the stated mission of the radio station consistent with its social impact? 2. How are the artifacts, symbols, assumptions, and espoused and enacted organizational values of the radio station consistent with its social impact? 3. How do listeners of the radio station experience its impact?
The research will be conducted through an interview with you either at a facility convenient for you or via telephone/video chat in whichever manner and location will provide a quiet, comfortable place for you. A minimum of 12 participants will be interviewed for this study, although more may be included.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THIS STUDY?
The total amount of time you will spend in this study is between 60-90 minutes. Approximately 60-75 minutes of that time will be spent in the interview. An additional 15 minutes of time may be spent in follow-up by phone or e-mail to discuss findings and questions with you. The follow-up contact would be within two months of your interview.
If you choose to participate in this study, this is what will happen:
The Interview: • You will participate in a 60- to 75-minute interview about your experience either as an employee or listener of WHUR-FM. • The interview will be audio-recorded only with your permission. You will be asked again at the time of the interview to give your verbal permission to participate in the study and to be recorded. Your permission will be recorded in response to the statement “Please state ‘yes’ if you are comfortable with this interview being audio recorded.” If you do not feel comfortable with the interview being recorded, the interviewer will take notes during the interview. • You may choose not to identify yourself by name during the interview. If you choose not to identify yourself by name, you will be asked to provide a pseudonym of your choice at the time of the interview to remove any identification of your voice with your name. • The recordings will be kept in a locked place by the principal investigator and will be destroyed after the end of the study.
The Follow-Up: • Not everyone will be contacted for a follow-up conversation. • It is estimated that follow-up conversations will take no more than 15 minutes of your time.
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• You may choose whether you would like to be contacted by telephone or by e- mail for follow-up. • The purpose of the follow-up contact is to discuss aspects of your interview with you or general findings after conducting several other interviews. • If you do not wish to have any follow-up contact, just let the researcher know and you will not be contacted.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE STUDY?
The study has the following risks:
Given the nature of the interview questions, it is not likely that you will feel any stress or discomfort during the interview. You are free to skip any questions or stop the interview at any point.
There is a small chance that someone not on our research team could find out that you took part in the study or somehow connect your name with the information we collect about you, however the following steps are being taken to reduce that risk. • As described above, a pseudonym will be used in the interview and interview transcript if you choose not to identify yourself by name. A hard copy only (no computer file) key linking your name and the pseudonym as well as the recordings will be locked in a secure location separate from the research materials (transcriptions, data encoding, and analysis). • All computers and software used for the project will be password protected. • When results of this research study are reported in journals or at scientific meetings, the people who participate are not named or identified. Direct quotes may be published from the research and if so, the quotes will be cited with the participant's title or chosen pseudonym. • GW will not release any information about your research involvement without your written permission, unless required by law. • At the end of the project all material with identifiable data will be destroyed.
ARE THERE BENEFITS TO PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY?
The benefit to science and humankind that might result from this study is an increased understanding of how the culture of an organization relates to its impact on society.
WHAT ARE MY OTHER OPTIONS?
You do not have to participate in this study if you do not want to.
WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND?
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You may stop participating in the study at any time.
WILL I RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR BEING IN THIS STUDY?
You will not be paid for participating in this study.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS STUDY?
Participating in this study will not lead to added costs for you other than the use of your time.
QUESTIONS
Talk to the research team if you have questions, comments, or concerns about this study. You may also contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Neal Chalofsky, at [Phone]. If you have questions regarding your rights as a participant in human research, you may call the GWU Office of Human Research at [Phone].
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