William Dilday Jr. in 1972, becoming the country’s first Black person to run a commercial television station.Photo:DON HOGAN CHARLES/The New York Times/Redux
DON HOGAN CHARLES/The New York Times/Redux
William H. Dilday Jr., the first Black television station manager in the U.S., died on July 27 in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 85.
Dilday Jr.’s daughter, Erika Dilday, confirmed toThe New York Timesthat her father died in the hospital due to complications after a fall.
After graduating with a degree in business administration from Boston University in 1960, the Boston native served in the Army for two years and then worked in the personnel department at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). In 1969, Dilday Jr. became the director of personnel at Boston news outlet WHDH, according toThe Times.
The Timesreported that immediately after starting his new position, Dilday Jr. increased the number of Black employees at the station from 15 to 35 percent. One of the employees he hired, Dorothy Gibbs, created the integrated children’s programOur Playmates.
He also created a series that investigated political corruption in Mississippi titledProbe, which won a Peabody award in 1976, according to the outlet.
Despite local and national civil rights groups’ protests, Dilday Jr. had someone from the station cover the white supremacist National States’ Rights Part. He told Kay Mills, author ofChanging Channels: The Civil Rights Case that Transformed Television: “We got a lot of flak. But if it happened tomorrow, I’d do it again,” perThe Times.
Even though WLBT received phone calls threatening violence when Dilday Jr. was hired and when he was on air reporting on political issues, he created a $500,000 profit off $3.7 million in revenue for the station in 1977, the outlet reported.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He also advised politicians in the area, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, who was the House of Senate’s committee chair investigating theJan. 6, 2021, riotat the U.S. Capitol, per the outlet.
“William Dilday was an inspirational leader for the media, and an important figure in Jackson, Miss., and the wider news media,” Thompson said in a statement toThe Times. “His tireless work made a lasting impact on the media.”
source: people.com
