Business

New Orleans Native, Actor Wendell Pierce and Businessmen Troy Henry, Cleveland Spears, And Jeff Thomas Purchase Wbok Talk Radio

NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY — In a groundbreaking business move that will likely shape the landscape of local radio for several years to come, famed actor and New Orleans native, Wendell Pierce, along with business consultant and former mayoral candidate Troy Henry; Cleveland Spears owner of Spears Group Communications Firm, and Think504 owner Jeff Thomas have purchased WBOK Talk Radio. The investment group placed a bid to owners, Los Angeles-based Bakewell Media earlier this year and have now confirmed that the deal has been sealed.

Published

7 years ago

May 5, 2019

Oakland Post

By Data Staff Writers

In a groundbreaking business move that will likely shape the landscape of local radio for several years to come, famed actor and New Orleans native, Wendell Pierce, along with business consultant and former mayoral candidate Troy Henry; Cleveland Spears owner of Spears Group Communications Firm, and Think504 owner Jeff Thomas have purchased WBOK Talk Radio. The investment group placed a bid to owners, Los Angeles-based Bakewell Media earlier this year and have now confirmed that the deal has been sealed.

In an exclusive interview with Data News Weekly publisher Terry Jones, Henry said, “I am looking forward. This will be a good project, working through FCC stuff. It’s exciting. (We) don’t have a specific timeline because we can’t close and transfer ownership without FCC approval, so right now we are continuing our due diligence. We have reached an agreement and are just waiting for final FCC approval.”

Henry further noted, “we will stay with news, talk and add a sports component, which is so important to the New Orleans community. We will reflect on what the station has already done and we hope to take WBOK to the next level. The Bakewells did a great job with the station, but because of them being so far away they decided to sell and we were fortunate enough to make the purchase. This is a business profit-making opportunity. Our first focus will be to hire a new general manager or retain the current general manager, and hire a program director; then have them craft the vision we have for the station and give them the latitude to be creative. Until ownership changes, the format is the same and will stay on the air. We may change the studio location; that is a possibility.”

Henry further explained, giving Data News exclusive information on one of their partnerships, “our relationship with Xavier University will be a critical element for the new station. We will heavily utilize students, internships, and Xavier will have its own time slots. With our new format everyone will be fed news, sports, and talk. We want listeners to stay on WBOK because they will get everything they need. I don’t know that it is our role as a radio station to opinionate, but to provide diversity of thought and prospective, and the audience makes its own decisions.”

Speaking of the financial and historic details surrounding the deal, Henry firmly communicated that the group’s position was to keep the station African-American owned and operated. “We went into this project with no preconceived notions other than we want complete black ownership. Liberty Bank is providing partial financing. We wanted a 100 percent African-American owned station, so both ownership and debt are black owned. The Bakewells have been helpful and forthcoming and very good in all respects. I can’t understate how big Wendell’s vision is and his thought process is for this station,” he said.

This article originally appeared in the New Orleans Data News Weekly.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.