Sharon Kay, the first woman to run 88 WFSK, is a local radio hero

By Barbara Womack

In l973 the Fisk University radio Station WFSK (formerly WRFN) became the first African American FM radio station in Nashville.

At that time, all the DJs and hosts were Fisk men until 2005 when then President Hazel O’Leary felt that there needed to be female representation at the radio station instead of an all male cast of characters. That female representative was Sharon Kay, who was hired as General Manager of Jazzy 88 WFSK that year.

Kay is an award winning veteran broadcaster who brought WFSK from a mediocre local college radio station to one that today is world renowned especially in the world of jazz and other genres of music.

Kay is also well known for being host of the popular radio talk show, “What’s the 411? with Sharon Kay,” which began in 2001 at 92Q Cumulus Media while working as a news anchor and talk show host.

“My show is one of the longest running talk shows in Nashville and is considered a staple among this city’s long-running talk programs.” Kay says. “My syndicated talk show has been part of the African American Public Radio Consortium which makes programming options available to public, community and HBCU stations.”

Kay has been a multi-award winning media professional for more than 40 years with stints in radio, television, newspaper, and web-based services. In 2016, she was given the Headliners & Heroes Award for Media Excellence from the Nashville Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalist.

“In 2015 I was honored as a Woman of Legend & Merit in Media by Tennessee State University and in 2009 I was named Nashville’s Best Radio Station General Manager at the 13th Annual Achievement in Radio Awards, making me the first African American to receive this award,’ she said.

Since arriving in Nashville from Topeka, Kansas in the mid-l980s, Kay has served as a news anchor and talk show host for WLAC Radio, and at 92Q Cumulus Media, as well as a weekend associate produce at WSMV and writer and photographer for several newspaper groups and conducted freelance writing assignments for several local newspapers.

Aside from being a mother and a grandmother, Kay has found time to serve on and chair numerous local, national and international boards and she has volunteered with dozens of organizations from feeding and clothing the homeless to raising donations for non-profit organizations.

“I have a long history of being a community advocate and my show is a reflection of my keen desire to keep the Nashville community informed not only about politics but about the best in music with a strong emphasis on jazz,” Kay says.

WFSK 88.1 FM is a gem in this community that has been elevated to one of the top radio stations in Nashville and among this nation’s HBCUs thanks to its General Manager Sharon Kay and her crew.

“WFSK has evolved from a ‘traditional college model’ of student led to today being community driven,” Kay said. “We need community support in order to continue to do what we do in this city and we want to continue to elevate this station and Fisk University nationally and internationally with the Nashville community as our driving force.”

Black History Facts

BY BARBARA WOMACK

1. The Freedom’s Journal, which advocated the abolition of slavery and attacked anti-Black sentiment, appeared on March 30, 1827, in New York, N.Y. It was the first Black Newspaper.

2. In 1952, the University of Tennessee admitted its first Black student.

3. The First edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published March 20, 1852.

4. Howard University was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1857. Howard has produced some of this nation’s most notable Blacks including Vice President Kamala Harris.

5. The first Black person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was Ralph Bunche in l950 for his efforts in the Middle East. Other Black people awarded the Nobel Prize include Dr. Martin Luther King and Bishop Desmond Tutu. 6. Sammy Davis, Jr. was the first Black entertainer to sleep in the White House.

7. James McCune Smith was the first Black person to obtain an M.D. Degree in 1837 from the University of Glasgow in Scotland as he was unable to pursue his educational goals in the United States.

8. In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives and she was the first woman to seek nomination as the Democrats’ presidential candidate in 1972.

9. In 1992, Ernest Jackson of Nashville was the first Black Pilot to fly the 747 Air Force One presidential plane as he delivered it to Andrews Air Force Base for use by then President George W. Bush. 10. Maya Angelou was the first Black inaugural poet at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993.

11. Ma “Gertrude” Rainey, of the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, was the first Black to sing the Blues in a professional show in 1902.

12. The first Black owned Hospital was Provident Hospital in Chicago. It was established by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in 1891.

13. Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature in l993.

14.Todd Duncan became the first Black to become a member of the New York City Opera by performing in an all White cast of Pagliacci.

15. Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald were the first Black man and woman to receive a Grammy Award in l958.

16. Hattie McDaniel was the first Black to win an Oscar for her role as “Mammy” in Gone With The Wind in 1940.

17. Jack Johnson was the first to win the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World in 1908.

18. The first Black slaves were brought to America in the 16th century and were mostly from West and Central Africa.

19. In 1881 the state of Tennessee passed the first Jim Crow law to require that railroads be segregated.

20. The first colony to legalize slavery, and to forbid use of “unjust violence” in the capture of slaves, was Massachusetts.

21. The Harambee House in Washington, D.C., was the first large hotel designed and built by Blacks in 1977. It is now owned by Howard University and operates as the Howard Inn.

22. In 1921 Bessie Coleman became the first African American female pilot and the first to have an International Aviation License.

23. Nat King Cole was the first African American to host a network Television program under his name in l956.

24. George Washington Carver became the first Black scientist memorialized by a federal monument in the United States. He produced more than 400 different products from the peanut to potatoes and pecans. Some of his creations are a dandruff cure, leather dyes, paint, pesticides, washing powder, glue and newsprint paper.

25. Stacey Abrams is nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her impactful work during the 2020 election in the State of Georgia. The Nobel Committee likened her actions to other winners as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Abrams’ efforts to complete King’s work are crucial if the United States of America shall succeed in its effort to create fraternity between all its people,” said Lars Haltbrekken of the Socialist Party of Norway’s Parliament. “Her work follows in Dr. King’s footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights.”