The NBN was the brainchild of white media executive Robert Pauley, who eventually handed over the idea to African-American executives Eugene D. Jackson and Sydney L. Small and African-American journalists Vince Sanders and Roy Wood, Sr.[1][2][3] Pauley, a white American, a president of both ABC Radio and Mutual Broadcasting System, looked for a way to utilize Mutual’s unused network lines to create 117 stations to serve a Black audience.
Pauley was unable to raise the $1 million in capital he needed, and therefore turned to Eugene D. Jackson, an African-American electrical engineer and Black business consultant.
[1] Jackson and Small along with Del Raycee of Mutual Broadcasting System persevered and finally launch the National Black Network on July 2, 1973, in New York City with 25 affiliates.
NBN also aired a wide variety of public affairs programs and a live overnight talk show hosted by Bob Law.
Working for ABC, Mr. Goode gained notoriety while being stationed at the UN, reporting the responses of President John F. Kennedy to the Bay of Pigs Invasion initiative of Fidel Castro.
Roy Wood's "One Black Man's Opinion" was a major showcase of the former-WVON anchor, allowing him a no-holds-barred avenue to the listeners each week.
Many in the business knew that Castleberry and "Gentleman" Dean were the real models for Venus Flytrap and Dr. Johnny Fever of television's WKRP in Cincinnati.