Radio Legend Bob Law: Pioneer in Black Talk Radio Speaks Out

Fern Gillespie
For over 50 years, legendary broadcaster Bob Law has had a strong voice in Black radio. In 1981, he took Black talk radio national as the host and producer of National Black Network’s “Night Talk with Bob Law.” Until recently, his voice continued on WBAI’s “From The Streets with Bob Law.” He took a hiatus after a stroke.

Then, last year, he lost his wife Muntu Law, who headed Brooklyn’s popular Namaskar Health. The radio vet has produced a powerful YouTube documentary “Saying It Loud: Radio Giving Voice To Black America” that vividly explores the history of Black radio and how current white radio consultants made Black radio more generic. Now, with a strong voice, he’s preparing for a podcast comeback with “Bob Law Now.” It will be online later this year with guest Maulana Karenga. Our Time Press celebrated Black History Month with Bob Law, history-maker.

In 1981, National Black Network made radio history. It launched “Night Talk with Bob Law” with you as the host and executive producer of the first live nationally broadcast Black radio talk show in the country. What impact did “Night Talk” have?
They used to call it the “Night Talk Family.” “Night Talk” became like a national organization. I was able to do things with the show. Talk as an activist. In addition to all the people that I met in the entertainment industry, at the same time I met many political leaders. It was “Night Talk” that started the campaign “Run Jesse Run” in 1984. Jesse Jackson came on the show every Tuesday night and we started talking about that on the air. Run Jesse Run. It helped launch Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1984. “Night Talk” was a major factor in that presidential campaign.

We had the Respect Yourself Youth Choir. The choir traveled to various cities around the country with me. I was not a choir director. “Night Talk” was respected by people around the country as more than a radio talk show. It had a much more significant place in the leadership roles in the Black community. “Night Talk” was respected as a national Black organization.

When you reflect on the impact of “Night Talk” showing that Black talk radio would interest Black audiences nationally, what do you think about the current popular syndicated Black talk radio shows like Steve Harvey, Charlamagne tha God and D.L. Hughley?
Particularly personalities like Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley, they are nowhere near politically conscious as “Night Talk.” Charlamagne tha God deals with some issues from time to time that are relevant and significant. He has interviewed Claude Anderson for instance. On “Night Talk,” I talked with Claude Anderson a number of times. I talked with Minister Louis Farrakhan a number of times. But for the most part, those other guys don’t ever do anything like that.

During the 1960s, you were involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Why was SNCC instrumental in your work as a community activist?
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a major factor for me as an activist. Some of the people that came out of SNCC at that time there were H. Rap Brown, Bob Moses, and George Ware who was the deputy chairman. It is where John Lewis came from, but he was not one of the cutting-edge people of SNCC. SNCC launched the antiwar movement. SNCC was the group that said: “Hell no we won’t go.” SNCC pushed Martin Luther King Jr to take a position on the war in Vietnam.

SNCC doesn’t get the credit for what it actually did. SNCC began as a Black and White organization. It was an integrationist organization. But it became more of a Black Power initiative. It was more about self-determination. The voice that motivated us at that time was Malcolm X. SNCC moved away from its integrationist posture. SNCC became more involved in the Black Power Movement. That’s where Kathleen Cleaver and Eldridge Cleaver came from. Where Stokely Carmichael became Kwame Toure. SNCC became more supportive of the Black Panther Party.

When you became involved in community affairs in 1970s at WWRL Radio, did you bring that progressive activism to your talk shows?
When I came to WWRL, I was a community organizer and an activist. I met a brother named Bernie McCain. He was doing the most popular Black talk show in the city on WWRL. It was called “Tell It Like It Is.” Then WABC-TV picked the title and appropriated “Like It Is” for Gil Noble. When Bernie McCain was promoted and moved to the West Coast, WWRL’s general manager asked me if I would be willing to work with the radio station. As Public Affairs Director, I hosted “Black Dialogue.” I was still engaged in marches in the street.

When you were promoted to Program Director of WWRL, the station had legendary radio personalities. What was that like?
The people at WWRL were considered the “Dream Team.” All under one roof, there were the finest radio personalities in the country. There was Hank Spann, Gerry Bledsoe, Gary Byrd, Bobby Jay and Jeff Troy. The only radio legend that was not there at that time was Frankie Crocker. When Crocker went to WBLS, he came there as a star from WWRL. But, Black radio lost the creative Black personalities when Black radio managers started hiring White consultants.

What radio shows are you currently listening to?
I listen to Sirius radio. I listen to the Smokey Robinson Show. I listen to the old-time radio shows like Lone Ranger. You can hear good Black music on the Sinatra Channel. There’s Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Mathis, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Back in the day, when Frankie Crocker was programming WBLS, he would play them. On WBLS you would not hear them today.

For many years, you hosted a popular talk show on WBAI. A few years ago, you stopped for health reasons. If you were still doing your radio talk show, how would you be handling this new Trump administration?
Trump is a fascist and a totalitarian. I would have to deal with the contradictions. Like him talking about getting rid of diversity. That diversity is not fair to White people. It’s because White people have benefited from special privilege all their lives. Black people believe that education is a way of moving forward. The Proud Boys, they don’t want an education. They want to stay ignorant and still have privileges based on being White.