The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
Russell M. Perry, chairman of Perry Publishing & Broadcasting, will receive the prestigious National Radio Award presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters.
The award will be presented during “The 2020 Radio Show,” scheduled from Oct. 5 through Oct. 9. Described as a “weeklong digital experience,” the event is produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau and the NAB. Previous recipients of the award to be presented to Perry are Howard Cossell, Larry King, David Field, Don Benson, George Beasley, Ginny Morris and Steve Newberry.
“For over four decades, Russell Perry has been a trailblazing media entrepreneur, a champion of journalism and a celebrated humanitarian in his community,” said Gordon Smith, president of NAB. “His success and leadership in the broadcasting business exemplify the spirit of the National Radio Award, and we are delighted to honor him in recognition of his many contributions to the radio industry.”
As publisher and editor of The Black Chronicle (which he founded in 1979), Perry purchased KVSP-AM (1140) in Oklahoma City in 1993.
Today, Perry Broadcasting has grown to become the largest independently-owned and Black –owned broadcasting company in the nation, with 22 radio stations. Those stations are located in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and other cities in Oklahoma, along with stations in Augusta, Ga., and Fayetteville, Ark. Perry started his career in journalism as co-publisher of The Black Dispatch of Oklahoma City. Founded by Perry in 1979, The Black Chronicle is today the largest paid-circulation weekly newspaper in Oklahoma, with subscribers in every state in the continental United States and some foreign countries.
Perry has been recognized for his numerous achievements in journalism and the broadcasting industry, including inductions in the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and American Urban Radio Network Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
He has been an engaged civic leader in Oklahoma throughout his career, including serving on the boards of directors of numerous charities, and on state and local commissions.
Also, he served as secretary of commerce of Oklahoma, and as secretary of economic development and special affairs during the administration of Gov. Frank Keating.
Perry was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2013. Currently, he is involved in projects that promote and restore Black-owned commerce in Oklahoma City. Media registration for “The 2020 Radio Show” can be accomplished online at www.radioshowweb.com.
