Bev Johnson
Radio talk show host Beverly Elaine Johnson was born on May 10, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee to William Van and Julia Danner Johnson. She was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended public schools. Johnson received her B.A. degree in English literature from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and her M.S. degree in educational media technology from Jackson State University. She also graduated from Southwest Tennessee Community College's Substance Abuse Program and The Drug Court Institute, and went on to intern with the Shelby County Drug Court.
Johnson's broadcast career began in Jackson, Mississippi in 1976. In 1983, she was hired at the WDIA radio station in Memphis, Tennessee. She has worked in a number of roles, including as disc jockey to public service director to news/community affairs director, programming assistant, marketing assistant, and talk show host. Johnson was appointed as anchor/talk show host for WDIA, and hosts "The Bev Johnson Show," which first aired in 1987. She is also co-owner of Heart 2 Heart Collaborations Counseling Services, and hosts a cable television show on Comcast Cable titled "Affairs of the Heart." In addition, she teaches at Southwest Tennessee Community College as an instructor of speech and fine arts and language and literature, and has taught radio broadcasting at Rust College for a number of years.
Johnson served on the boards of the Rock N Soul Museum, Memphis-area Planned Parenthood and the National Black Programmers Coalition. She has chaired the Memphis Branch of the NAACP's Radio-thon, and auctioneered for the Coalition of 100 Black Women Memphis Chapter's Annual Eligible Bachelor auction fundraiser, as well as WKNO's Action Auction. She is a charter member of Shelby County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and was 2nd Vice President for two years. Johnson is also a member of Mt. Pisgah C.M.E. church.
Johnson received the UNCF Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1996. She was named the 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1996 News/Public Affairs Director of the Year by the National Black Programmers Coalition, and was a 1993, 1994 and 1995 nominee for The National Association of Broadcaster's Marconi Award, Personality of the Year. Johnson was also the 1996 Billboard Award Personality of the Year, and was honored by the Tennessee General Assembly's House of Representatives for her tenth and twentieth year hosting "The Bev Johnson Show" talk show. She was named the Memphis Music Commission’s 2013 Emissaries of Memphis Music and received the Jus Blues Foundation 2013 Jack “The Rapper” Gibson Radio Pioneer Award.
Bev Johnson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 25, 2014.
A2014.081
Female
4/25/2014
Johnson
Divorced
Elaine
Cummings Elementary School
Burns Park Elementary School
Tappan Middle School
Pioneer High School
Rust College
Jackson State University
Southwest Tennessee Community College
National Drug Court Institute
Yes
Afternoons, Evenings, and Weekends
Beverly
Memphis
JOH48
No Preference
Yes - $500 - $1,000
Winter
Tennessee
Caribbean
As You Treat Yourself, You'll Treat Others.

Tennessee
5/10/1953
Memphis
United States
Cornbread, Greens
Radio talk show host Bev Johnson (1953 - ) is the longtime talk show host of "The Bev Johnson Show," which airs on Memphis, Tennessee’s WDIA radio station.
WDIA Radio
WWEE / WLVS Radio
WLOK Radio
WMQM Radio
WKXI Radio
WJMI / WOKJ Radio
Memphis City Schools
Red
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Bev Johnson's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Bev Johnson lists her favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Bev Johnson describes her maternal family history, pt. 1
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Bev Johnson describes her maternal family history, pt. 2
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Bev Johnson talks about her mother, Julia Atlas Danner Johnson
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Bev Johnson describes her paternal family history
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Bev Johnson talks about her father, William Van Johnson
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Bev Johnson describes her parents' personalities
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Bev Johnson talks about her younger sister
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Bev Johnson describes her earliest childhood memory in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Bev Johnson describes the sights, sounds, and smells of her childhood
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Bev Johnson talks about her dreams of becoming an actress, her favorite movies, and acting in community musicals
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Bev Johnson describes the cultural arts scene in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Bev Johnson talks about her favorite grade school teachers and watching Nat King Cole on television
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Bev Johnson describes her experience at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Bev Johnson talks about the impact of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination on black students in her high school
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Bev Johnson talks about African Americans on television during the late 1960s
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Bev Johnson describes her decision to attend Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Bev Johnson talks about the cultural climate of Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1970
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - Bev Johnson describes her experiences in theatre and choir as a student at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - Bev Johnson talks about family vacations during her childhood
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Bev Johnson talks about her activities at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Bev Johnson talks about her teachers at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi and her admiration for HistoryMaker Carole Simpson
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Bev Johnson talks about performing with Trudy and the Soul Ultimates while a student at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Bev Johnson talks about Ida B. Wells and African American Studies at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Bev Johnson talks about her graduate school experience at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Bev Johnson remembers her mentors at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Bev Johnson describes her start in radio while she was a student at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Bev Johnson describes her transition from disc jockey to news anchor at WJMI-WOKJ
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - Bev Johnson talks about working as a news director at WKXI in Jackson, Mississippi
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - Bev Johnson talks about her work as news anchor for WLOK in Memphis, Tennessee
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Bev Johnson describes targeting majority white audiences at WWEE radio and WLVS
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Bev Johnson talks about her return to black radio upon joining WDIA as a news anchor in 1983
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Bev Johnson talks about the launch of "The Bev Johnson Show" in 1987
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Bev Johnson describes special guests and topics featured on "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Bev Johnson describes the day-to-day operations of "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Bev Johnson talks about memorable stories featured on "The Bev Johnson Show", pt.1
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Bev Johnson talks about memorable stories featured on "The Bev Johnson Show", pt.2
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Bev Johnson talks about callers to "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Bev Johnson talks about the coverage of domestic violence on "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 4 Story: 10 - Bev Johnson talks about maintaining neutral political commentary on "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Bev Johnson describes her work in her community
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Bev Johnson talks about the history of WDIA
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Bev Johnson talks about the decline of disc jockeys and the Memphis chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists Radio
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Bev Johnson talks about authors featured on "The Bev Johnson Show"
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Bev Johnson talks about her television show, "Affairs of the Heart"
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Bev Johnson describes her hopes and concerns for the African American community in Memphis, Tennessee
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Bev Johnson reflects upon her aspirations
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Bev Johnson reflects upon her legacy
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - Bev Johnson describes her honors
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - Bev Johnson talks about her family
Tape: 5 Story: 11 - Bev Johnson describes her journalistic philosophy
Tape: 5 Story: 12 - Bev Johnson talks about how she would like to be remembered
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2$4
8$3