Warren Ballentine off the air in Atlanta!

 Attorney Warren Ballentine

Warren Ballentine is off the air in Atlanta! All to often Black people will holla “it’s white male supremacy” that’s the cause of so many ills in the Black collective (Black community for some of you.) It’s in deed a fact that white supremacy has and is playing a role in the downpression of melaninated humans across the globe. And, it’s an accepted truth that the acceptance of Eurocentric culture has and is playing a negative role in the downpression of Black people across the globe, yet we have to examine our own collusion with white supremacy that aides in the downpression of Black people.

 In this particular case the culprit is Catherine L. Hughes owner of Radio One. Cathy Hughes has allowed the management at Grown Folks Radio 102.5 FM, Atlanta to remove Warren Ballentine and Rev. Al Sharpton from the air waves. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a mourning fan of Mr. Ballentine or Rev. Sharpton, but I mourn the loss of some semblance of balance on radio. Some semblance of Maat. So , I say what a travesty. What a travesty to remove nationally syndicated Black talk radio from the air waves. What a travesty to remove two voices, whether you agreed with, liked, disliked, want to cuss out, or whatever you may feel for these men, to be gone from the city of Atlanta. Its a travesty. So why did they do this?

 “We respond to what the people want” is the normal song radio station management sings when suddenly removing programming that positively impacts the Black collective from the air waves. In a December PPM (Portable People Monitor) 1,946 people carried the monitor. The ethnic groups carrying the monitor broke out with 623 Blacks, 158 Latino and 1,165 listed as “other”. Now these ratings are based on audience estimates and are only the OPINION of Arbitron and can’t be relied upon for precise accuracy and precise demographic of terrestrial radio programming.

 I wondered how the “other” group affected the research and how they were perceived by PPM. In recent years there’s been an increase of people of color, that we in the United States would consider part of the Black collective, recording themselves as “other” (a subject I will cover in the coming weeks.) Considering this new phenomenon, was the data manipulated to prove the Black group was not in sufficient enough numbers to maintain Warren Ballentine and Rev. Sharpton on the air in Atlanta?  In this case, is the data really reflective of the reality?

 What other motive would Grown Folks Radio have to remove Attorney Ballentine from the air? It’s the enemy within that is the demon now. White supremacy is strong and fully at work, yet white supremacy is an enemy from without. The worst enemy is when the body attacks itself, the internal cancer.

We are entering into an age of knowing, knowing that we personally and collectively have to re-enter the womb of selfless mind and cleanse from the inside out. Atlanta is a huge African American radio market and Black owned radio stations remove a balance to the buffoonery that continues through the other comedic host in Steve Harvey, selling his brand of religion “Steve Harvey got a morning show….if it wasn’t for God…” and Michael Baisden, you know what kind of clowning that show pushes, will remain on the air in Atlanta. Black owned and operated so called Grown Folks Radio chooses this over real grown folk radio.

 The enemy within is the worst enemy. All to often we fall under the ignorant spell that Black people with authority and power are going to “look out for our best interest” and do the best for the Black collective. Not so! The cleansing has to come from within, each and everyone of us has to begin internal cleasing on an individual effort. Cleansing our minds, bodies, thoughts and beliefs. The dumbing down of Black America comes not only by the hand of the oppressor, but also by the hand of the Black collective itself.

Comments

[Fred Jaxkson]

Here in Atlanta there's a new meneance in our presences
which is really an old one in a new suit.

"It's called The Dumming Down Sydrome".

This past Monday, Feb 16th 2009 The Radio One Network
allowed Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton to be removed from
the airwaves in Atlanta, GA.
We were told "because the ratings were low that's the reason
why these two shows were removed from the air waves.

The new way the establshment came up with this trick was very easy.
They used a new device which works in real time on what radio
stations are being listen to at any given moment of the day.
Which is called a Portable People Monitor (PPM) in which 1946 people
were given these devices in Atlanta.

Out of this number 623 were Black, 158 Hispanic
and 1165 were Ahem (Other) go figure.

If you don't live in Atlanta, GA or have visited the Atl for any length
of time there are a few things that comes to mind.

1.) As of Jan 1st 2008 Atlanta, GA has over One million people living
there with an estimated 30,000 people moving to Atlanta, GA every month.

2.) Less than 2% of the population of Atlanta decided what radio
programs stayed and which ones left.

3.) If it had not been for Warren Ballentine and Rev Al Sharpton
we would have never known about the Jena 6 in Jena, LA.
We would have never heard of Jernaldo Wilson from Douglassville, GA
which is less than 50 miles for me.
Or Shaun Bell from NYC, NY and the list goes on and on and on.

So, please join me as I step out to help give a voice to the voiceless,
to help a brother or sister stand up or help me defend the weak and the
down trotten.

Please remember:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Martin Luther King, Jr.



Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that they oppress, because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power. You will take it.
John Henrik Clarke

[Cecelia]

Yes, Thanks Quentin. If it's only an hour of Warren, I'll still listen. I loved all the line-up on 102.5 and was an avid listener. While driving to work in the AM, I would listen to Harvey and while driving home I would listen to Baisden. Ballantine and Sharpton, I would have to listen to their shows when I was not working, and only when going to lunch or to a meeting. You see, the signal for 102.5 is not as strong as 107.3 FM or 750 AM, in most offices. On a very muggy or rainy day in Atlanta, the signal would be crossed with a country radio station. How cheap! If they had just increased their radio signal, I would have definitely listen to Ballantine and Sharpton more often. I certainly never missed a broadcast during the heated election. Cathy Hughes was wrong; if I wanted to listen to music all day, I would bring my ipod to work.

[[Victor Amenta]]

Hi Cecelia, Thanks for by. All here is a link to Ballentine on a Charlotte, NC station same hours as here in the ATL 10 am to 1 pm. In case you want to or are able to pull the show up on the internet.



http://www.q927fm.com/home.asp

[[Victor Amenta]]

Fred thank you for the information as it is helpful to know the tricks. Ballentine, Sharpton and Baisden all assisted in getting the word out on those cases, which is really a testament to the Black blogsphere where they learned of the story. I cannot impress it upon our people enough that the Black blogsphere is a very powerful tool.

Love the quotes especially, John Henrik Clark.

[Everythingrosey]

I was disappointed, when I heard the show was being remove from Atlanta, but I can pick up Al Sharpton on 1380 I'm not sure if Warren is included with this line up. I do believe that this is similar to other leader in the past, which includes Christ and Dr. Martin Luther King...Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter.The testing comes, because the seed has been planted, if we produce fruit from the knowledge...we will continue to eat AND plant seed to continue to have a Harvest..Not Crop failure! Its up to Us as a individuals to go from milk to Meat.