Best known as the founder of WGPR (the first Black-owned and operated television network in the US), William Venoid Banks broke barriers not just for himself, but for the Black community as a whole, opening the door for talented people of color across Detroit and beyond.

A man of many talents (pastor, civil rights organizer, and attorney), William’s true genius was in knowing how to build institutions from the ground up.

After completing degrees in theology and law, he relocated to Detroit seeking not just opportunity in the face of the Great Migration, but ownership, seeing firsthand how Black Detroiters were so often left out of the mainstream media.

However, rather than begging for a seat at the table, Banks decided to topple it over and create his own.

William founded WGPR-FM 107.5 in 1964, which became Detroit’s first Black-owned radio station.

He immediately hired an all-Black staff and delivered authentic programming that reflected the city’s Black community.

But Banks didn’t stop there.

A decade later, in 1975, he launched WGPR-TV 62, the nation’s first Black-owned and operated TV station.

Needless to say, it was a move that shook everything up.

Networks didn’t want to touch it.

Investors didn’t see any value in it.

And yet, Banks pushed forward all the same, firmly believing in the overlooked talent of his community even in the face of so many doubters.

WGPR-TV 62 thrived.

The network went on to produce everything from local news programs to cultural touchstone shows to shows like “The Scene,” a groundbreaking dance program that quickly became a Detroit cult classic.

The best part?

It gave up and coming Black producers, technicians, hosts, and journalists a platform to succeed at a time when no other television station would let them through the door.

In short: Banks wasn’t just creating content–he was jumpstarting successful careers–always insisting that WGPR stay firmly rooted in Detroit.

A high-ranking member of the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons who took great pride in keeping his operations Black-owned, Black-run, and mission-focused, Banks also founded a number of philanthropic and civic organizations that proudly supported and uplifted Black entrepreneurs and the working class alike.

His legacy wasn’t just media, it was people.

He understood that representation without the proper resources in place to support it would never work…so he pushed forward and created them himself, empowering others to launch their own ventures in the process.

WGPR-TV continued to operate until it was sold to CBS in 1995, becoming Detroit’s CBS affiliate a decade after Banks passed away in 1985.

In 2017, the original WGPR-TV studios became home to the WGPR-TV Historical Society and Museum, preserving Banks’ pioneering work and honoring the countless lives shaped by his vision.

WGPR-FM 107.5 remains under Black ownership to this day, an enduring testament to Banks’ belief in claiming power rather than waiting for it to be granted.

He is remembered as Detroit’s broadcast revolutionary–a man who gave Black voices the mic and the station to speak from.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 20, 2025