The Untold History of Oakland’s Soul Beat, a Pioneer Among Black-Owned TV Networks
Channel 37 wasn’t just one of the first Black-owned stations in the country — it was a launchpad for Bay Area stars
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
Back in early March, Rynell “Showbiz” Williams was on the phone with his friend Yancey Richardson, a producer who also does promotion work for Atlantic Records. Williams, 40, is a radio DJ in Monterey County on California’s Central Coast — but like Richardson, he grew up farther north in Oakland, and the two began reminiscing about Soul Beat, the cable TV network that was only available in their hometown and a few East Bay suburbs. From 1978 to 2003, the Black-owned network on channel 37 catered unapologetically to its city’s African American population, and provided the first television exposure for many local R&B and rap artists.
It could also be, in the parlance of its time, hella janky.
No plush corporate offices for Soul Beat; the network filmed its shows in rented apartments, personal homes, and a studio in Oakland’s notorious Eastmont Mall. Its VJs would broadcast live without the protection of a delay, which meant viewers…
