Everett Parker

Everett Carlton Parker (January 17, 1913 – September 17, 2015) was an American media activist and ordained minister of the United Church of Christ.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Parker attended the University of Chicago. Upon graduation in 1935, he spent a year with the Works Progress Administration, then another with the radio station WJBW. After returning to his hometown for a job as an advertiser, Parker enrolled at the Chicago Theological Seminary, earning a Ph.D. in 1943. He reentered the media world with a stint at NBC in New York, then taught at Yale Divinity School from 1945 to 1957. He was the Director of the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ from 1954 to 1983.

He filed a successful petition to deny licensing renewal of television station WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. The station had a poor record with regards to the civil rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.

Dozens of times both the FCC and US Congress heard testimony by Parker concerning the maintenance of equal-time provisions and fairness in the broadcasting industry.