the OWNERS
Louisville Black Media represents a renewed commitment to preserving and advancing the legacy of African American radio in Louisville through strong local ownership, community investment, and forward-thinking media innovation.
The company acquired WLOU 104.7 FM JAMZ and WLLV 101.9 FM with the vision of returning two of Louisville’s most historic radio stations to leadership rooted directly within the community they serve.
The ownership group is led by Archie Dale, longtime broadcasting executive and current CEO of WLLV & WLOU, alongside respected community and business leaders including Bill Price, Kevin D. Bruce, and Dr. Swannie Jett. Together, the group brings decades of experience in broadcasting, business development, healthcare leadership, community empowerment, and cultural engagement.
The acquisition reflects more than a business transaction — it represents an investment in preserving Black media ownership, amplifying community voices, and creating long-term opportunities for future generations through modern broadcasting and multimedia development.
As part of its long-term vision, Louisville Black Media plans to expand beyond traditional radio into digital media production, podcasting, original programming, and the development of an Innovative Multi-Media Studio designed to serve as a hub for creativity, storytelling, and community collaboration in West Louisville.
Through local ownership and strategic community partnerships, Louisville Black Media remains committed to strengthening the cultural and economic impact of media within the city while honoring the legacy that made WLOU and WLLV trusted voices for generations.
Argie Dale
—CEO of WLLV & WLOU
Argie “Archie” Dale Sr. is the CEO of WLOU & WLLV and one of Louisville’s most respected radio pioneers and business entrepreneurs. Raised in Shelbyville, Kentucky, he has dedicated more than four decades to shaping, elevating, and innovating media across multiple markets.
A legendary figure in radio, Archie has built a distinguished career as an announcer, sales manager, general manager, and station owner. His leadership and vision have left a lasting imprint on Louisville’s broadcast landscape and the national gospel music community.
Career Milestones & Historic Achievements
• First Black owner of a radio station in Kentuckiana — WDGS, 1979
• Second Black owner of a radio station in Kentucky — WLLV, now the region’s premier Gospel station
• First to introduce 24‑hour Gospel radio to Kentuckiana through WDGS in New Albany, Indiana
• Expanded the 24‑hour Gospel format to Nashville (TN), Kansas City (MO), and Pittsburgh (PA) due to its overwhelming popularity
• Performed as a singer and guitarist with the world‑famous Five Blind Boys of Jackson, Mississippi (1970–1973)
• Founder of the nationally recognized Archie Dale & The Tones of Joy (1968–present), a group that has recorded 15 LPs/CDs with major gospel labels including Jewell, Nashboro, and Born Again Records
Leadership at WLOU
Archie is now leading WLOU, Louisville’s heritage station, back to its original “Soul of Louisville” identity. His mission is to restore the station’s cultural legacy and strengthen its connection to the community by positioning WLOU as “The People’s Station.”
Kevin Bruce
Senior Vice President of Operations, WLOU & WLLV
Kevin Bruce is the Senior Vice President of Operations for WLOU and WLLV. A proud Louisville, Kentucky native, he is a graduate of Seneca High School and the University of Louisville.
Kevin began his career serving the community as a social worker in both public and private sectors. He later spent three years with Jefferson County Public Schools as a Home School Coordinator, strengthening family engagement and student support.
Kevin is also the Owner and President of the Bruce Insurance Group, where he holds all four Kentucky insurance licenses along with his Series 6 and Series 63 credentials in financial services. His firm represents nine top‑rated insurance companies and manages more than $2 million in annual premiums.
A committed community leader, Kevin is active in numerous organizations, including:
• 100 Black Men of Louisville
• Black Achievers — Steering Committee member and Senior Cluster Leader
• Park DuValle Community Health Center — Chairman, Board of Directors
• Bearing Oil Ministries Fellowship International — Board of Directors
• Louisville Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (LAIFA) - Past President
• Mt. Moriah Lodge #1 F&AM PHA - Past Master
• KY/TN Future All Stars Annual Football Game - Coach
• Kentucky Football Officials Association - High School Referee (2017-2018)
Kevin has been recognized as:
Adult Achiever of the Year (2024)
Adult Achiever, Black Achievers
Honoree in Who’s Who in Black Louisville
Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
YMCA Volunteer of the year 2011
Alongside his wife, Tonya, Kevin pastors C’Beyond Life Center and leads the nonprofit C’Beyond Ministries, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to community uplift and spiritual development.
Kevin and Tonya are the proud parents of three adult children—Shelton, Kevin Jr., and Nakia—and grandparents to Sheriah and Kevin III.
DR. Swannie jett
Senior Vice President of Marketing & Media, WLOU & WLLV
Dr. Swannie Jett — Senior Vice President of Marketing & Media, WLOU & WLLV
SWANNIE JETT, DrPH, MSc, was selected as the new CEO of Park DuValle
Community Health Center in August 2021. Dr. Jett, most recent appointment were as Health Commissioner for the Brookline Department of Health in Brookline, MA in 2017. Dr. Jett was the Health Officer/Surgeon General for Seminole County, Florida from 2013-16, and the Health Officer of Bullitt County Health Department in Kentucky from 2009-to 2013.
Dr. Jett is passionate about improving communities and addressing issues involving the Social Determinants of Health such as housing, women’s health services, men’s health, tobacco, homelessness, gun violence, climate change, and health inequities.
Currently, Dr. Jett is retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force National Guard. His last assignment was in Senegal, Africa assisting with the Ebola Virus Outbreak. Dr. Jett is a national leader in public health as the Past President of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). He is an honorary member of Kentucky’s Delta Omega Public Health Society. Dr. Jett has an 11-Time Telly award-winning TV show called CEO Live Talks which airs on Wave 3 on Saturdays.
In 2011, he completed the National Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received the Bronze Star Medal for serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006 to 2008. Dr. Jett received a Mayor’s Citation in 2005 from the Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky for his distinguished service and contribution to the betterment of the city and its people. Dr. Jett is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Dr. Jett holds a Doctor of Public Health with an emphasis in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Science degree from the University of Tennessee in Biosystems engineering, a Master of Health Care Administration from Suffolk University, and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Statistics from Tennessee State University. He’s also a graduate of Air War College.
Bill Price
Bill Price has been at the forefront of urban radio in Louisville for more than five decades, having served as Program Director, Operations Manager and Stellar-award winning General Manager for WLOU, the Mid-Market Station of the Year. Price’s legendary career includes stints at Clear Channel, Cox Broadcasting, Johnson Publishing Company and Blue Chip Radio.
WLOU was the number one radio station in the Louisville market multiple times, and was consistently a top-five rated radio station across the country with Price as Program Director. WLOU shared those honors with urban stations in Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.
WLOU in 2001 under General Manager Archie Dale and Bill Price because one of the top billing radio stations in the Mortenson radio chain, billing over a million dollars a year. Dale and Price created the largest street fair in West Louisville history, running three days, for 10 blocks on west Broadway, from 22nd Street to 34th Street, drawing 40,000 people from around the country.
In 2012, as a gospel radio station, WLOU won the coveted Stellar Award for Mid-Market Station of the Year. At the same time, the radio station changed its broadcast frequency reach from AM to FM, Additionally, WLOU broke new ground by adding the Tom Joyner Morning Station to its gospel line-up. Price dubbed the new hybrid format, Rhythm & Gospel.
His civic involvement spreads throughout Louisville where he has lent support to numerous causes, including the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Radio-Thon; the Louisville Arts
Council; Kentucky African Americans Against Cancer, the West Louisville Performing Arts Academy, and the Norton Healthcare Advisory Board. Price is featured in the book, Louisville Historic Black Neighborhoods (Images of America). The Kentucky-Indiana Stroke Association named him a Man of the Year.
Price is married to Angela Lee Price. She has been part of most of the radio enterprises he has operated for more than 25 years. They have two adult sons, Jonathan and Brandon, their wives,
Brittany and Allison, and four grandkids.
Price says radio will continue to thrive because it has a closer connection to the community. We are the pulse of the community. It’s by design. That’s what we want. That’s what we do.”