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National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters' "Lifetime Achievement Award"
Michael Jackson will be honored by the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's eighth annual Communications Awards Dinner, March 5 at the Sheraton Washington Hotel in D.C. Jackson's NABOB honor comes just one month after NABOB, which represents African-American radio and television station owners, resolved a boycott against Sony Music Entertainment, citing discriminatory distribution and promotion of Jackson's current Epic album, "Dangerous." ...According to Bob Jones at MJJ Productions, "Michael is very excited about the honor and plans to attend."
Washington Post (March 6, 1992)
It started with 30 photographers, 16 television cameras and crews, dozens of reporters and flacks and children selling Michael Jackson chocolate bars ($2) all crammed into a tiny room at the Sheraton Washington last night to see the music icon receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.
There was a rumor Vice President Dan Quayle was going to drop by, but no one really cared one way or the other. Jesse "The Other" Jackson walked in without a single flashbulb going off. "Explain to me what's going on," he teased. "Is someone running for president?"
PR guys bustled around looking nervous. Everybody watched the blue curtain in the corner of the room. There were introductions and speeches. Then, like the Red Sea, the curtain parted and Michael, looking more and more like his sister Janet every day, floated to the podium.
As usual, there was a lot of anticipation and very little Jackson. His Washington speech record, set during a visit to the White House, is 17 words.
Sotto voce, Jackson thanked the association; its chairman, Pierre Sutton; and Hank Caldwell, senior vice president of black music at Epic records, which has made him very, very, very rich. And then: "I love you very much."
Nineteen words! A new record!
An explosion of flashbulbs.
"Michael! Michael! Right here, please. Michael!"
Michael Jackson whispered something to Jesse Jackson, who motioned his 16-year-old daughter, Jackie, to come onstage. The singer kissed her cheek and Jackie just about fainted. After Michael vanished she collapsed against her father's shoulder. (Later, she described herself as the "ULTIMATE fan. I wish you could see my walls. Oh, my God. My locker. My bathroom ...")
"We've known them for a long time," her father explained. "But somehow there's this fascination with Michael that's otherworldly."
Indeed, Jackson looked a lot less worldly than anyone else at the black-tie affair, opting for his postmodern Diana Ross/Sgt. Pepper get-up: black pants, red military shirt, black jacket with white armband, police badges and huge rhinestone (diamond?) pin, trademark single glove (black, right hand), silver-and-gold belt, and black boots with silver tips and red heels.
But even mega-stars come down to earth once in a while, and NABOB, the trade association of black-owned radio and television stations, was ecstatic to have him drop down for its eighth annual dinner.
"Mr. Jackson would be the first to tell you that he owes the beginning of his career, in large part, to his acceptance by black radio," said James Winston, NABOB's executive director. "The importance of black radio is that it broadens the cultural spectrum which all Americans get a chance to be exposed to."
The reclusive Jackson, of course, disappeared right after the press conference and didn't surface again until the dinner itself, which was -- coincidentally -- closed to the press.
But the 900 people at the pre-dinner reception got a serious dose of star power anyway: singers Al Jarreau and Stevie Wonder; director Spike Lee; former heavyweight champions Muhammad Ali and Michael Spinks; station owners, including Cathy Hughes, owner of WOL and three other local radio stations; and various political types including California's always funky Sen. Alan Cranston, a Jackson fan. "He's a constituent of mine and I'm his senator," he said redundantly.
Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly was there too -- but as the loyal spouse of James Kelly, one of the owners of WKYS-FM.
"Actually, I don't do interviews," he said. "Even about this."
Kelly turned to Skip Finley, president and general manager of the station, who said listeners may tune in to a station just because they like the music but benefit in other ways by minority ownership.
"Most of the black stations provide an inordinate amount of community affairs and community services," he said, "which a station that is black-programmed and owned by whites might not do."
Besides Jackson, NABOB honored Motown President Jheryl Busby, Black Entertainment Television President Robert Johnson, National Council of Negro Women President Dorothy Height, Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) and Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.).
There wasn't a press conference for them. But then, they rarely make anyone faint, after all.