MEDIA
Talk to Him
Warren Ballentine is a Man on a Mission
By Lisa A. Monroe
However, as a new social activism emerges in Black communities across the country, radio is providing a forum for dialogue.
In 2006 African American-owned Syndication One radio network launched its news/talk format. The line-up featured veteran talk radio hosts Joe Madison, known as “the Black Eagle” and Rev. Al Sharpton’s show, Keeping It Real. Following that, in August 2007 Syndication One, which airs on 25 local news/talk stations, significantly expanded its reach by broadcasting its talk radio line-up on the XM Satellite radio network "The Power” Channel 169. The line-up included a relatively new addition, “The Warren Ballentine Show.”
Warren Ballentine was added last spring when Lee Michaels, national program director for Syndication One, called on him to alternate with another host in the spot vacated by Michael Eric Dyson, a political commentator and Georgetown University professor. After a few weeks, Ballentine said Michaels called him and said, “It’s your show.”
Since taking over the mid-morning spot full time, Ballentine has established a strong presence and drawn an audience that responds to his calls to revive social activism in the Black community.
His candid remarks about politics, race relations, and accountability—unabashedly communicated from his Christian viewpoint—quickly tapped into a well of frustration among Black Americans. The result has ignited a passionate connection between Ballentine and his listeners. They not only aim pointed commentary at government neglect, but also deliver an unvarnished critique of Black America itself.
Ballentine says Black America won’t be taken seriously unless the public protest launched by an estimated 20,000 people in Jena last month becomes a movement. He’s called for a march on the nation’s capital to demand new federal laws protecting Black Americans from hate crimes such as the recent spate of nooses showing up in public spaces. He’s also been calling for the Black community to contribute to a legal defense fund for the young men in Jena and urging Black people to engage in a nationwide economic boycott on Friday, November 2, 2007. “The ‘blackout’ is just to show us that we can do it. We will follow up with more economic development actions later on,” Ballentine said.
His audience often points out abuses in other “Jenas” around the country. Some call for immediate action, or condemn the troubling lack of unity among Blacks. Listening to the show can be an invaluable lesson in how deep aggravation runs across age, gender and social status.
On one morning an older female caller compared the judge in the Jena case to President Bush, suggesting that both were obstacles to progress and justice for Black people. Another caller, a man, openly cried on the air after hearing Ballentine discuss the atrocities committed against Megan Williams, a Black girl held hostage, beaten and raped over several days by a White clan in West Virginia. It is evident his callers are fed up, overwhelmed and ready to rectify issues within and beyond the Black community.
The man they reach out to is not a stranger to the airwaves or activism. Ballentine has been on the radio since the ‘90s when he hosted a radio show on the number one station in Chicago, his hometown. By giving free legal advice, Ballentine earned the name, “the people’s attorney.” During this time, he also managed to cover social justice topics, such as police brutality, which became hallmarks of his program.
He is the founder and CEO of Voicefor1.org, a fundraising effort to provide school supplies to Chicago public schools students. Although he now lives in North Carolina, Ballentine maintains strong ties with the Windy City and still hosts a weekly gospel radio show there.
On his new talk show, he embraces his audience and the opportunity to discuss social issues head on. He calls his listeners, “truthfighters.” Being a truth fighter, Ballentine explains, means fighting for anyone who is mistreated. “I don’t care what the race of a person is if they are being treated wrong,” he said. When listeners call in to the show, he asks them to introduce themselves with the affirmation, “I am a truth fighter in the movement for justice,” and they do. He said he wants to keep them focused.
“I love my listeners. The listeners make the show. They are so educated. It’s a joy to hear the people,” Ballentine said.
Those feelings are mutual. Many listeners praise him, they say, for saying out loud what they have been waiting to hear for a long time. One caller recently compared him to Moses, a deliverer of the people. “I get a lot of emails telling me I am the one,” says Ballentine. “I think we are all ‘the ones.’ I say push me, and I will pull you. When I get to the top of the mountain, I want to stand with you, not look down on you.”
By Lisa A. Monroe
| Mention talk radio today and it is difficult not to think of white, male, conservative commentators who unwaveringly promote the Bush agenda and take pot shots at liberal viewpoints. Mainstream liberal voices such as the Air America network launched in 2004 fell flat. And certainly sustained African American voices have been even more difficult to find on the air. |
 Radio host Warren Ballentine Photo-c/o truthfighters.com |
In 2006 African American-owned Syndication One radio network launched its news/talk format. The line-up featured veteran talk radio hosts Joe Madison, known as “the Black Eagle” and Rev. Al Sharpton’s show, Keeping It Real. Following that, in August 2007 Syndication One, which airs on 25 local news/talk stations, significantly expanded its reach by broadcasting its talk radio line-up on the XM Satellite radio network "The Power” Channel 169. The line-up included a relatively new addition, “The Warren Ballentine Show.”
Warren Ballentine was added last spring when Lee Michaels, national program director for Syndication One, called on him to alternate with another host in the spot vacated by Michael Eric Dyson, a political commentator and Georgetown University professor. After a few weeks, Ballentine said Michaels called him and said, “It’s your show.”
Since taking over the mid-morning spot full time, Ballentine has established a strong presence and drawn an audience that responds to his calls to revive social activism in the Black community.
His candid remarks about politics, race relations, and accountability—unabashedly communicated from his Christian viewpoint—quickly tapped into a well of frustration among Black Americans. The result has ignited a passionate connection between Ballentine and his listeners. They not only aim pointed commentary at government neglect, but also deliver an unvarnished critique of Black America itself.
Ballentine says Black America won’t be taken seriously unless the public protest launched by an estimated 20,000 people in Jena last month becomes a movement. He’s called for a march on the nation’s capital to demand new federal laws protecting Black Americans from hate crimes such as the recent spate of nooses showing up in public spaces. He’s also been calling for the Black community to contribute to a legal defense fund for the young men in Jena and urging Black people to engage in a nationwide economic boycott on Friday, November 2, 2007. “The ‘blackout’ is just to show us that we can do it. We will follow up with more economic development actions later on,” Ballentine said.
His audience often points out abuses in other “Jenas” around the country. Some call for immediate action, or condemn the troubling lack of unity among Blacks. Listening to the show can be an invaluable lesson in how deep aggravation runs across age, gender and social status.
On one morning an older female caller compared the judge in the Jena case to President Bush, suggesting that both were obstacles to progress and justice for Black people. Another caller, a man, openly cried on the air after hearing Ballentine discuss the atrocities committed against Megan Williams, a Black girl held hostage, beaten and raped over several days by a White clan in West Virginia. It is evident his callers are fed up, overwhelmed and ready to rectify issues within and beyond the Black community.
The man they reach out to is not a stranger to the airwaves or activism. Ballentine has been on the radio since the ‘90s when he hosted a radio show on the number one station in Chicago, his hometown. By giving free legal advice, Ballentine earned the name, “the people’s attorney.” During this time, he also managed to cover social justice topics, such as police brutality, which became hallmarks of his program.
He is the founder and CEO of Voicefor1.org, a fundraising effort to provide school supplies to Chicago public schools students. Although he now lives in North Carolina, Ballentine maintains strong ties with the Windy City and still hosts a weekly gospel radio show there.
On his new talk show, he embraces his audience and the opportunity to discuss social issues head on. He calls his listeners, “truthfighters.” Being a truth fighter, Ballentine explains, means fighting for anyone who is mistreated. “I don’t care what the race of a person is if they are being treated wrong,” he said. When listeners call in to the show, he asks them to introduce themselves with the affirmation, “I am a truth fighter in the movement for justice,” and they do. He said he wants to keep them focused.
“I love my listeners. The listeners make the show. They are so educated. It’s a joy to hear the people,” Ballentine said.
Those feelings are mutual. Many listeners praise him, they say, for saying out loud what they have been waiting to hear for a long time. One caller recently compared him to Moses, a deliverer of the people. “I get a lot of emails telling me I am the one,” says Ballentine. “I think we are all ‘the ones.’ I say push me, and I will pull you. When I get to the top of the mountain, I want to stand with you, not look down on you.”
"The Warren Ballentine Show" airs from 10 AM to 1 PM, weekdays, on XM 169 - The Power. Listen live from Warren's web site, www.thetruthfighters.com
Lisa A. Monroe is publisher of Devotion Journal. Contact her at lmonroe@devotionreader.com.