Meet
Brother Sam

Samuel B. Tate is a distinguished broadcaster, international broadcast consultant, educator, aviator, and U.S. Army veteran whose career spans more than six decades. Raised on a farm, he demonstrated an early aptitude for leadership, serving as National President of the New Farmers of America from 1962 to 1963.

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Tate earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and Economics from North Carolina A&T State University. While still a student, he launched his broadcasting career in 1964 at WEAL Radio in Greensboro, North Carolina. He later served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971. 

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Following several years as a salesman with Xerox Corporation, Tate returned home to join the North Carolina Community College System. Over more than 16 years in educational administration, he held several leadership roles, including Dean of Continuing Education.

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In 1982, Tate received a license from the Federal Communications Commission to build and operate a radio station in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. He went on to establish WOIX, the town’s first radio station, above Mystery Hill. Since 1992, he has produced and hosted Gospel Gems, a nationally and internationally syndicated program devoted to classic Black gospel music that has aired on approximately 78 stations, and the Internet. His other productions include The Young World Radio Show, a program created for youth, and Flashback, created by and for today’s seniors.

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Tate’s broadcasting expertise has also taken him abroad. In Nigeria, he served as a missionary broadcast consultant, assisting Archbishop Dr. Benson Idahosa in pursuing a radio frequency. In Belize, he helped a local minister establish a broadcast ministry in partnership with area radio stations. Together, these assignments extended his commitment to community-centered broadcasting beyond the United States.

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Licensed as a pilot since 1970, Tate is a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings and a former FAA-certified flight instructor. His commitment to expanding aviation opportunities for underrepresented young people complements his work as founder and chief executive officer of Mt. Dora’s Retreat.

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In October 2023, Our Legacies Foundation chronicled Tate’s life and legacy in the eBook When I’m Not on the Air, I’m in the Air, a project that preceded My Life on Air: The Sam Tate Story. His experiences as a radio announcer, educator, North Carolinian, and pilot have also been featured in an exhibition at the Blowing Rock Arts Museum. Known to listeners as the legendary “Brother Sam Tate,” he has built a multifaceted legacy of purpose, innovation, and service across broadcasting, education, and aviation.