MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It’s a distinct skill to be able to listen, explain, understand and be the voice in a community.

Art Gilliam says sitting at the mic is part of his love language.

He has been a part of the Memphis landscape since he was 6 years old.

Growing up in the trenches of the Civil Rights Movement, Gilliam said he witnessed firsthand the pain, struggles and discrimination happening during the late 1960s.

“Because it was a time that had come for Memphis to be able to present more than just white images, you know, and, particularly in light of what had happened here in Memphis with Dr. King and with the sanitation strike,” he told FOX13.

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Shortly after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Gilliam began writing an op-ed column in The Commercial Appeal and eventually became the weekend anchor at a local TV station. He searched for opportunities to show what was happening every day on the streets of Memphis — but from the perspective of an African-American.

“It was certainly a column that reflected the position of the Black community on such things as the sanitation strike, so that was important to understand,” he said.

Gilliam was the first Black TV reporter in Memphis and the first Black columnist in Memphis but what was missing in the ’70s was a Black voice on radio. He said he visited Federal Communication Commissioner Benjamin Hooks  — the namesake of the Memphis library on Poplar Avenue.

In 1977, Gilliam became the first Black local owner of WLOK 1340AM. Most of its listeners are over 35, but he said the topics typically vary from not only what’s happening across the country and the state but also down to your community.

“We were talking about what’s going on in Minneapolis, Minn., and what the health implications are of a president bringing ICE agents masked into communities with guns,” Gilliam said.

He told FOX13 that the platform allows listeners to be in tune with the community but also voice concerns, ideas and opinions. “There’s a collective wisdom or collective opinions of people, and so their voice also allows you to understand things that you might not have thought about or not even been aware of before,” he said.

He’s been at the helm for almost 50 years, focused on the needs of the community, relating to his audience. He said the station has always had a strong hold with people of color. But as the community evolved, so did WLOK.

He said nowadays, the station is a reflection of the people in the Mid-South.

Gilliam acknowledged the first 50 years at WLOK has been a privilege. Surrounded by trophies, accolades and memories, he said the years have not been easy but added the reward of knowing the impact created over the years is what keeps the 83-year-old man moving forward.

“It’s something I love doing,” he said. “It’s something that I think our community needs, and that’s rewarding to me personally. As well as the others who are our listeners. So no, I’m not done by any means.”