KGOU/KROU is celebrating Black History Month with a series of six radio specials to air throughout the month of February.

The series will be aired at 10 a.m. Sundays and at 7 p.m. Mondays this month.

Jim Johnson, operations manager for KGOU/KROU, said each of the series are independently produced programs which the station picked up from satellites. These programs were picked up in January, he said.

The first program, Radio Fights Jim Crow, aired last Sunday at 10 p.m. This program touched upon how the radio was used during civil rights era to change the attitude of America toward African Americans. This program was followed by Gee's Bend: Song From Beyond the River which aired Monday at 7 p.m. It consisted of sound bytes recorded by Robert Sonkin, who worked with the Library of Congress. The show told the story of an isolated black farming community whose peace was disrupted when new rules for the community were established.

Jennifer Lynn, membership services director of KGOU/KROU, said the station wanted to commemorate the month by educating the public about the history and culture of African Americans.

"We hoped to educate the public about civil rights," she said. "We wanted them to see how things have not always been equal. These are the things that need to be in our social conscious."

Karen Holp, general manager for KGOU/KROU, said a special program such as this one has been aired all of the 12 years she has been working at the station.

"Every year we find new stories to tell," Holp said. "There are always untold stories to tell. Our job is to find those stories and get them on the radio for the public to know about."

Holp said over the years the station has had an outstanding response to the Black History Month Special. Listeners enjoy getting glimpses of information they have never heard before, she said.

Johnson said the goal of KGOU/KROU is to serve the community in a variety of different ways with programs that enlighten their listeners of the historical and cultural events that are going on around the world.

"As far as our goals it (the Black History Month Specials) falls right in line with them," he said.

Holp said the Black History Month series is one of their specials, but they air these kinds of programs daily.


For more information, go to www.kgou.org.
hello there & you too