Ken Hamblin
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Ken Loronzo Hamblin II (born October 22, 1940), the self-titled ''Black Avenger'', was host of the ''Ken Hamblin Show'', which was syndicated nationally on Entertainment Radio Networks. His show peaked in the 1990s, but he left the air, without warning, in July 2003 due to a contractual dispute with his syndicator, the American Views Radio Network. Hamblin, based in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, is the author of the books ''Pick a Better Country: An Unassuming Colored Guy Speaks His Mind about America'' and ''Plain Talk and Common Sense from the Black Avenger''.


Early career

The child of immigrant parents from
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...
, Hamblin is a policeman's son. He served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
's
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
before becoming a photographer for the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...
''. In the late 1960s Hamblin was a producer and film cameraman with the public television channel in Detroit, WTVS, Channel 56. An event Hamblin captured exclusively was the release of poet John Sinclair from prison after serving time for marijuana possession. Hamblin began his radio career in the 1970s. Hamblin has said he was once sympathetic to the radical
left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album '' Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * ...
, including the
Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
, and gave them favorable coverage. He eventually came to the opinion the left had failed to bring about the type of America it spoke of, and he began to move to the
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
side of the
spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...
. Hamblin is a licensed fixed-wing pilot and a motorcycle owner. He is a father and grandfather.


''The Ken Hamblin Show''

Hamblin had a long-running local talk program on powerful
KOA KOA (short for Kampgrounds of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. It was founded in ...
radio in Denver, a
clear-channel station A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-co ...
heard across the western and central United States. Hamblin hosted the early evening shift, which he worked the evening of June 18, 1984, when
Alan Berg Alan Harrison Berg (January 18, 1934 – June 18, 1984) was an American talk radio show host in Denver, Colorado. Born to a Jewish family, he had outspoken atheistic and liberal views and a confrontational interview style. Berg was murdered b ...
, one of the station's biggest and most controversial hosts, was gunned down. He gained national attention when his show, then carried on another Denver radio station, was broadcast on
C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
during the early 1990s. He was heard on
KNUS KNUS (710 AM) is a News/Talk radio station licensed in the city of Denver, Colorado. The station serves the Denver/Boulder Metropolitan area. 710 KNUS is owned and operated by Salem Media Group under licensee Salem Media of Colorado, Inc. and fe ...
and KXKL radio in Denver, as well as across the nation. After his show was syndicated, he was heard across the United States on about 200 radio stations. In 1999, Hamblin was named one of Colorado's Top 100 most influential media personalities. Hamblin's show had several unique features: playing various versions of the "
Star Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...
" at the beginning of the show; playing " Taps" for fallen law enforcement officers; announcing the execution of convicts on
death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ...
, often with a clip from the movie ''
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
'', saying "It's a hell of a thing killin' a man; you take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have." The execution segment was notable for having "
Another One Bites the Dust "Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album '' The Game'' (1980). It was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the US ''Bil ...
", sung by
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
. Hamblin frequently referred to liberals as "Egg-sucking dogs", and sometimes challenged listeners to call in to, "Name one major American city that improved morally, socially, and economically after the city elected a liberal
black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
mayor ('You can't do it')". He has also been an outspoken critic of Louis Farrakan and the
Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
, challenging those unhappy with the United States to "pick a better country" and go live there.


Life after leaving public life

As of 2010, Hamblin was reported to be living in Douglas County,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
and now spends much of his time traveling with his wife Sue.


See also

*
Black conservatism in the United States Black conservatism in the United States is a political and social movement rooted in communities of African descent that aligns largely with the American conservative movement, including the Christian right. Black conservatism emphasizes socia ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamblin, Ken American talk radio hosts Writers from Denver 1940 births Living people African-American radio personalities African-American writers American writers American conservative talk radio hosts Radio personalities from New York City Radio personalities from Detroit Writers from New York City Writers from Detroit 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people