Black History: Jack L. Cooper
- Inspiration Quotes, People, Quote of day, Thoughts
- February 2, 2021
Black history fact (for 2/2):
Jack L. Cooper (1889-) was a Black radio pioneer and ventriloquist. He used the comedy routine he emulated to claim that he was “the first 4 negroes on radio”. In 1927, he originated a community news broadcast in Chicago about black Americans called, “The Negro Hour”. It was a pioneering achievement that set precedents in black radio history. He was the only broadcaster who played popular black music on race labels. He gathered news from black publications to develop the first regular black newscast. He created a missing person’s bureau to help black migrants locate relatives who had moved to Chicago. By 1949, he owned his own broadcast studio and advertising agency and had become a millionaire.
