Roy Wood Sr.

Roy Norris Wood Sr. (September 15, 1915 – October 15, 1995) was an African American radio pioneer, civil rights journalist, commentator, college professor, and entrepreneur. Wood was the host of the nationally syndicated TV show Black's View on the News. He was a co-founder of the National Black Network, one of the first broadcast networks to produce programming specifically for African Americans. Early life and education Wood was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Rosalie N. (Latimer) and Roy Wood, Sr. Wood's father, a physician, died when he was three years old. His mother, who attended Morris Brown University, was one of the first female black CPAs in the state of Georgia. His great-great-grandfather, Sam Wood, was born c. 1790 in Africa. Wood grew up in Chicago. Wood was a graduate of Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago. In 1937, Wood received a B.A. from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1946, Wood received an M.A. in Communications from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He later studied at Columbia College Chicago's College of Fine Arts in Radio Announcing and Newscasting.