The first MIT student broadcasting station was originally signed on in 1946 as WMIT, becoming WTBS 88.1 FM in 1961. After seeing a need in radio for the Boston black community, Black Students' Union members created a show called The Ghetto between 1969 and 1970.

The soul-music radio program was run by black MIT students and gained popularity in the Cambridge/Boston area. Show creators James “JC” Edmond Clark ’76, SM '81 and Waayl Ahmad Salih ’72, SM/EAA ‘73 named The Ghetto radio show after Donny Hathaway’s 1970 song. Their faculty advisor was longtime MIT electrical-engineering professor Amar Bose ‘51, founder of the Bose company.

Clark worked as the show's producer and did stints as station general manager and program director. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (Course VI) in 1976 and an MS in Management in 1981. Clark formerly served as the 12th president of South Carolina State University.