Bailey_Lee The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey
Overview of the Item Julieanna Richardson Scott Stearns Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey July 23, 2001 4 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. (ABSTRACT) A2001.002 The interviews and records are in English Biographical Note

Broadcast executive Lee Bailey has always been fascinated with radio. He was a regular visitor to radio stations in his hometown of Pittsburgh while growing up.

Nicknamed "The Voice," Bailey began his broadcast career in 1970 as an on-air radio personality in Sacramento, followed by a job at a radio station in Washington, D.C. Bailey achieved the most fame while working at Los Angeles's KUTE-FM. His talent also led to voiceover jobs for radio and television commercials in Los Angeles.

Bailey converted his garage into a studio in 1979 and formed Lee Bailey Productions, a voiceover production company. Lee Bailey Productions specialized in radio commercial spots and corporate slide presentations. As the company expanded, Bailey and his wife, Diane Blackmon Bailey, created RadioScope: the Entertainment Magazine of the Air, a syndicated radio show, and Bailey Broadcasting Services (BBS), in 1983. Today, RadioScope is aired in daily and weekend versions in more than 100 U.S. markets and seventy countries. It maintains the largest following of any syndicated urban radio show. Lee Bailey Communications also produces two other popular daily programs, Inside Gospel and the Hip-Hop Countdown & Report. In addition to radio programming, Lee Bailey Communications has a strong presence on the World Wide Web. BBS Interactive maintains the online publication the Electronic Urban Report, a Web site that shares urban entertainment news.

Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®

 Scope and Contents

This life oral history interview with Lee Bailey was conducted by Julieanna Richardson on 2001-07-23 in Los Angeles, California and is recorded on 4 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Lee Bailey's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.

Accompanying Material

Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.

Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms.

Contributors: Bailey, Lee, 1947- Richardson, Julieanna Stearns, Scott Persons: (PERSONS) Corporate Bodies: (CORPORATE BODIES) Family Names: Bailey Places: (PLACES) Subjects: (SUBJECTS) Document Types: Video oral history interview Titles: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey Restrictions on Access

Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

 Restrictions on Use

All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.

 Location of Originals

Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.

Preferred Citation

The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey, July 23, 2001. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.

 Detailed Description/Tape Listings Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey, Tape 1, July 23, 2001, TRT: 00:26:56. Lee Bailey briefly describes his grandparents, who raised him in rural Georgia during his early childhood. Bailey recalls early memories from his time in Georgia, including family reunions and his penchant for mischief. Bailey talks about developing a distaste for manual labor while working on his grandfather's farm. He says he did not like the work, but cites his grandfather as the major influence on his childhood, as his mother lived in Pittsburgh. Bailey talks about his personality as a child, saying that despite his mischief, he was generally well-mannered and dreamed of becoming a radio announcer while listening to radio drama and black music. He then describes leaving Georgia to move in with his mother in Pittsburgh. Bailey remembers his southern drawl and given first name, Harvey, making him a target for bullies. Bailey explains changing his first name to Lee, to appease a radio station manager. Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey, Tape 2, July 23, 2001, TRT: 00:30:08. Lee Bailey talks about first discovering his unique voice, and describes how his friends used it to help romantic relationships. Bailey remembers being an average student, and says his desire to have a radio career motivated him in high school. He talks about his experience in the U.S. Air Force, and being based in Sacramento, California. Bailey talks about receiving his first experience in a studio while in Sacramento at KPOP, the station which eventually gave him his first on-air job. Bailey describes his nearly instant success at KPOP, where he endeared himself to the locals. He explains how his initial success led to numerous job offers in other markets, including stations in Flint, Michigan, Stockton, California, and Washington, D.C. Bailey explains how he eventually ended up in Los Angeles, becoming a popular on-air personality at several different stations, but most notably at KUTE. Bailey then talks about his disagreements with KUTE owner Frankie Crocker, which eventually caused Bailey to want to leave KUTE. Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey, Tape 3, July 23, 2001, TRT: 00:30:06. Lee Bailey describes losing his job at KUTE radio, and explains how he made a transition into being self-employed. He describes the start of his company, Lee Bailey Productions, and his syndicated program 'RadioScope.' After a discussion about the origins of urban radio, Bailey has detailed discussion about 'RadioScope.' He describes the program's early years, in which he struggled to find sponsors and its eventual success in all of America's major media markets. Bailey then tells of some memorable interviews he conducted for the show, and explains his strategy when interviewing a celebrity. Bailey goes on to talk about other successful programs produced by Lee Bailey Productions, and then talks about his successful online information magazine 'EUR Web.' Bailey discusses the impact of the Internet and multimedia on the radio broadcasting industry. Video Oral History Interview with Lee Bailey, Tape 4, July 23, 2001, TRT: 00:30:45. Lee Bailey talks about the future plans for his business saying he wants to expand to many different platforms. He then talks about the demographics of his Internet publication 'EUR Web,' and discusses his advertising strategy. Bailey then talks about how he keeps up to date with current musical trends, and lists some of his favorite current artists. He reflects on his successful career, discussing how he has been a mentor to young black musicians. Bailey then discusses the current state of urban radio and radio broadcasting in general. Bailey explains why he feels urban radio could be more informative than it is, and discusses possible solutions. He then talks about how the Internet will force the radio broadcasting industry to become more personalized. Bailey also discusses the effects of consolidation on the radio broadcasting industry.