Why He’s Interesting: When Darvio Morrow started First Class Broadcasting, he did so in the hopes of creating a unique audio conglomerate in Cleveland’s market. Now, some 17 years later, Morrow’s First Class Broadcasting is one of the city’s crown jewels in the audio space with four radio stations, a podcast network and a publishing deal with Sony Records.
Podcast Pros: You can hear Morrow weighing in on big issues, on some of FCB’s podcasts. He’s a co-host of The Outlaws, where he regularly discusses local and national politics, music, big news headlines and Black culture in Cleveland — and brings on guests for in-depth interviews.
On The Air: While Morrow first started laying the groundwork to make FCB a reality in 2003, he knew he wanted it to exist as a digital station — an idea that seemed foreign to so many people at the time. “The early years were like the Wild West,” Morrow says. “There were some difficulties just because the marketplace didn’t understand what we were doing, but people get it now.”
Put On For My City: While Morrow has had offers to take FCB to bigger cities, he’s made a conscious effort to keep the station based in Cleveland, as he feels the city helps him build content that the average citizen would want to hear. That said, he still has plans to help put Cleveland on the broadcasting map, as the heart of a growing media company. “My blueprint is what Turner Broadcasting did in Atlanta. When they started, Atlanta wasn’t that big, but they grew and it helped the city grow,” Morrow says. “I wanted FCB to be as impactful in Cleveland. My ultimate goal is to have a national media conglomerate based out of Cleveland.”
19: The age Morrow was when he started FCB.
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