There are a lot of people who have known me for decades.
And then there are people who are just now finding their way to my writing — people who don’t really know me yet.
What both groups are discovering is that I’ve always had a certain way of looking at radio.
I’ve had great conversations my whole life, but I’ve never been in a rush to explain myself. I’ve been carrying what I know quietly for decades — about the radio industry, about communication, about people. About a business I truly love.
But I am very intentional now about how I participate in it.
I’m writing this for the young man or woman who wants a career in the media arts.
My passion has always been audio.
Radio.
Podcasting.
Communication with other human beings — with clarity and intention.
What I want to do is help shorten the time it takes for you to move through certain stages — especially that stage where you’re being performative instead of being real. Where you’re creating a mock personality instead of becoming a genuine communicator.
I want to help you get to a place where you’re a powerhouse communicator — someone who is unapologetic in expressing their true self, not a diluted version of themselves based on who’s in the room and what they think that person might give them.
That is not what BlackRadioTalent.com is about.
We are here to develop fearless broadcasters in all genres.
God has already made us free.
The technology is here now. You can talk to the world through audio podcasting, videocasting, and the written word — just like I’m doing right now.
What we have to be set free from are our limited beliefs about ourselves in this industry.
This is the role I’ve chosen to play.
I’ve been striving to be independent since 2014 — when I walked away from corporate radio. Every day since then, I wake up and do what I want to do with my talent.
I’ve always wanted to use my gifts on my own terms.
Could I work with a corporate entity?
Sure — if they could work with me as an independent operator.
That’s just clarity.
Some of my close radio friends may be saying, “BJ is shooting himself in the foot by being this truthful.”
But if that were the case, I wouldn’t be writing this way if I were looking for a job.
I already have one.
I made one.
What I had to go through to get here is irreplaceable. And I would never give up my sovereignty in exchange for a 9–5.
I’m not putting anyone down.
I’m simply expressing my freedom. I paid a price to speak like I do.
Some people may never want to do what I’ve done — and that’s fine. But for the ones who do, you feel exactly where I’m coming from.
Something shifted in me back in 2002.
I remember the day clearly. I left the studio in Charlotte while the morning show was still going, walked out, got in my truck, and drove straight down I-77 to Columbia, South Carolina. I pulled up to the Marriott, walked into the lobby, and sat down, and just looked around. Just sitting there thinking.
I was frustrated with myself. It's like I just wanted to be free at that moment.
Terri Avery, my PD at the time, called me and said, “Let’s talk.”
She could have fired me for pulling a stunt like that.
But a pivot was taking place in my life.
That pivot eventually led me to 2014.
To this day, I wish I sincerely apologize to Lyn Hill, who hired me at WQMG in Greensboro NC after a long-vacant position following the passing of Alvin Stowe in 2012. She took a gamble and hired me to replace him.
I was hired to do afternoons. I stayed only six months. That was not a good look for me to do that, but it had to be done. She was looking out for me, cause I needed a job, and we had worked together before at The Big DM in Columbia in the late 80's.
But one day she said to me "what's wrong". I had to be honest and say, “This isn’t what I want to do.” She understood.
I thought it was — but the truth was, I had already been moving independently in my career from 2010 to 2014 prior to her hiring me. There was no going back. I could no longer romanticize the career I had before. My soul was telling me, it's time to take that walk to be a Free Black Man.
Everybody’s journey is different. You're gonna have to go through something to be free and independent. You will lose friends along the way that don't understand why you are doing this.
You will not interact with people in the business like you use to cause they can't figure you out any more.
So at 60 years old, I am still striving to create my ideal lifestyle while being involved in the business that I love. That is a choice I made — and I own all of it. On my terms.
We’ve all heard that radio is a business of constant change. And it certainly is.
The universe is open.
That’s why BlackRadioTalent.com exists.
It’s about personal freedom of expression. It’s about remembering why we got into Black radio in the first place — our origins.
Love at first sight.
We’re still fighting for that love, just in our own way now.
I wanted you to know where this is coming from.
It’s not bitterness.
It’s love.
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