By: Trey Dallas

Kevin Perry sits at his desk inside the Perry Publishing office building in Downtown Oklahoma City, OK. PHOTO: Trey Dallas

Kevin Perry considers himself a blessed, lucky man. 

One might look at his title of President of the Perry Publishing and Broadcasting company and agree that he is blessed and lucky based on position alone. But for Perry, his assessment of his life is not solely based on his current position with his company. Along with his role within the company, Perry considers himself blessed and lucky because he has the opportunity to work with his dad every day. 

“I always wanted to work for my dad. My dad is my best friend,” Perry said. 

Upon graduation from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA in 1993, Perry was given the opportunity that he always wanted. 

In 1979, Russell M. Perry, Kevin’s father, created Perry Publishing by issuing the first edition of the Black Chronicle newspaper in Oklahoma City, OK. After years of growth, Russell purchased an Oklahoma City-based radio station in 1993, and Perry Publishing and Broadcasting was born. When Kevin returned to Oklahoma, Russell assigned him to a sales role for the company.

“He told me ‘Don’t worry about writing an article. Don’t worry about being able to cut a commercial or being a DJ. The only thing you need to be worried about is being able to go out and get revenue.’ He wasn’t talking about borrowing money. He was talking about going out and getting advertising and sponsorship dollars,” Kevin Perry said. 

The partnership was born, and the company began to take off. The Black Chronicle has grown to service the entire state of Oklahoma through thousands of subscribers and the company is home to multiple FM radio stations. 

The Black Chronicle has begun to delve into the world of online media and transitioning their product to a digital format. But Kevin believes there are many years ahead before the physical copy of the Black Chronicle becomes obsolete. 

“Still to this day, a majority of our subscribers are still wanting the hard copy of our paper. The main reason for that is the age of our subscriber base,” Perry said. 

One of the aspects that Perry is most proud of with his company, specifically with the workings of the Black Chronicle is the role the company has in telling the news and keeping subscribers and listeners informed. Especially during moments in time where a bias one way would be expected from a newspaper run by African Americans. 

“I think back to the death of George Floyd and the Summer of 2020. There is a responsibility of any press to print the truth without their personal views getting in the way. Which sometimes is hard,” Perry said. 

“I believe in supporting local journalism. And I think the Black Chronicle does a great job of producing stories that are factually correct as well as informative. It is also nice to hear about certain stories that might not be published in a paper like the Daily Oklahoman,” says Karin Dallas, a subscriber to the Black Chronicle.

Perry knows the buck stops with him and his dad, and he receives countless phone calls about what gets published in the Chronicle. But he still believes in good journalism and keeping people informed. He believes biases and personal opinions are meant to reside in the editorial section of the paper. 

Perry has been in the position of president for the past five years. He still sees his dad every day at work and is extremely grateful to this day for the opportunities that have been given to him from his dad. 

“You mean I get to get information, disseminate it, entertain, tell folks where to go when they need help? Oh man, what an honor. And I’m working for my dad. What bigger blessing can I ask for? That’s all I ever wanted.”