At 88 years young, media executive and broadcast legend Dr. Shelley Stewart announces the launch of the podcast, "Shelley's Plumbline." The show blends fresh commentary from Dr. Stewart with clips from his archive of more than 3,000 shows spanning his 53-year career in radio broadcasting. Stewart hopes the podcast will open channels of communication and understanding while searching for truth on tough social topics.

Stewart’s storied career includes spending more than fifty years behind the microphone and over 70 years as a champion of human rights. His career includes time as a radio personality, where he helped the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders disseminate key planning information about demonstrations. As a TV talk show host, he openly discusses tough topics with the Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan.

He eventually became the owner of the radio station WATV and the advertising agency o2ideas. Stewart also authored two books, The Road South: A Memoir and Mattie C.'s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story, which retells his life story in vivid detail, following his beginning as a homeless child at seven years of age to his rise to business success.

Shelley hopes the podcast will have a tangible impact on communities, the nation, and the world, as it plumbs for the truths in the midst of society’s most challenging problems.

"You see, there is this side, that side, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle," said Stewart.

After listening to several shows from the archive, Stewart and his production team couldn’t help but notice the irony that 30 to 40 years after their original broadcast date, society still faces similar challenges today. While controversial issues, such as human rights, gender equality, AIDS, youth, and homelessness, remain top world problems, Shelley's Plumbline will acknowledge the similarities and differences between the past and present and lead the audience to thoughtful introspection while providing resources for those interested in pursuing more knowledge and solutions to these challenging issues.

But that's not all.

"We have interviews with legends, such as Eddie Kendricks, Fred Shuttlesworth, Hosea Williams, and Steve Harvey,” said Dr. Stewart. “Some episodes will share oldies, but goldies hits, and some will even explore comedy," he said. “We want to connect with people and keep our listeners engaged whether we are discussing tough topics or the golden age of Motown."

Shelley's Plumbline premieres April 20 on Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart Radio and will release episodes weekly on Wednesdays.

Born in the early 1930s in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Shelley Stewart became a major voice in the fight for civil rights.

When Stewart was a teenager, his gift for speaking earned him a spot as a radio talk show host, incredibly, for that time in history, at a white-owned station. Yet his popularity continued to grow, landing him gigs as a disc jockey and an emcee for other stations and at popular event venues in the Birmingham area and further afield.

Stewart eventually became co-owner of station WATV-AM, and in the 1960s during the height of the civil rights movement, he used his platform and influence to support numerous activists and equal rights causes.

The city of Birmingham will honor civil rights leader, veteran radio broadcaster and advertising executive Dr. Shelley Stewart during its annual “AWAKEN Birmingham” event this Friday. Held during the week of the Magic City Classic, AWAKEN celebrates the legacy of community leaders and activists who have shaped the city of Birmingham.