A new news and talk radio station, 101.7 The Truth, provides raw and honest conversations centering Milwaukee’s Black community.
“A lot of people will discuss issues from the Black community from the outside, but now we get to hear from the inside,” community activist and advocate Tory Lowe said.
Good Karma Brands, a media and marketing company, launched the station at the beginning of the New Year on Monday, Jan. 4. Lowe hosts his own show on weekdays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
“A lot of people aren’t used to seeing me as a radio host. They’re used to seeing me advocating for families on television,” he said.
Lowe has assisted in locating over 188 registered missing people in the city of Milwaukee. His work never stops. Lowe often receives calls about murders, missing girls, landlord disputes, and school issues.
“When I get off the air, I still have to go out and advocate. Sometimes I don’t get back in until 12:30 or 1:00 am,” he said.
Cherie Harris, the station’s general manager, said the search for on-air talent was not easy. Lowe joined four other hosts in the station’s line-up including Milwaukee Bucks in-game hosts Joe Brown and Melanie Ricks, “The Forum” radio show former host Sherwin Hughes, and Milwaukee Police Department retired lieutenant Dr. Ken Harris.
Monday-Friday Lineup
- 7am- 10am- MKE in the Morning w/ Mel and Joe
- 10am- 1pm- The Truth w/Sherwin Hughes
- 1pm- 4pm- The Tory Lowe Show
- 4pm – 6pm- The Truth in the Afternoon w/Dr. Ken Harris
- 6 pm – 7 a.m. Re-airing of shows from the day
“I think we chose the people we chose because they don’t have their own personal agenda,” Harris said.
She participated in the early conversations of creating the station. Harris, raised in the city, compares the programming with talking around Sunday dinner. A lot of the topics revolve around the communities she grew up in.
“For our station, it’s primarily talk. We’re like a sounding board for people,” Harris said.
Lowe hopes to get community members actively involved in their neighborhoods. He said The Truth provides a ground-level view of the issues affecting the city.
The Truth also discusses issues Black people face across the nation such as police brutality. Lowe mentioned talking to the lawyers of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor and Joel Acevedo. The Truth features the voices of those who reside in Milwaukee; however, because it’s available online, the station receives calls from listeners all over.
“I get calls from Georgia and Panama. I got a call from a woman in Panama who started a global chamber of commerce,” Lowe said. “I think The Truth has become a home for people to hear what’s going on here in their communities and express themselves.”
