*When you think of radio personalities who have impacted Black radio in both the 20th and 21st centuries, legendary radio host Wendy Williams deserves to be among that conversation. I first met Wendy in 1989 at WRKS 98.7 KISS FM in New York City. We both began working there around the same time.
I was hired by then Program Director Tony Gray to be the music director and Wendy was hired as an on-air personality. Shortly thereafter, Tony left the station to pursue his consultancy business, Gray Communications in Chicago, and I became program director of the station in 1990.
Before Wendy became a successful television talk show host that we’ve come to know so well, she was first, the most popular radio personality at three major urban commercial stations in New York City. I was her program director at two of the three stations. During that time, Wendy began developing her unique controversial style which was unlike anything heard anywhere on urban radio at that time. I must admit managing her aggressive, “Tell it like it is” style, without stifling her natural talent, proved to be quite a challenge.
I always thought Wendy had a strong on-air personality. Initially, she started filling in for others, doing the basic format. One of my first decisions as a program director was to move her from a part-time to a full-time host. I moved Wendy to “The KISS FM Wake Up Club” morning show, where she joined the legendary Jeff Foxx and Ken “Spider” Webb.
Working among a six-member morning team, “Dish the Dirt” was a daily segment for her to report the latest entertainment news of the day, likened to what’s known today as “Spill The Tea.” Due to her passion for that segment, Wendy took basic entertainment news to a whole new level. Soon it became the most popular feature on the morning show. As a result, it didn’t take long before her popularity began to increase.
After a while, when the 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. evening slot opened, I gave Wendy her show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” which gave her room to make her mark. She no longer had to share the mic or be restricted in any way as a part of a morning show ensemble. Working alone provided Wendy with the room she needed to spread her wings. The highly rated feature, “The Top 8 at 8,” aired at 8:00 p.m. and was a nightly countdown of the eight most requested songs of the day. With her natural gift of gab and daily show preparation, it became an appointment for radio listeners to hear their favorite songs with her juicy celebrity gossip mixed in between. It was obvious to me that listeners wanted to hear more of what Wendy had to say than the songs she had to play. I credited her once again for converting another daily feature into the highest-rated hour on the station.
Bill Cosby, Whitney Houston, Russell Simmons, and Puffy, his then moniker at the time, were among the many celebrities who expressed how they didn’t appreciate the things Wendy was alleging on air about them and rumored issues about their lifestyles, and a few of them thought it was important enough to take the time to call me personally. Quite frankly, I was amazed how some of these celebrities, as big as they were, even cared what opinion a radio DJ had or had to say about them on the air. No doubt Wendy was touching the sensitive nerve of many entertainers who lived in the New York City area, and she enjoyed all the attention.
As program director, I was finding that more of my time was spent navigating between having the responsibility of protecting the radio station from any unnecessary defamation litigation, maintaining a good relationship with KISS listeners who complained about Wendy, and within boundaries of course, supporting the performance of a highly rated air talent.
Along the way there were also a few serious threats to her safety among the consequences of her unbridled gossip reporting. To keep her quiet, I remember a dead fish wrapped up in a newspaper was sent to her at the radio station anonymously. She never even flinched; however, as a precaution, the station secretly provided a security escort for her to and from station events and personal appearances for her safety.
I was always amused that even those who claimed not to be fans still seemed to listen as they were able to recall everything she said verbatim, each day. Her appeal was compelling and infectious. Her fan base was indeed Wendy fanatics, others may have been critical but still made it a point to tune in just to hate.
She diligently prepared for her show each day basically using entertainment tabloids, magazines, and celebrity tip sheets. However, she also had her way of getting gossip on the down low from unknown sources, which proved to be not as far off target as time revealed.
By the early nineties, Wendy’s reputation preceded her by reaching all the way out to Los Angeles, disrupting the cast of a major hit television sitcom, “Martin.” The marketing department of the network offered a radio promotion to top stations across the country to send their most popular DJ to appear as themselves for an episode titled, “Radio Days.” The plan was for DJs to fly out to Los Angeles, tape the show, then return and share with their fans their experience and of course promote their appearance on “Martin,” by asking their listeners to tune in to the upcoming episode. It was a great cross-promotional opportunity. Naturally, I thought Wendy would be our best choice. I later received a call from one of the show’s producers, Topper Carew, who explained his problem with his cast because of our choice to bring Wendy.
Seemed like members of his cast didn’t care for Wendy and were uncomfortable with her presence on the set. Some of the actors were upset about comments that Wendy had made about them in the past. In addition, the actors thought she would just be on the set looking for more gossip to spread. Of course, I understood it was important for Topper Carew to address the concerns of his cast, but not having the most popular DJ from the number one station, in the number one market take part in the promotion presented a dilemma that needed to be worked out.
As a solution, Topper suggested if I would agree to also be included in the episode taping, I’d be there to supervise Wendy and help keep her in check, which he believed would appease his cast. I agreed, and as a result, Wendy appeared, and things ran smoothly with talent and crew.
By the mid-nineties, Hot 97’s parent company, Emmis Communications purchased KISS-FM. This forced a format change to an Urban Oldies Adult Contemporary format. Wendy was transferred over to WQHT, Hot 97, where it was thought she would be more compatible. I remained as program director for KISS-FM. However, it didn’t take long before Hot 97 learned that Wendy was too much for them to manage. Subsequently, after several incidents, she was fired from Hot 97 in 1998. She was later hired by Philadelphia’s urban station, WUSL (Power 99FM).
By the late nineties, New York City’s Black-owned radio station, WBLS-FM was struggling in the ratings, and Inner City Broadcasting Corporation and its owners reached out with an invitation for me to make a switch to become program director to help rebuild the station. I accepted the challenge of improving the ratings expected by the senior management team. I made much-needed changes which proved to make a difference and move the meter. After music and other prerequisite adjustments were completed, listeners were finding their way back and ratings began to increase.
By 2001, I knew Wendy’s contract was about to expire with WUSL-FM and I prepared to bring her back to New York City radio, a strategic move I knew would attract additional listeners to the station. She was eager to return, as I knew she was missed by her fans in the market. We kept everything confidential until the day her promo hit the air on WBLS. Her return took the New York City market by surprise and created a type of excitement that I had never seen before. It was a move where she, her awaiting fans, and the station all mutually benefited.
This time around on WBLS, Wendy received an unexpected off-air call in the studio from Whitney Houston. She recorded it for me to review before it aired. Unknown to Wendy earlier that day, I’d declined the interview request with the label representative at Arista Records because of all the restrictions that went with it. Mainly because Wendy was forbidden to mention or even inquire about things rumored about Whitney at the time. I felt such an interview, focusing only on the songs on Whitney’s new album alone would seem disingenuous, unfair, and would sound awkward and disappointing to Wendy’s listeners who would expect more. Well Whitney went rogue and found a way to call in on her own, thinking she would have her own conversation with Wendy anyway.
After checking to be sure Wendy didn’t say anything out of line, I approved, and she immediately began pre-promoting it for the next day. She skillfully and respectfully conducted what turned out to be quite a shocking conversation that received an enormous amount of national media attention, and the interview remains available on YouTube today. Wendy’s name was now getting bigger across the country.
I also remember when Wendy somehow got a copy of the infamous R. Kelly tape delivered to the station and asked to use the VCR in my office to view it. She had landed another major scoop making her the first to break the then alleged story on air, with what she had witnessed on video tape. It was another shocking exclusive.
A partnership between WBLS and VH1 provided her first national television exposure on “The Wendy Williams Experience.” We allowed a camera crew to video tape her in the studio during her regular shift, capturing highlights for VH1.
Wendy has unquestionably influenced many air personalities with her bold, unintimidated, unfiltered gossip and personal commentary. She fearlessly and consistently walked the line to give her fans the thoughts, opinions and inside scoop they anxiously expected to hear from her. Yes, she could sometimes be a bit overzealous, yet she maintained a high level of success which only reinforced her drive and commitment to become bigger and better.
Wendy had personally credited me as the one program director who played a big part in her success through the years. I provided her with the disciplined freedom, guidance, and support needed for her development. Others may have dubbed me as “The Man” behind her success because of me taking the chance to bring her back to New York, which gave her a big second chance opportunity towards gaining even greater success.
By 2008, I was off to Los Angeles to accept an offer from Stevie Wonder to help manage his station, KJLH-FM, and Wendy was off to begin her new career transitioning to television.
As a testament to her successful career in radio, Wendy Williams was awarded both the Billboard and R&R Major Market Air Personality of The Year. In 2009, she was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. She blazed a path establishing a brand of radio many across the country have attempted to emulate in Black/Urban radio.
For those of us who have worked with her personally and watched her growth through the years, it’s of course sad to know of the recent misfortunes and health challenges she is currently facing. I naturally, along with all her loyal fans, wish her well.
A native New Yorker, Vinny Brown is recognized as one of the most distinguished, and among one of the elites in radio programming in the country. The multiple award-winning radio broadcaster is also an accomplished radio air personality, music director, program director, and operations manager. He was also the executive vice president of Stevie Wonder’s radio station, KJLH-FM in Los Angeles. Brown’s history-making and unprecedented achievements in America’s No. 1 Urban Radio market, New York City, remain unrivaled. Brown’s radio experience includes network programming, national syndication, and the development of international shows for stations in Kobe and Tokyo, Japan. His multi-format expertise specializes in Urban Radio, Classic Soul, Urban Adult Contemporary, and Mainstream.
Additionally, Brown has built a strong reputation for developing on-air talent with high-profile air personalities from Steve Harvey to Wendy Williams, who both launched syndication shows from the studios of WBLS in New York, as well as popular Hip Hop DJs like Funkmaster Flex, DJ Red Alert, Kid Capri, and New York City’s Caribbean Icon Dahvad Levy. Through the years, Brown has also personally worked with many celebrities preparing them to become on-air radio talent such as Stevie Wonder, Isaac Hayes, Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Roberta Flack, Hezekiah Walker, Paul Mooney, Les Brown, and others. Brown is currently a board member of the Living Legends Foundation.
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