After 12 years on air, WSAN Radio founder Ronald Gordon continues amplifying community voices, connecting San Antonio through music, conversation and service.
SAN ANTONIO — Before sunrise each morning, Ronald Allen Gordon turns on his microphone and begins broadcasting from inside his home — playing music, interviewing guests and connecting listeners across San Antonio and beyond.
What started as frustration with local radio programming has grown into WSAN Radio, an online station Gordon created 12 years ago to give communities a stronger voice.
“I listened to one station here in San Antonio, and they played the same song four times in one hour,” Gordon said. “There’s too much good music out there just to play that.”
Rather than complain, Gordon decided to build his own station.
Inspired by the past
Gordon said he looked to the history of Black radio — particularly stations of the 1960s — where broadcasters served as trusted community voices.
“I went back and thought about how radio was in the ’60s,” he said. “This is not different from what they did. I’m just taking what they did and doing it today.”
He first launched the station under the name Lounge 59 before rebranding it as WSAN Radio about five years ago.
Initially focused on music, Gordon soon began adding interviews after realizing radio could do more than entertain. He now researches topics beforehand to create deeper conversations about issues affecting listeners, including mental health, voting, finance and entrepreneurship.
“I’ll talk to a photographer one day, mental health the next, somebody with a beauty pageant the next,” Gordon said.
The approach reflects his belief that modern radio should rebuild the grassroots connections communities once relied on.
“We’re missing that grassroots connection,” he said. “We need to bring that caring back because we need to look out for each other.”
Finding his voice
Gordon never expected to become a broadcaster.
A trained electrician with eight Microsoft certifications, he previously ran home improvement and computer businesses and described himself as a lifelong entrepreneur.
Public speaking once felt impossible.
“I had a bad stuttering problem,” he said. “I was picked on. I was told I would never be nothing. When I picked up the mic a couple of times, it went away.”
Today, he jokes the microphone is always on — even when he’s off air.
His weekday Ron G Morning Show, airing from 7 to 10 a.m., blends old-school R&B with spontaneous conversations and community discussions.
Listeners might hear Anita Baker, The Temptations or Roberta Flack alongside interviews with local leaders, artists and small-business owners.
“When I found out I had 10 listeners, I said, ‘Wow, somebody out there likes what I’m doing,’” Gordon said. “Then it went up to 20, then 100.”
The station now reaches about 40,000 listeners online.
More than music
WSAN Radio operates largely through Gordon’s personal funding, but its programming has expanded into a full community platform.
The station airs gospel music Sunday mornings, contemporary R&B programming, jazz shows and local artists on Saturdays and an upcoming “Soul Town Saturdays” feature.
Gordon also hosts live remote broadcasts and community events, including a recurring marketplace called “Rebuilding Black Wall Street — One Vendor at a Time,” designed alongside Schertz restaurant, A Chicago Bite, to promote local entrepreneurs. Recent events have nearly sold out.
“This radio station is self-funded. I pay for everything,” Gordon said.
He hopes to eventually move into a permanent building where aspiring broadcasters — particularly young people — can host their own shows.
“My five-year plan is to have a staff,” he said. “I want youngsters in there so they can continue doing things.”
A team effort
WSAN Radio’s mission extends beyond Gordon.
Sharon Bell-Moses hosts the weekly podcast What’s Happening San Antonio, airing Tuesdays at 1 p.m., where she highlights local restaurants, events and small businesses across the region.
“I tell people what’s going on in San Antonio,” Bell-Moses said. “A lot of people say there’s nothing to do here — I beg to differ.”
Bell-Moses said the show also serves people who may not be able to attend events themselves.
“For people who do not leave their home, maybe can’t afford to leave their home, they can watch my Facebook Live and get the joy that I get from going to these places,” she said.
She often encourages viewers to explore alongside her.
“Some people don’t like to go out by themselves,” she said. “I tell them, come join me, come sit at my table.”
Marketing director Keyonia Herring said working with WSAN Radio helped her discover her own confidence and purpose.
A Prairie View A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology who recently earned her MBA from Lamar University, Herring said the station gave her a platform to grow professionally while serving the community.
“It really exposed me to community — loving the community,” Herring said. “WSAN Radio allows entrepreneurs and small business owners to really have a voice and be their bold, authentic self.”
She believes visibility is one of the station’s greatest impacts.
“There’s a lot of hidden gems here in San Antonio that nobody knows about,” Herring said. “Visibility is important.”
Building a legacy
Gordon views WSAN Radio as part of a larger legacy — one rooted in service rather than entertainment alone.
“History is already being written,” he said. “When I wake up in the morning, it’s history.”
He said the goal is simple: strengthen local connections and empower residents to support one another.
“Forget about Washington,” Gordon said. “We can’t do nothing up there — but we can take care of our own home, our own community.”
A fundraiser to support new equipment and future expansion is scheduled for March 15 at A Chicago Bite in Schertz as Gordon continues working to grow WSAN Radio and expand opportunities for future broadcasters.
For Gordon, the mission remains clear.
Radio, he said, isn’t just sound.
It’s service.