August 5, 2011

Dorothy E. Brunson, first African-American woman to own a radio and TV station, has died

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Dorothy Brunson, born in Georgia and raised in Harlem, got her start in broadcasting in 1962 as an assistant controller of New York's 1600 WWRL-AM. She eventually worked her way up to became General Manager at the station. She also GM'ed 1130 WLIB-AM and WLIB-FM which became 107.5 WBLS under Inner City Broadcasting ownership.

She moved to Baltimore and purchased her first radio station 1360 WEBB in 1979. In 1986 she would buy WGTW-TV/Channel 48 Philadelphia. In 1990 she purchased WIGO-AM in Atlanta and WBSM-AM in Wilmington, N.C.

Brunson died Sunday of complications from ovarian cancer at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. She was 72.

Read more on Dorothy Brunson's amazing career in the Baltimore Sun and an archived interview she did with the Philadelphia City Paper from 2003.