Meet the man who started the first Black-owned radio station in Delaware, WHGE 95.3 FM

Tucked away on Wilmington’s North Pine Street is a small room that represents what Harmon Carey calls a “labor of love.”

Carey, a lifelong East Side Wilmington native, is referring to his 2018 founding of Delaware’s first Black-owned and -operated radio station, WHGE 95.3 FM. It was built from the ground up in a first-floor apartment that sits four blocks away from where he grew up.

WHGE was awarded a Federal Communications Commission license in January 2018 after Carey applied for an open spot for a low-powered radio station. The station was created to serve as a beacon of hope and a “vehicle of communication” for Black citizens in the city, Carey said.

“It blows my mind,” Carey said with a smile. “I had no dream of owning my station … not me."

Delaware has 36 licensed radio stations. WHGE operates with a small staff and relies on the talents of volunteers for on-air and off-air activities, Carey said.

The musical format is jazz. Additionally, WHGE, which is known as "The Education & Advocacy Radio Station," includes programming about Black history, sports, addiction treatment, the criminal justice system, voter rights and prison reform. Some of the programs are hosted at the radio station, Carey explained.

"Most radio stations don’t do what we do, we’re different — you see a need and you go to it,” Carey said. “We have to respond to the community in which we find ourselves," he said.

The station also provides a program for local artists to play their music live on the air, he said.

"We have a lot of talent in this community but some of them just go undiscovered because there is no platform for them and we're providing that," Carey said.

In addition to the radio station's regular programming, Carey invites community members to participate in the show and highlight their programs.

"If they’re interested, there is a process they can follow by going on our website and filling out an application," Carey said. "We're on 24/7 so there's no shortage of time."

Who is Harmon Carey?

Carey, 86, is a local historian and former longtime radio host of Wilmington radio station WILM. As a radio personality, he focused on issues related to Black Americans and the city — something that he continues to do with his radio station.

Carey has extensive experience as a voice for his community. He holds a bachelor’s in sociology from Central State University, a master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of arts degree from the University of Delaware in urban affairs and public policy. He also completed his doctoral research in urban affairs at the University of Delaware.

In 1985, the 86-year-old founded Delaware’s African American Historical Society — a group formed to educate people on the history of Black citizens in Delaware.

Carey believes Black history should be taught and celebrated year-round, not just during one month each year. On WHGE, he hosts a show titled “Black History Facts & Reflections. It is held daily from 6 to 7 p.m.

“I start my program off every day with a question: What happened on this date in Black history? … And I talk about something that relates to that particular day,” Carey said. “We try to give honor and pay tribute to various Blacks in music, politics or civil rights.”

The early days of WHGE 95.3 F.M

The headquarters of the station has been a brick building along 900 N. Pine St., which Carey purchased with a friend for $12,000 in the early 2000s.

“I owned a liquor store about a block away, and me and my buddy bought the building to stop another liquor store from coming in as a competitor,” said Carey, who added that he later purchased his friend’s half.

After Carey applied for FCC license years later, the brick building became a prime spot to build a radio station, he said.

“The fact that I own the building really helped — If we had to go rent a space that would have been a problem," Carey said.

Carey said the station started with no computer and very little equipment.

“We got an antenna that almost looked like a television antenna, and we went to the pawn shop to get a CD player,” Carey said.

In an effort to get the station off the ground, Prometheus Radio Project — a Philadelphia-based nonprofit — provided some equipment.

“We just took baby steps and pieced everything together,” Carey said.

The radio station continues its mission on the East Side

Today, WHGE boasts a big roster of on-air personalities, including Daron "Timeless Thomas" Swann, Janice King, Rachelle Wilson, the Rev. Reverend Raheem Darden and Evangelist Dena Diggs.

Swann, who hosts a program titled "Back to Greatness" and "101 Things to Know About Jail," called WHGE more than just a radio station. Swann promotes positivity and strives to help listeners pursue their best version.

"I'm a real big promoter of self-inventory, so I love for people to find out what they need to take out of their character and what they need to take into their future, " Swann said.

Although WHGE is based in Wilmington, the low-powered station does not broadcast outside of the city’s limits. However, the station can be heard worldwide via its website simulcast.

James Bailey, the station’s director of operations, said WHGE's next step is upgrading technology to convert radio shows to podcasting and live-streaming.

"We also would like to do remote broadcasting, so we can be able to do coverage of programming on-location wherever that is," Bailey said.

To learn more about WHGE or register for your program to be featured on the radio show, visit whge953.com.

Contact local reporter Cameron Goodnight at cgoodnight@delawareonline.com, or by calling or texting 302-324-2208. Follow him on Twitter at @CamGoodnight.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Here's the story behind the first Black-owned radio station in Delaware