The National Negro Network was a black-oriented radio programming service in the United States founded on January 20, 1954 by Chicago advertiser W. Leonard Evans, Jr.[1][2] It was the first black-owned radio network in the country, and its programming was broadcast on up to 45 affiliates.
[4] The network featured a variety of different programming, including a popular soap opera The Story of Ruby Valentine, which was based on CBS's We Love and Learn and As the Twig is Bent, and starred Juanita Hall, Ruby Dee and Terry Carter.
Other short-lived series included The Life of Anna Lewis with Hilda Simms, and It's A Mystery Man with Cab Calloway.
[3] The network drew up plans for several more series, but—with the TV era exploding—fell apart within a year due to inadequate capital.
[3][6][8] Jason Chambers wrote in his book, Madison Avenue and the Color Line: African Americans in the Advertising Industry, that Evans felt that advertising agencies were hesitant to recommend NNN to clients.