Roy Wood Sr.

In 1972, Wood co-founded the National Black Network (NBN), the first Black-owned radio network. As National News Director and Vice President, he was responsible for recruiting newsroom talent

In 1971 and 1972, Wood was a professor at Malcolm X College in Chicago, where he taught journalism and broadcast speech. Wood was an associate professor in the School of Communications at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He also lectured at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and at his alma mater, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

From July 1968 to June 1970, Wood was at Channel 26 TV in Chicago, where he produced and was the anchor on the Western Electric-sponsored Black's View on the News. During this time, from 1968 to 1971, he also wrote and produced the radio documentary series Footsteps to Democracy.

From April 1963 to May 1972, Wood was news director and editorialist at WVON Radio in Chicago. Wood was a notable newsman at the radio station. During this time, Wood reported on the experiences of Black platoons in the Vietnam War, and the racism they encountered, and often brought news back to loved ones in the Chicago area trying to reach their deployed soldiers.

From October 1961 to April 1963, Wood was a news reporter at Chicago's WYNR radio.

From July 1959 to October 1961, Wood was a staff announcer and personality on WGES Radio in Chicago.

From July 1957 to June 1959, Wood worked as a staff announcer at WHFC radio in Chicago, a foreign language station.

From December 1954 to June 1957, Wood was program director and DJ at KATZ (AM) in St. Louis, Missouri.

From November 1953 to December 1954, Wood was a disc jockey at WJLD-AM/WJLD-FM in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the first Black radio deejay at the station.

From July 1950 to October 1953, Wood was staff announcer at WIBC radio in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was the first African American to hold an announcer position on a major network affiliate of Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS). In addition to weekend evening newscasts, he hosted record shows and was part of the radio serial, The Oldtimer.

From April 1949 to July 1950, in his first full-time job in radio, Wood was staff announcer at WJVA in Mishawaka, Indiana on the morning sign on show, Sunrise Serenade.

In 1937, Wood received a B.A. from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1946, Wood received an M.A. in Communications from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He later studied at Columbia College Chicago's College of Fine Arts in Radio Announcing and Newscasting.

In 1932, at the age of 17 years old, Wood began his career in journalism working for Jack L. Cooper in Chicago.

Roy Norris Wood Sr. (September 15, 1915 – October 15, 1995) was an African American radio pioneer, civil rights journalist, commentator, college professor, and entrepreneur. Wood was the host of the nationally syndicated TV show Black's View on the News. He was a co-founder of the National Black Network, one of the first broadcast networks to produce programming specifically for African Americans.

Wood was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Rosalie N. (Latimer) and Roy Wood, Sr. Wood's father, a physician, died when he was three years old. His mother, who attended Morris Brown University, was one of the first female black CPAs in the state of Georgia. His great-great-grandfather, Sam Wood, was born c. 1790 in Africa. Wood grew up in Chicago.