Photo courtesy of UW-Milwaukee
Robert Biko Baker
Robert Biko Baker
At 47, Robert Biko Baker is the Black Media Trust’s new general manager. A Milwaukee native, Baker earned his Ph.D. in History at UCLA. He is a former contributor to The Source and Vibe. He later served as national executive director of the League of Young Voters, leading high-profile civic campaigns. In 2012, he was named to the NAACP’s “40 Under 40.”
In the early 2000s, Baker was a regular contributor for hip-hop’s biggest rap magazines and blogs. Between 2008-2014, he was the national executive director for the League of Young Voters. In 2013, Baker teamed up with Snoop Dogg and angel investor Ron Conway to launch a national anti-gun effort called No Guns Allowed.
In his new role as general manager of the trust, Baker is a busy man, but I caught up with him on the phone. His conversational style is simple and direct, holding nothing back.
What is your educational background?
I went to Milwaukee Lutheran High School and graduated from UWM and then earned a Ph.D. in history from UCLA, a silly major if you want to make money. I was writing for hip-hop magazines and produced content and culture for people. I was bi-coastal from 2005 until the pandemic in 2019, and then I stayed in Milwaukee.
What is the Milwaukee Black Media Trust?
Milwaukee Black Media Trust is an effort to make sure that Black media outlets and properties are controlled by the Black community including the employees and workers at the properties.
As I understand, there are three media outlets in the Trust.
Yes. The Milwaukee Courier newspaper, 101.7 The Truth radio station, and in the future, WNOV 860 AM. By the way, WNOV is Wisconsin’s first Black-owned radio station.
How does the Trust work? Is it a for-profit organization?
Yes, it is an LLC whose profit will be split among the employees. The Trust is governed by three founding trustees: Milwaukee alderwoman Milele Coggs, Ascension Health Senior Marketing Leader Tiffany Wynn and the Milwaukee Courier editor Roemel Brown. Then, there is a board of directors, which I am accountable to as general manager. I oversee our media outlets including budgets, and I am doing outside fund raising with local and national donors.
Generally, will advertising income pay for salaries and the operating budget?
Yes.
Let’s talk about 101.7, The Truth, Black Talk Radio, which had been owned by Good Karma Brands. How are they involved?
We have a lease-to-own agreement for 101.7 with Good Karma Brands including the tower. We are paying the rent and the employee salaries. The Trust is buying that radio station on a five-year roll out.
What will happen to the current radio talk show hosts at 101.7? In the past, I have done stories on each of them. They are all quite talented and have a pulse on the Black community.
The late afternoon drive time host, Dr Ken Harris, is leaving the station. We are looking to go in a younger audience direction. We are trying to engage voices, leaders and multichannel approaches that speak to the 40 and under audiences. A big audience is young women of color. We need to engage them with our talk show hosts. Women and multi-cultural audiences control financial resources, marketing collateral, nonprofit industrial complexes and political parties.
What about the other 101.7 radio show hosts?
The noon host, Kyle Wallace, and early afternoon host, Tory Lowe, will be leaving for greener pastures. The late morning host, Sherwin Hughes, will be kept on as the senior host. And we will keep our morning hosts, Homer Blow and Bailey Coleman, who both are institutions in the Black community. I think Jasmine Tyler will do the late afternoon drive time. Ray Nitti and Maybe Shannon will host the noon slot. Early afternoon slot will be The Grapevine with Maanaan Sabir.
What will happen to the WNOV radio station, which is entrenched in Black listening culture?
Keep in mind, we still have to get the FCC license transferred. But the plan with WNOV is that we will be investing more in the voice of Michelle Bryant, who hosts the morning show. We will also be expanding podcasting and digital approaches.
Let me quote you - “Black Media Trust is a pivotal moment because it calls for tearing down silos, elevating authentic voices, and building media institutions that serve our community across generations.” Can you expand on that?
I look at the media, television, radio, and the newspapers, like a campfire. We are looking at and reflecting on key moments whether it is news, culture or political campaigns. Because of social media and technology, we’re now all paying attention to the same topics. I think that can have a negative impact on our society. That includes the Black community, which is split up generationally. I am a 47-year-old Black man who understands hip hop but also jazz and blues. The future in radio will also include podcasting and YouTube.
Regarding the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, will there be any changes there?
We brought in Drake Bentley from the Milwaukee Journal. He’s been writing thought provoking stories. He is speaking to a younger audience, particularly in this election season. We will be doing a tabloid special online and a paper edition approach, for example, on the topic of Juneteenth.
How is the Madison-based Civic Media involved in all this?
Sage Weil, CEO of Civic Media, purchased the Milwaukee Courier and WNLV Radio and was thinking about purchasing 101.7 The Truth. In the end, Sage realized it was better if these media outlets should be Black owned. We have a short-term agreement with Civic Media.
What else can you contribute at this early stage of the Milwaukee Black Media Trust?
Milwaukee’s Black community stands at an important crossroads, and the role of media in shaping our path forward has never been more critical. This is a pivotal moment, one that calls for tearing down silos, elevating authentic voices, and building media institutions that serve our community across generations. What we are building is not simply a media company, but also a platform designed to inform, connect, and uplift Milwaukee Black people.
