Photo by Jazmine Moering
Cameron Adams
Editor-In-Chief
Tis the season to give thanks at Jackson State University and I would like to give my thanks to iHeartMedia.
As the Editor-In-Chief of the Blue & White Flash, I am a strong advocate for creating a platform for black voices to be heard.
When it comes to the black voice in the media industry, only a few companies make sure that the importance is emphasized.
iHeartMedia is one of the few.
iHeartMedia has allowed one of the most prominent voices in the industry to start a network specifically catered to the black voice. That founder is Lenard McKelvey, also known as Charlamagne Tha God.
His creation is known today as the Black Effect Podcast Network, the first podcast network built for Black listeners. The network brings together many talented and trusted voices in Black culture for critical conversations on social justice, pop culture, and more.
On Nov. 3, 2023, iHeartMedia and Black Effect teamed up with Nissan to host the HBCU Thrill of Possibility Summit, which invited 50 HBCU students to a weekend full of networking and entertainment.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Charlamagne Tha God one-on-one, to discuss his vision behind the creation of the Black Effect, the importance of black voices, and the future of the network.
When creating the Black Effect Podcast Network, Charlamagne always saw the bigger picture: to create a platform for black voices to be heard.
“There are so many different avenues and topics that we amplify with our voice, so for me when it came to creating something like the Black Effect that’s what I wanted to do,” stated Charlamagne.
It was then up to him to decide which avenue of media needed that attention.
He shared that he did not see owning several radio and television stations in his future, so he asked himself what was the next best option.
“I was like ‘What is that thing that’s now and next?’, and it was podcasts,” said Charlamagne.
“I saw what everyone else was doing growing and establishing their podcast networks, salute to Bill Simmons with ‘the Ringer’ and salute to my boy, Chris Morrow with the ‘Loud Speakers Network’. They’re all developing these podcast networks and I was like ‘There’s really nobody out there with a focus on the black voice’.”
From this point Charlamagne continued his vision by creating an entire network where black people can find other black voices that they can relate to.
This is the foundation of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
Charlamagne also emphasized the importance of making sure the podcasters are getting paid what they deserve.
“A lot of time in the podcast space, folks don’t know how to make money. So when you have a partner like I have with iHeart, who has a whole sales team, a lot of those podcasts that might have been getting hundreds and thousands of views and listens but weren’t connecting the dots on the dollar amount, that’s where we come into play.”
Hearing this not only changed my perspective on the podcast industry, but also the media industry as a whole.
I realized that it is possible for any company to invest in black talent, the same way iHeart decided to invest in Charlamagne’s vision.
The black voice deserves to be heard on a variety of platforms and thanks to Charlamagne and the Black Effect, the black community is one platform closer to being heard worldwide.
I then asked Charlamagne what was next for the Black Effect and iHeartMedia. He told me the first step was taking the Thrill of Possibility summit on the road.
After a huge turnout and active participation from the 50 HBCU scholars, Charlamagne kn
“The Thrill of Possibility Summit is definitely going on the road. Every HBCU, sadly, isn’t represented here. It’s several, but it’s not every single one. So how can we take what we are doing here and bring it to their doorsteps,” stated Charlamagne.
He stated to me that Jackson State University will be one of the many schools he plans to visit in the future.
“I rock with Jackson State,” claimed Charlamagne. “We’re definitely going to make our way to Jackson State.”
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