The Missing Link
Building Success with Social Capital
Relationships matter. Especially for independent media organizations. And even more so for Black and Brown owned enterprises. I saw the power of human connectivity up close and personal, shadowing my father, Walter P. Lomax Jr., M.D., a brilliant physician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, real estate maven and founder of WURD Radio in Philadelphia. He used charm, wit, humor and intellect to navigate all the spaces he occupied — yet always stayed grounded in his South Philly roots. No code switching — ever.
His relationships were wide and deep — and extended across generations. As a second generation Black Philly entrepreneur, I have seen the power of my dad’s legacy to unlock doors and expand opportunities for my work leading WURD Radio, one of the few remaining Black owned talk radio stations in the nation. It has given me a shortcut that so many Black entrepreneurs don’t have.
Black people have historically been barred from “the old boys club” — hidden spaces where promotions, investments and deals are planned, negotiated and executed. For centuries you were only invited in if you were white, male and privileged. But what’s not fully understood or appreciated, is that when there are Black people in high places — and you have access to them — it can be transformative. I’m fairly certain that WURD would not still exist if there were not Black people in corporate C-suites who had the authority to write checks or approve budgets or at least deeply influence decisions to work with WURD. Some call this social capital, the invisible support that manifests because of who you know, not just what you know.
At this point in my career, after almost 30 years starting and running Black media organizations, I am clear that cultivating social capital is as critical as financial capital. And that is one of the most prized elements of the John S. Knight Community Impact Fellowship at Stanford. Over the course of this 10 month program, we are building authentic, lasting relationships amongst a cohort of 10 incredible media makers, entrepreneurs and social justice warriors.
Through weekly meetings, punctuated by small group conversations — all via Zoom — we have miraculously established a cohesive community, laying the foundation for ongoing support where we will continue to share ideas, resources and opportunities beyond the term of this program. For our small, hyper-local media organizations that serve communities traditionally ignored or overlooked, creating connections that extend beyond our local or regional footprint can be transformative. This not only helps to build and expand a fractured local media ecosystem, but drives change, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We are reimagining journalism — together — placing our readers, listeners, audiences at the center of our work; upending traditional media systems to prioritize inclusivity and cultural competence.
Whether it’s Paulette Brown-Hinds, a second generation newspaper owner of Black Voice News, who is working “to better understand the needs of Black media publishers as they attempt to utilize data or visualization technology in their reporting,” or Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, who is advocating for press freedom and the growth of independent news operations in Indian Country or Jen Larino, who is teaching young New Orleanians of color the power of reporting and storytelling through Lede New Orleans, this is a dynamic network of media changemakers.
There is power in collective action. I think of the African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” The JSK Fellowship is a hub in that “village.” As Community Impact Fellows, we are joining a network of JSK alumni that have been transforming the field of journalism since 1966 when Stanford started offering these fellowships. This is another intangible: being welcomed into a community of journalism leaders who have a shared JSK experience.
When I started the fellowship in September, I articulated the following goals: “We are exploring how to grow our audience, especially among millennials; how we expand our programming to better serve our community; and how do we continue to diversify our revenues so we can truly move from surviving to thriving.”
As my fellowship draws to a close, these goals continue to be paramount. This program has affirmed that prioritizing service to our communities is essential to the future of journalism. We have leaned into WURD’s two-way talk radio platform to make sure we are giving voice to the concerns that too often are reported through a white gaze when big media companies tackle them: surging gun violence, increasing taxes, widespread gentrification, COVID spikes, persistent health disparities, economic fragility and a declining public education system. We are the release valve and the place where stakeholders are held accountable to the people. We have developed a new millennial-focused show named CrossWURDz, and are establishing new strategies to distribute our best radio interviews on social media in an effort to reach younger audiences. This is how we are continuing to serve our communities.
Through this fellowship, I have learned that we also need to lean into joy and possibility, embracing a growth mindset that celebrates and elevates the positive forces flowing through our community. We have been more intentional about uplifting stories of success through vignettes highlighting African American excellence in science, health care and literature. We are curating in-person events that feature music, food and art as a way to tap into the healing energy of human connectivity after two years of lockdown. And even though it feels like the financial support pledged to Black owned media after the 2020 protests has softened this year, we continue to persevere in our efforts to diversify revenue streams applying for grants, aggressively pursuing new advertising opportunities and working with URL Media, a network of Black and Brown owned media organizations of which I am the co-founder and WURD is a member, to explore additional revenue generating ideas.
Throughout this program each of my fellow fellows have articulated similar goals whether they are building start-up journalism ventures, or veteran media owners navigating digital transformation and growth. How do we deepen our engagement and service to our communities while figuring out sustainable business models that allow us to grow and mature? It sounds simple but it’s definitely not easy. To imagine a new model of journalism that prioritizes diverse voices and experiences and find the revenue sources to support it is revolutionary. As we have witnessed over the past several years, Big Media has played a big part in reinforcing systemic racism and oppression. Our cohort is committed to changing that through innovation, exploration and connection. Through our participation in the JSK Community Impact Fellowship, and with the support of the staff, alumni and Stanford faculty, we have a new network of relationships that will expand our access to that critical ingredient for success — social capital — with the goal of permanently changing journalism so it is truly serving and empowering all people.
