The All-Negro Hour

Early American radio broadcasting consisted of white-run and owned stations catering to audiences that were predominately white. Black representation existed minimally throughout programming and ceased to exist within spaces of ownership and management in radio broadcasting.[1] This was due to the institutionalized racism that continually discouraged any black individuals from being able to invest in radio or purchase air time.[4] In the 1920s, networks began to incorporate sponsored programming on the air for black audiences, but comedy radio shows consisted almost entirely of minstrelsy - the act of white performers stereotyping black culture through a variety of different racist acts.[5]

Jack L. Cooper started his career in a well-loved African American vaudeville before becoming a journalist for black newspapers across the country.[2] Eventually he became an assistant theater editor at the Chicago Defender where he wrote his own weekly column titled “Coop’s Chatter."[2] This position allowed him an opportunity with WCAP in Washington D.C. where he was hired on a radio show as a black writer and performer.[2] The show was produced for white audiences and required Cooper to participate in scriptwriting and acting that specifically stereotyped African American culture through minstrel-style performances as this was considered to be of public interest at the time.[2] It was because of this show that Cooper made the move back to Chicago where he connected with Joseph Silverstein who was the owner of WSBC, an “ethnic appeal” radio.[6] The idea was to create The All-Negro Hour, a radio program specifically for black audiences by black creators and performers.[2] Silverstein was the only station owner that took interest in his show and agreed to air it on November 3, 1929.[2] The show featured exclusively black guests, performers, actors, musicians, and comedians.[6] With the creation of The All-Negro Hour, Cooper set the stage for black radio, referring to himself as one of the "first four Negroes in radio."[7]

Cooper created The All-Negro Hour with the black community in mind as American broadcast radio programming in the 1920s looked to entertain a predominantly white audience.[8] The show consisted of comedy skits, musical numbers, and serial dramas.[1] Featuring many popular guests who participated in live performances of skits or music, The All-Negro Hour gained much success.[9] Although much of the content was comedic, there were segments of religion that Cooper featured such as live broadcasts of Sunday black church services in the Chicago area.[6] In doing this, The All-Negro Hour audience expanded with support from the black clergy and their congregations.[6]

The format of The All-Negro Hour continued to change as other radio shows such as Amos 'n' Andy and Beulah began gaining popularity across the country.[6] Similar to the comedic strips in Amos ‘n’ Andy, Cooper created The All-Negro Hour: Luke and Timber and two other serial comedies in which he wrote, produced, and played a part in.[6] The comedic skits within the serials followed the same characters each week.[2] The content of the show was focused on communicating authentic black comedy through the writing of a black entertainer and through an exclusively black cast which was something that had yet to be seen on American broadcast radio.[6]

In 1932, Cooper expanded The All-Negro Hour to the disc-jockey format by playing prerecorded music on the air in place of live music.[10] Eventually, all live music and skits were replaced by pre-recorded tracks and Cooper became one of the first broadcasters to talk in between them, leaning into that of American DJing by adding his personality and voice into the content.[9]