ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFTS) — For nearly a decade, Eddie Maultsby's voice has been a cornerstone of South St. Petersburg's airwaves. Known on-air as "DJ Eddie," the blind broadcaster has spent years lifting spirits through gospel mornings and R&B afternoons on Black Power 96 FM, spotlighting local talent and uniting a community that still believes in the power of radio.
But for the past 10 days, his broadcast booth has sat silent.
"We've been off-air for a while. I can't play music and do what I'm used to doing, and that's just disappointing for me and the community, because I love the community," Maultsby said, running his hands across the mixing board that once carried his voice across the airwaves.
The culprit is a broken Allen & Heath XB-14 broadcast board, the station's main control console. Without it, Black Power 96 cannot transmit to FM, leaving thousands of listeners disconnected from one of South St. Pete's only community-run radio stations.
"This board runs about $2,500 up to $4,000," he explained. "I've trained myself to use it. I actually train other DJs that come here. It breaks my heart that I can't do what I need to do."
Maultsby's daily routine has been disrupted by the equipment failure. In the morning, he broadcasts gospel from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
"I want people to start off with their mind on Jesus, just starting their day, lifting up the community," he said. "And then I do a 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock midday cafe where I play R&B and even some more lifting type of music."
The broken board has special preview buttons that allow him to check microphones and preview songs before they go on air — features essential for a blind broadcaster.
"When the audience is listening to Whitney Houston, I'm already playing something from James Brown," he explained, demonstrating how he would use the preview function.
The station's struggles deepened when a $37,000 grant, already approved and signed by the county, was suddenly revoked before funds were released.
"The county approved the grant, and we signed the contract for the grant, and when it came time to issue the check, they revoked the grant," Maultsby said. "That really broke my heart, because it was going to get equipment for accessibility, because I'm blind. I have to have things to talk to me and AI to interact with what I'm doing."
The grant would have provided crucial accessibility tools that help Maultsby navigate his role as a blind station manager, including text-to-speech technology and other adaptive equipment.
Still, he remains optimistic and determined.
"I tell my listeners all the time: I'm going to do what I can, while I can, search my heart and do my part to keep this station going," he said. "I just want to be that beacon of light for people to see even though I can't see."
Maultsby got emotional as he talked about his love for the job.
"You don't know how many people call and say that I made their day. Even if I'm at the store, they say, 'Hey, you DJ Eddie, man. I want to appreciate you. How you lift me up in the mornings with the gospel and the spiritual.' I found something that I love to do, and it makes me happy that I'm reaching out to the community."
For Maultsby, his blindness has become part of his mission to inspire others.
"I want to be that beacon of light for people to see and say, look at the blind guy and what he's done, what he's accomplished," he said.
Black Power 96 FM operates entirely on community donations. Twice a year, in February and July, the station holds fundraising drives to keep the lights and microphones on.
"$10,000 is our goal. We normally make our goal. This July we came up short, about $8,100. Then we had to do the upgrade," Maultsby said, referring to a mandatory FCC emergency broadcast system upgrade that cost over $2,000. "And then this board went out."
The timing couldn't have been worse.
"The station is solely funded by the community. We could not do this without the community," he said. "There's a lot of people in the community that can't afford internet, can't afford a lot of things. So radio really is viable in South St Pete area for people that can't afford to get community radio and get the news."
Listeners call, stop by the studio, and sometimes even knock on the door to check in.
"The local artists call. 'Eddie, are you doing the local artists show?' Every Friday at 5 is when I do it, and I say, I can't, I can't do it. And they, of course, they're upset," he said.
Before he ever took to the airwaves, Maultsby was known as the man singing on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.
"I've been in the community singing downtown for like 35 years in front of a store called McCrory's," he recalled. "I started when I was 23 and I kept going until I was about 50. I sung all day long from 8 o'clock to 5 in the evening. People stopped by, gave change, gave dollars to raise a family."
As he got older, the physical demands became too much.
"After I turned 50, it's like, what can I do? And this station came along, and I heard the station. I said, 'You know what? I think I could be a DJ.' And I came in and they said, 'You're blind.' I said, 'Yes.' And they said, 'Well, how can you do it?' I said, 'Just give me a chance.' And they did," he said with a smile. "And they say now it's the best decision they made."
Despite initial skepticism about his blindness, Maultsby proved his capabilities and was promoted to station manager two years later.
"I thought when I became assistant manager, I said, that was it. 'Okay, Eddie, you've done all you can do,' because we all have goals in our lives, and we want to reach our peak," he said. "And two and a half years later, the owner said, 'No, we want you to be the station manager. We love your vision.' Imagine that."
Maultsby's show Local Going Global gives independent musicians something he once struggled to find himself: airtime.
"As a young artist myself, playing downtown, playing the guitar, I spent $1,000 back in 1983 just to get a 45 single," he said. "And I would take it to the radio stations. They might play it once or twice, and that was it. So when I came here, my biggest thing was to give local artists airtime."
He gestures to the shelves behind him, stacked with CDs.
"All of these CDs you see here on this rack, these are local artists. All of these are local artists from all over the country, even Africa," he said. "That's what this board being down has affected. It's more than just me. It's the community."
When asked about serving South St. Pete's underserved community, Maultsby calls his station "the little big station."
"It's the voice for the little guy. For people who need to be heard," he said. "I spend 10 to 13 hours a day here, except for Saturdays, but I'm here every day communicating with the community. It really breaks my heart that I can't do what I need to do."
Black Power 96 FM is calling on the community to help get back on air. Donations can be made directly here.
"This is more than just a radio station," Maultsby said. "And right now, that voice needs your help."
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