‘The Black voice of Sacramento’: How KDEE brings a new sound to community radio
Out of the hundreds of radio stations in California, only two are Black-owned. And one of those is broadcast right here in the capital city.
Operated by the California Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Sacramento’s KDEE-FM 97.5 has been a pillar of the community for more than 15 years, operating as a low-power FM station.
The station established itself as one of the best outlets to reach the city’s Black residents while producing some of the best programs — from music to talk shows — on the airwaves.
The other Black-owned radio station is KJLH in Los Angeles, which is operated by Taxi Productions, a company owned by Stevie Wonder.
LPFM radio stations are nonprofit or non-commercial and create a space “to create opportunities for more voices to be heard on the radio,” according to the Federal Communications Commission.
KDEE was the vision of the late-Aubry Stone. He recognized the need for a radio station “dedicated to economic empowerment” of Black communities in Sacramento.
That’s what the call letters at KDEE stand for — “Dedicated to Economic Empowerment” — and that’s what the station represents.
It’s a sacred space for insightful conversation, to share fruitful information. It’s a place the people can call in to speak their truths.
“The station had to have relevance,” said Stone, in a 2004 interview with The Sacramento Bee. “It had to have unfiltered information and really be a station that would enhance the community.”
Humble beginnings, playing catch-up
KDEE has served as the radio voice for Sacramento’s Black community since 2004, when the station was still recognized by its former frequency, 97.7 FM.
It was the dawn of the digital age and there was a decline of CDs. A six-disc or 12-disc CD changer in the studio wasn’t going to keep up with MP3 players, iPods, and listeners’ capability to download their favorite jam. KDEE had out of date equipment and like every other radio station in the industry — had to make adjustments.
One of their first objectives was to employ a hungry Tristen Mayes, who saw the same vision for success as Stone did. Mayes was a charismatic, smooth-speaking, radio talent who was highly knowledgeable in music and how radio was supposed to sound.
Mayes came in and immediately shook things up. He changed the programming to provide what Sacramento and the KDEE broadcast were missing.
“I took the gig and started just fixing one thing at a time,” said Mayes. “Software system, rotation system, automation system, putting in music. Fixing the antenna, moving the antenna.”
Mayes left KDEE in 2007 but continued to keep his ears to the soundwaves and would call in everyday, giving advice to the new team in charge of programming.
In 2008, a conversation about “grown folks music” with KDEE general manager Marvell Reed led to Mayes’ return to the station and the partnership would define the future of the station.
The two men had immediate chemistry. Mayes had the understanding of how radio should sound and Reed set the vision for community engagement. It made them the perfect dynamic duo and together they would redefine the algorithm of KDEE, Sacramento’s only Black community radio station.
Engagement and empowerment for the people
From 2008 to 2015, the two men crafted an identity for the radio station. In addition to playing good music, they kept their listeners engaged with on-air personalities that discussed real estate, financial literacy, community news, and the culture of Black Sacramento.
In between music segments, they began informational programming such as The Smooth Vibe with Leon Guidry and The Lee Perkins Show.
“We can deliver great music, great music programming,” said Reed on the importance of creating space for uplifting through conversation. “In order to have this great music you have to have this talk. Eventually the community didn’t see it as a distraction, it turned into an attraction.”
Throughout the seven-year period, the station saw steady growth and its recognition around town became more noticeable. KDEE was expanding its audience and needed to expand its reach to prevent its signal from being interrupted by other radio channels.
In 2011, KDEE transitioned from 97.7 FM to 97.5 FM and changed its frequency to a stronger signal after being cleared by the FCC.
Despite the stations growth, there was still an element that was missing.
Reed would soon discover the missing piece: bringing in respected community figures to be on air personalities and speak directly to the people.
“The one thing that I was missing was a person who had a connection and had a voice that could connect to the community directly,” said Reed. “(someone) who was willing to be an advocate on behalf of the station to connect with the community”
Reed searched and found Jay King, who joined KDEE in 2015.
King, known for being outspoken and radical, began his talk show, “Traffic Jamz” in 2015.
King grew up in Del Paso Heights and went on to become a successful businessman and music icon, winning a Grammy with his 1990s R&B group, Club Nouveau.
“I think I built a strong listening audience because I was brave and bold enough to be honest,” said on-air personality, King. “These are folks I grew up with, this is my neighborhood. I’m not better than any of you all, but damn, don’t we have to be better than we were?”
King shared a similar vision with Stone for economic development and financial literacy in the Black community. This positioned King to assume the position of president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce in 2019 after Stone passed away.
As the station continued forward, they focused on ways to stimulate the community through knowledge, information, and by being the bridge for important conversations for Black communities and the city.
Their purpose: to focus on building a better Sacramento than the one they knew.
Community presence and influence
KDEE practices just that by giving the community a platform to call in and join the conversation and by covering local stories both large and small.
At KDEE, Black voice matters.
“I don’t believe we’re anti-white, it’s a station for the community, ” said Reed. “Community could be Black, Latino, white, Asian, it doesn’t matter. We’re just a voice for the community that’s unapologetically Black.”
As that voice, the radio station is known to be a proud supporter of Black-owned businesses and is willing to advertise those that inquire.
One of their longest tenured sponsors is Tori’s Place.
The restaurant opened in 2012 and since been advertised on KDEE. Victoria Haggins, owner of Tori’s Place, recalled the first time she met King how he instantly became one of her biggest supporters.
“He gives out great information concerning the food and he gets people there,” said Haggins about the support garnished by KDEE and King. “It’s really good to have a Black-owned radio station. It’s a wonderful station.”
Another one is a family-owned restaurant, Colo’s Soul Food and Seafood, located at 2326 Del Paso Blvd.
Head chef Kevin McCree and his family opened under the original name, Cora Lorraine’s Soul To Go, in 2014. Knowing traditional media outlets were likely to not advertise his business or have the audience his food would attract, McCree discovered KDEE and the relationship began.
“KDEE is very vital to the Black community and is the heartbeat of Sacramento,” said McCree. “Moving our family from Oakland to Sacramento was initially a hard transition until I heard about KDEE and the opportunity they bring.”
When they changed their name to Colo’s Soul Food and Seafood in 2019, they knew who they could depend on to get the word out. KDEE on-air hosts such as King, Thaxter Arterberry, Keisha “Agent Kee” Matthews and Lady Charmaine have been instrumental in promoting the business.
McCree is thankful for the KDEE family for the support that they have given over the years, saying that business has picked up since they began running the advertisement.
Savvy House Coffee Bar owner Jamaar Anderson had been promoting his events on his business’s Instagram account, when he was informed that a Black History Month event he was hosting was advertised on KDEE.
“It’s humbling. It’s really amazing. It’s a lot to take in. On one hand it’s like the power of our people and what we can do when we do work together, when we do empower each other and ourselves,” said Anderson. “It’s a blessing. I hope they know it doesn’t go unnoticed, it’s appreciated.”
In preparation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. caravan parade last month, KDEE played a pivotal role in advertising and drawing traffic for the celebration that attracted crowds of hundreds.
It’s the same platform that the African Marketplace has utilized to draw traffic to Florin Square every first and third Saturday of the month, dating back to 2015.
The station unconditionally supports the talent in Sacramento and their career endeavors. Not just business owners and community organizations, but also people who might have aspirations for a career in media.
Kenny Carraway, better known as “KC”, is a former on-air personality at KDEE where he hosted a sports show. He initially got his start in March 2018. KDEE served as his first on-air gig and ultimately helped launch his career by allowing his own sports radio talk show called “KC’s Corner.”
“It was a platform that allowed other people to know I existed to be frank,” said Carraway. “I had the opportunity to host, be in control, and be creative of my own show. That’s what I love about KDEE. They believed in me, they knew I had a vision.”
As a tough industry to break into, there’s not a lot of radio stations out there that’ll do what KDEE did for Carraway.
Carraway now co-hosts a daily afternoon sports show on KIFM-AM, ESPN 1320, called “D-Lo and KC” every Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. KDEE continues to play his podcasts every Friday from 1 to 2 p.m.
No station like it and it’s still growing
KDEE continues to follow its own lane and sticks to the methodical programming that has kept it in business and allowed it to grow as an operation.
They are the embodiment of community radio in every sense of the phrase.
Owned, operated and more importantly influenced by the community in which it serves, KDEE remains true to its audience.
“We’ve become the hub, we are the voice, the Black voice of Sacramento,” said Reed.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
