Percy Sutton may not be a name well known amoungst gen x and y’ers who are stuck on FB and twitter but dude was media giant. In 1971 Percy Sutton purchased WLIB-AM, which was the first black-owned radio station in New York City. His Inner City Broadcasting Corporation later bought WBLS-FM {previously home to Wendy Williams} before buying other radio stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and San Antonio between 1978-85.

In addition to radio holdings Percy Sutton headed a group that owned The Amsterdam News, the second largest black weekly newspaper in the country. Percy Sutton purchased the closed Apollo Theater in 1981. I know I’m not the only one who watched Sandman Sims and Kikki Shepard on Saturday night’s Apollo broadcasts during the 90’s. If if wasn’t for Percy Sutton you would not have had that luxury either.