Minority Media Ownership – Industry Report Section 1.1 What is media minority ownership? Over the past 25 years, ownership of the media has become concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer large corporations. The situation is now so extreme that five companies control 80% of what people watch on television and ten companies control two-thirds of what we hear on radio. Our democracy depends on a well-informed public. If we only have a few corporations controlling our sources of news, we don't hear the diversity of voices we need to make informed decisions. Similarly, a few large corporations can severely curtail the variety of music, arts, and entertainment programming broadcast on TV and radio. Since the airwaves are owned by the public, the government has a responsibility to ensure that broadcasters serve the public interest. (womensart.org) When media companies consolidate in the hands of fewer and fewer owners, the diversity of viewpoints, cultures and voices to which we’re exposed can dramatically decrease. Ethnic minorities make up about one-third of America’s population but own fewer than 4% of America’s broadcast licenses. Fewer minority media owners engenders fewer newspaper stories, television shows, and radio programs that educate, entertain and challenge all Americans with the concerns, culture and knowledge of people of color. (hearusnow.org) Who is a minority? Traditionally, minorities have been defined as a group of people who differ racially or politically from a larger group of which it is a part such as African-Americans, women, Asian, Native Americans, and Hispanics. However, with the lack of diversity in legacy media, the term minority in the media world is anyone who is trying to produce content that is not a part of “big media companies”. Lack of diversity in media? Two studies by Free Press highlight the dismal state of minority ownership in the broadcast industry. According to Out of the Picture 2007, minorities and women are grossly under-represented in ownership of our nation's commercial television stations. The study found that while minorities comprise 34 percent of the U.S. population, they own just 3.15 percent of television stations. Women make up 51 percent of the population, but own just 5.87 percent of television stations.
Out of the Picture found that minorities have been shut out from owning television stations -- the nation's most influential form of media. According to the study, minorities make up 33 percent of the U.S. population just 3.26 percent of all TV station owners. Thus, it comes as no surprise that content on local stations nationwide rarely serves the needs of minority audiences and their communities: •
8 out of 10 Latino homes are not served by a Latino-owned station.
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9 out of 10 African-American homes are not served by an AfricanAmerican-owned station.
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9 out of 10 Asian homes are not served by an Asian-owned station.
Minority ownership is much higher in other parts of the economy. In industries like transportation and health care, the number of minority owners is nearly 10 times greater than in the broadcast sector. The current levels of minority and female ownership of broadcast television stations are disgracefully low -- people of color own just 3.15 percent of commercial television stations in the United States. Women make up 51 percent of the population, but own just 5.87 percent of television stations. Off the Dial, results of this study reveal a dismally low level of minority and female ownership of radio stations in America that has left two-thirds of the U.S. population with few stations representing their communities or serving their needs. Racial or ethnic minorities own just 7.7 percent of all full-power commercial broadcast radio stations, though they account for 33 percent of the U.S. population. •
Latinos own just 2.9 percent of all U.S. full-power commercial broadcast radio stations.
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African-Americans own only 3.4 percent of this country's full-power commercial broadcast radio stations.
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People of Asian descent own less than 1 percent of full-power commercial broadcast radio stations.
These groups' level of radio station ownership is only slightly higher, despite the fact that the cost of operating a radio station is dramatically lower than a TV station. Moreover, radio station ownership is very low compared to the levels seen in other commercial industry sectors. (StopBigMedia.com) Who owns the media? A handful of companies control most of what we see, hear and read every day. They own our TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, cable channels, movie studios, music labels -even our favorite Internet sites. (StopBigMedia.com) The global media market came to be dominated by nine transnational corporations (TNCs); General Electric (owner of NBC), Liberty Media, Disney, AOL Time Warner, Sony, News Corporation, Viacom, Vivendi Universal, and Bertelsmann. None of these companies existed in its present form as recently as 15 years ago; in 2000, nearly all of them rank among the largest 200 non-financial firms in the world. Of the nine, five are truly U.S. firms, though all of them have core operations there. Between them, these nine companies own the major U.S. film studios; the U.S. television networks; 80-85 percent of the global music market; the majority of satellite broadcasting worldwide; all or part of a majority of cable broadcasting systems; a significant percentage of book publishing and commercial magazine publishing; all or part of most of the commercial cable TV channels in the United States and worldwide; a significant portion of European terrestrial television; and on and on and on. (McChesney 316) From the Columba Journalism Review (below are a listing of “Big Media� companies in the US, also a image of who owns the Internet)
Who owns the media in the United States?
Film
Walt Disney Pictures Touchstone Pictures Hollywood Pictures Miramax Films Pixar Broadcast Television ABC Network Owned and Operated Television Stations WLS - Chicago WJRT - Flint KFSN - Fresno KTRK - Houston KABC - Los Angeles WABC - New York City WPVI - Philadelphia
WTVD - Raleigh - Durham KGO - San Francisco WTVG - Toledo Cable Television ESPN (80%) ESPN2 (80%) ESPN Classic (80%) ESPNU (80%) ESPNEWS (80%) ABC Family Disney Channel Toon Disney SOAPnet Lifetime Network (partial) Lifetime Movie Network (partial) Lifetime Real Women (partial) A&E (partial)
Radio
A&E International (partial) Jetix Europe (partial) Jetix Latin America The History Channel (partial) Lifetime Real Women (partial) ABC Radio WDWD – Atlanta WMVP – Chicago WLS – Chicago KESN – Dallas KMKI – Dallas-Forth Worth KRDY – San Antonio WCOG – Greensboro, NC WRDZ – Indianapolis KABC – Los Angeles KLOS – Los Angeles KDIS – Los Angeles KSPN – Los Angeles KDIZ – Minneapolis - St. Paul WKSH – Milwaukee, WI WEVD – New York City KDZR – Portland, OR KWDZ – Salt Lake City KIID – Sacramento KMKY – Oakland KQAM – Wichita KKDZ – Seattle WSDZ – St. Louis WWMK – Cleveland KMIK – Phoenix KDDZ – Denver WWMI – Tampa KMIC – Houston WMYM – Miami WBWL – Jacksonville WBYU – New Orleans KDIS – Little Rock WWJZ – Philadelphia WWJZ – Philadelphia WMKI – Boston WDZK – Hartford WDDZ – Providence WDZY – Richmond WGFY – Charlotte WDYZ – Orlando WMNE – West Palm Beach WEAE – Pittsburgh WDRD – Louisville WDDY – Albany, NY KPHN – Kansas City WQUA – Mobile
Music
WBML – Jacksonville WFDF – Detroit WFRO – Fremont, OH WDMV – Damascus, MD WHKT – Norfolk Radio Disney ESPN Radio (syndicated programming)
Walt Disney Records Hollywood Records Lyric Street Records Publishing Book Publishing Imprints Hyperion Miramax Books ESPN Books Theia ABC Daytime Press Hyperion eBooks Hyperion East Disney Publishing Worldwide Cal Publishing Inc. CrossGen Hyperion Books for Children Jump at the Sun Volo Michael di Caupa Books Disney Global Children's Books Disney Press Disney Editions Disney Libri Global Retail Global Continuity Magazine Automotive Industries Biography (with GE and Hearst) Discover Disney Adventures Disney Magazine ECN News ESPN Magazine (distributed by Hearst) Family Fun Institutional Investor JCK Kodin Top Famille - French family magazine US Weekly (50%) Video Business Quality Wondertime Magazine Parks and Resorts
Other
Walt Disney Imagineering Disneyland Resort Walt Disney World Resort Tokyo Disney Resort Disneyland Resort Paris Hong Kong Disneyland Disney Vacation Club Disney Cruise Line Disney Theatrical Productions Disney Live Family Entertainment Disney on Ice The Disney Store Club Penguins
ESPN Zone Disney Toys Disney Apparel, Accessories and Footwear Disney Food, Health and Beauty Disney Home Furnishings and Decor Disney Stationery Disney Consumer Economics The Baby Einstein Company Muppets Holding Company Disney Interactive Studios Walt Disney Internet Group
General Electric - last updated 08/13/08 Television KVEA/KWHY NBC Stations: Los Angeles WNBC WNJU New York New York KNBC WSCV Los Angeles Miami WMAQ KTMD Chicago Houston WCAU WSNS Philadelphia Chicago KNTV KXTX San Jose/San Francisco Dallas/Fort Worth KXAS KVDA Dallas/Fort Worth San Antonio WRC KSTS Washington San Jose/San Francisco WTVJ KDRX Miami Phoenix KNSD KNSO San Diego Fresno WVIT KMAS Hartford Denver WNCN WNEU Raleigh Boston/Merrimack WCMH KHRR Columbus Tucson WVTM WKAQ Birmingham Puerto Rico WJAR NBC Universal Television Studio Providence NBC Universal Television Distribution CNBC Telemundo Stations: MSNBC
Film Parks
Bravo Mun2TV Sci-Fi USA Sleuth Oxygen
GE Aircraft Engines GE Commercial Finance GE Consumer Products GE Industrial Systems GE Insurance GE Medical Systems GE Plastics GE Power Systems GE Specialty Materials GE Transportation Systems
Universal Pictures
Universal Parks & Resorts Other General Electric Businesses
last updated 8/2/08 Time Warner - Cable HBO Cinemax HBO Video HBO Independent Productions HBO OnDemand International HBO Mobile International Adult Swim Boomerang CNN CNN International CNN en Espanol CNN Headline News CNN Headline News in Latin America CNN Headline News in Asia Pacific CNN Mobile CNN+ CETV CNN Newsource CNN Pipeline CNN To Go CNN fn CNN Radio CNN Interactive Court TV (with Liberty Media) Time Warner Cable Road Runner New York 1 News (24 hour news channel devoted only to NYC) Kablevision (53.75% - cable television in Hungary) In Demand Metro Sports (Kansas City)
Time Warner Inc. - Film & TV Production/Distribution Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Television (production) The WB Television Network Warner Bros. Television Animation Hanna - Barbera Cartoons Telepictures Production The CW Television Network Kids' WB! Castle Rock Entertainment Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Domestic Pay - TV Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Warner Bros. International Television Distribution The Warner Channel (Latin America, Asia - Pacific, Australia, Germ.) Warner Bros. International Theaters (owns/operates multiplex theaters in over 12 countries) Warner Bros. Online Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Technical Operations Warner Bros. Consumer Products Warner Bros. Studio Facilities Time Warner Inc. - Magazines Time Time Asia Time Atlantic Time Canada
Time Latin America Time South Pacific Time Money Time For Kids Fortune Fortune Asia Fortune Europe FSB: Fortune Small Business All You Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated International SI for Kids Money People Who Weekly (Australian edition) People en Espa�ol Teen People Entertainment Weekly In Style Southern Living AT HOME Southern Accents Cooking Light Cottage Living This Old House Sunset Health Hippocrates Coastal Living Real Simple Wallpaper (U.K.) Bride To Be English Woman’s Weekly Practical Parenting Who In Style Australia 25 Beautiful Homes 4x4 Aeroplane Monthly Amateur Gardening Amateur Photographer Angler’s Mail Beautiful Kitchens Cage and Aviary Birds Caravan Magazine Chat Chat - It’s Fate Classic Boat Country Homes and Interiors Country Life Cycle Sport Cycling Weekly Decanter
European Boat Builder Eventing Family Circle Guitar Hair Hi Fi News Homes and Gardens Horse Horse and Hound Ideal Style In Style (U.K.) International Boat Industry Land Rover World Livingetc Loaded Mountain Bike Rider MiniWorld Model Collector Motor Boat and Yachting Motor Boats Monthly Motor Caravan Magazine NME Now Nuts Park Home & Holiday Caravan Pick Me Up Practical Boat Owner Prediction Racecar Engineering Rugby World Ships Monthly Shoot Monthly Soaplife Sporting Gun Stamp Magazine SuperBike Magazine The Field The Railway Magazine The Shooting Gazette TV & Satellite Week TV Easy TVTimes Uncut VolksWorld Web User Wedding What Digital Camera What’s on TV Woman Woman & Home Woman’s Own Woman’s Weekly
Yachting World Your Yacht Ambientes Audi Magazine Balance Chilango EXP Expansion IDC Life and Style Manufactura Obras Quien Vuelo Yachts In Style Mexico Magazines listed under Warner Brothers label DC Comics Vertigo Wildstorm Mad Magazine Online Services CompuServe Interactive Services AOL Instant Messenger ADTECH Advertising.com AOL.com portal Digital City AOL Europe GameDaily.com Lightningcast ICQ The Knot, Inc. - wedding content (8 % with QVC 36% and Hummer WinbladFunds18%) MapQuest.com Spinner.com Relegence TACODA Third Screen Media Truveo Userplane Weblogs, Inc. Winamp Xdrive CNNStudentNews.com NASCAR.com PGA.com Time Warner - Online/Other Publishing Road Runner Warner Publisher Services
Time Distribution Services American Family Publishers (50%) Africana.com Time Warner - Merchandise/Retail Warner Bros. Consumer Products Theme Parks Warner Brothers Recreation Enterprises (owns/operates international theme parks) Time Warner Inc. - Turner Entertainment Entertainment Networks TBS Superstation Turner Network Television (TNT) Turner South Cartoon Network Turner Classic Movies Cartoon Network in Europe Cartoon Network in Latin America TNT & Cartoon Network in Asia/Pacific TNT Latin America TNT HD TCM Asia Pacific TCM Canada TCM Europe TCM Classic Hollywood in Latin America Adult Swim Boomerang CETV GameTap TBS Pogo Toonami TrueTV Peachtree TV Film Production New Line Cinema Fine Line Features Picturehouse Turner Original Productions Sports Atlanta Braves Other Operations Turner Learning CNN Newsroom (daily news program for classrooms) Turner Adventure Learning (electronic field trips for schools) Turner Home Satellite Turner Network Sales Other
Netscape Communications Netscape Netcenter portal AOL MovieFone iAmaze Amazon.com (partial)
Quack.com Streetmail (partial) Switchboard (6%) Advantages European Magazines Limited
last updated 07/31/2008 Cable
MTV MTV2 mtvU AtomFilms Addicting Games Gamerailers Harmonix MTVN International MTV TR3S Neopets Parents Connect Quizilla Rhapsody Shockwave VH1 VH1 Classic VH1 Soul Virtual Worlds XFIRE
Film
Nickelodeon Nick Jr. BET BET J Nick at Nite TV Land NOGGIN VH1 Spike TV CMT Comedy Central Paramount Pictures Paramount Home Entertainment Dreamworks Studiis Paramount Vantage MTV Films Nickelodeon Movies Home Entertainment
Last updated 08/07/2008 Television Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Television Stations WNYW - New York City WWOR - New York City KTTV - Los Angeles
KCOP - Los Angeles WFLD - Chicago WPWR - Chicago KMSP - Minneapolis WFTC - Minneapolis WTXF - Philadelphia
Film
WFXT - Boston WTTG - Washington D.C. WDCA - Washington D.C. KDFW - Dallas KDFI - Dallas WJBK - Detroit KUTP - Phoenix KSAZ - Phoenix WUTB - Baltimore WRBW - Orlando WOFL - Orlando WOGX - Ocala WAGA - Atlanta KRIV - Houston KTXH - Houston WTVT - Tampa WHBQ - Memphis KTBC - Austin DBS & Cable FOXTEL BSkyB Sky Italia Fox News Channel Fox Movie Channel FX FUEL National Geographic Channel SPEED Channel Fox Sports Net FSN New England (50%) FSN Ohio FSN Florida National Advertising Partners Fox College Sports Fox Soccer Channel Stats, Inc.
20th Century Fox Español 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Fox International 20th Century Fox Television Fox Studios Australia Fox Studios Baja Fox Studios LA 20th Century Fox Fox Searchlight Pictures Fox Television Studios Blue Sky Studios Newspapers United States New York Post
The Wall St. Journal Dow Jones United Kingdom News International News of the World The Sun The Sunday Times The Times Times Literary Supplement Australasia Daily Telegraph Fiji Times Gold Coast Bulletin Herald Sun Newsphotos Newspix Newstext NT News Post-Courier Sunday Herald Sun Sunday Mail Sunday Tasmanian Sunday Territorian Sunday Times The Advertiser The Australian The Courier-Mail The Mercury The Sunday Telegraph Weekly Times Magazines InsideOut donna hay SmartSource The Weekly Standard Big League ALPHA Books HarperMorrow Publishers HarperMorrow General Books Group Amistad Caedmon Avon Avon A Avon Inspire Avon Red Collins Collins Design Ecco Eos Fourth Estate
Harper Mass Market Harper Pakerbacks HarperAudio HarperBusiness HarperCollins Perennial Perennial Modern Classics HarperCollins e-Books HarperLuxe Rayo William Morrow William Morrow Cookbooks Children's Books Group Amistad Greenwillow Books Joanna Cotler Books Eos Laura Geringer Books HarperAudio HarperCollins Children's Books HarperFestival HarperTeen Katherine Tegen Books Julie Andrews Books Rayo Trophy HarperCollins International HarperCollins Canada HarperCollins Australia HarperCollins UK HarperCollins India HarperCollins New Zealand Zondervan Other Los Angeles Kings (NHL, 40% option) Los Angeles Lakers (NBA, 9.8% option) Staples Center (40% owned by Fox/Liberty) News Interactive Fox Sports Radio Network Broadsystem Classic FM Festival Records Fox Interactive IGN Entertainment Mushroom Records MySpace.com National Rugby League NDS News Outdoor Scout Media
Rotten Tomatoes AskMen FoxSports.net WhatIfSports kSolo Fox.com AmericanIdol.com Spring Widgets News Digital Media News.com.au FoxSports.com.au CARSguide.com.au Careerone.com.au Truelocal.com.au
Who owns the Web?
Unchecked consolidation means that Big Media are getting even bigger, giving these firms more control over our news and information. Bottom line? Big Media are bad news -- for all of us. (StopBigMedia.com) What's So Bad about Big Media? •
Big Media fail local communities. Big Media companies get a sweet deal from the government. They get to use the public airwaves -- for free -- to make billions in profits. In exchange for this government handout, broadcasters are supposed to serve the public
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by offering quality programs that meet the needs of local communities. Instead, Big Media companies gut local newsrooms and ignore local issues. Big Media ignore diversity. Big Media have limited ownership opportunities for women and people of color, pushing them off the public airwaves and stifling vital voices. Coverage of issues that matter to people of color, women, the middle and working class, and rural communities has disappeared. The result? Media that fail to represent our nation's diversity. Big Media are bad for democracy. Democracy can't exist without an informed public. We rely on unbiased news from independent sources to stay informed and to hold our government accountable. But media consolidation means fewer sources of news, opinion and information. Instead of hard-hitting critical journalism, Big Media give us a junk diet of celebrity gossip and sensationalism. (StopBigMedia.com)
Minority Owners Challenges Minority media owners face similar challenges as do other small or independent programmers, and producers, but the challenges are exacerbated by the persistent effects of institutional discrimination. Obstacles which have a disproportionate impact on minority media owners include: •
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Lack of funding: A key challenge facing minority media owners is a lack of access to sufficient funds to make ownership opportunities possible. James, Winston, Executive Director of the national Association of Black-owned Broadcasters (NABOB), discussed this in a RadioInk article. This is also the purpose of the Minority Media Telecommunications Council’s (MMTC) annual Access to Capital Conference, which aims to bring together funders and minority entrepreneurs. Advertising: In its 2001 report, the Minority Telecommunications Development Program (MTDP), part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the Department of Commerce, found that minorities are often cut off from a critical source of media funding: advertising dollars. Evidence suggests that at least one major reason for this is the role that misinformation and discriminatory practices impact the value of minority advertising. Reed Bunzel, editor-in-chief of RadioInk, explained it this way: "Another lingering problem, despite concerted efforts to change it, is the ongoing problem of 'no-Urban' dictates, as when advertising agencies communicate to nation rep firms that they don't want to place their advertising on Urban-formatted (i.e., AfricanAmerican) radio stations." Media concentration: Consolidation has a particularly onerous impact on minority owners – 61% of whom are single-station operators – because investors want to put their money into large group owners. Because it is nearly impossible for small players to compete with large companies, the cases where concentration has benefited a minority owners, as in the case of RadioOne, are rare. Annette Walker discusses this in an article summarizing the work of scholar Kofi Ofori. The impact of media concentration on minority media owners plays out even in cable, where the industry points to diversity success stories like BET, TV One and Oxygen. The reality is that none of these channels is minority-owned, using the government's own definition of slightly more than 50% minority ownership. BET is owned by Viacom; Comcast holds a substantial ownership in TV One; and a big interest in Oxygen belongs to Time-Warner. In fact, the only cable network that meets the MTDP "minority-owned" definition is Univision, the most popular Spanish-speaking
channel in the country. All of the other "minority stations" that the industry points to are in fact owned by large media conglomerates. For a guide to who owns what in the media, see the Columbia Journalism Review's Who Owns What or the Center for Public Integrity's Media Tracker. •
Limited Employment: Numerous studies show that minority employment in the media industry does not reflect the diversity of our country. The Radio and Television News Directors Association’s 2005 report on Women and Minorities in Broadcast News shows that minority employment is down in both television and radio. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s newsroom diversity survey reported that, of survey respondents, "374 of the nation's newspapers have all-white staffs (i.e. no employees of black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American descent in any job as a newsroom supervisor, reporter, copy editor, photographer or artist)." UNITY: Journalists of Color and the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism found that fewer than 10.5 percent (60 out of 574) of the reporters, correspondents, columnists, editors, and bureau chiefs in the Washington daily newspaper press corps are journalists of color. Studies show that poor representation in programming occurs when minorities are unable to gain access to ownership and employment within the media industry. For example, Consumers Union prepared an executive summary (PDF) on behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights addressing the link between media content that misrepresents people of color and policy decisions that impact all Americans. And the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, in their "Network Brownout" study (PDF) found that, "of the estimated 16,000 stories that aired on ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC in 2004, only 115, or 0.72 percent, were exclusively about Latinos." (hearusnow.org)
Section 2.2 What is the Telecommunication Act of 1996? The Telecommunications Act of 1996 already loosened the rules on media ownership and resulted in a huge wave of media mergers. For example, since the Telecom Act, the number of owners of local television station in the US has dropped by half (Los Angeles Times, 4/19/01), ownership of TV stations by people of color has dropped to its lowest point since the federal government began tracking such data in 1990 (FAIR), and more than half of the 11,000 commercial radio stations have been sold (Silicon Alley Reporter, 3/01).(womensart.org) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a complex reform of American communication policymaking that attempts to provide similar ground rules and a level playing field in virtually all sectors of the communications industries. The act's provisions fall into five general areas: radio and television broadcasting cable television o telephone services Internet and on-line computer services telecommunications equipment manufacturing The act abolishes many of the cross-market barriers that prohibited dominant players from one communications industry, such as telephone, from providing services in other industry sectors such as cable. New mergers and acquisitions, consolidations and integration of services previously barred under FCC rules, antitrust provisions of federal law, and the "Modified Final
Judgment," the ruling governing 1984 "break-up" of the AT and T telephone monopoly, will be allowed for the first time, illustrating the belief by Congress that competition should replace other regulatory schemes as we enter a new century. (http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=uspolicyt)
FCC Role in the Past and Current The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the government agency that is charged with regulating the ownership of media. Its mandate is to ensure diversity, localism, and competition in the media, conditions critical to the health of our democracy and culture. And yet, the FCC voted in June, 2003, to dramatically loosen the rules governing media companies, allowing large corporations to own many more media outlets. (womensart.org) FCC Commissioner Michael Copps called his agency's failure to foster minority voices in the U.S. media system "a national disgrace" that demands immediate action. "The FCC needs to look before it leaps into another abyss," he said. "We just should not be voting again on changing media ownership rules unless and until we have tackled this problem and come up with initiatives to redress a crying national need." (StopBigMedia.com) It is disheartening to note there has been a scaling-back of government efforts to increase the number of media properties owned by people of color. One of the most successful tools in the struggle to increase minority media ownership was the Tax Certificate Program, which allowed companies that sold to minorities to defer capital gains taxes. This program no longer exists. (hearusnow.org) David Honig, of the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council (MMTC), stated that 50% of minority-owned stations owe their origins to the Tax Certificate Program, which was terminated in 1995. Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations are small, community-based FM radio stations with a broadcast radius of two to four miles. Unlike many commercial full power stations that are driven by ratings, non-commercial LPFM stations often air programs that address the local concerns and debates of a particular community or ethnic group. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created this new class of stations in January of 2000, despite intense opposition from major broadcasters. Since that year, the FCC has processed thousands of applications from groups of all stripes committed to providing local, community-based radio to their towns and cities. Today, more than 800 LPFM stations are on the air. MAP has been central to low power broadcasting from the beginning by filing comments before the FCC on behalf of LPFM supporters and tirelessly advocating for ways to increase the number of LPFM outlets for local community voices on the air.
The true potential of LPFM remains unrealized. Shortly after the FCC issued its order that created low power FM radio, the broadcasting lobby alleged that LPFM stations would cause harmful interference to their stations. As a result of these allegations, Congress passed legislation that limited LPFM stations to rural areas with less crowded spectrum, while the FCC continued to study interference. This harmful legislation, called the Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000, eliminated about 75 percent of licensing opportunities for LPFM, leaving only one new station available in the top fifty largest U.S. cities. Since the passing of the Radio Broadcasting Preservation, an independent study conducted by MITRE Corporation determined that LPFMs will not cause interference to full power broadcasters. However, to increase the opportunities available for LPFM stations, Congress must once again pass legislation that would repeal the Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000. In 2009, in a big victory for low power radio supporters, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Local Community Radio Act. This bill would overturn the restrictions imposed by Congress, opening space for hundreds of new LPFM stations to be built nationwide. Today, the bill is still pending in the Senate. (mediaaccessproject.org)
Groups Taking a Stand AWRT.org American Women in Radio & Television, Inc. (AWRT) is a non-profit, professional organization of women and men who work in the media and allied fields. The mission of AWRT is to advance the impact of women in the media and allied fields by educating, advocating and acting as a resource to our members, the industry, and the public. AWRT was formed in 1951 as successor to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) women's division. NAB voted approval of the new organization, offering complete cooperation and assistance. The following year, more than 280 women gathered to celebrate and approve the structure of the AWRT. AWRT goals & incentives are the following:
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Work to improve the quality of the media; Promote the entry, development and advancement of women in the media and allied fields; Serve as a medium of communication and idea exchange; and Become involved in community concerns.
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Government and regulatory advocacy Industry updates Job information services Professional development programs Collaboration and networking opportunities
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Media Access Project Media Access Project is a non-profit, public interest law firm and advocacy organization working in communications policy. For over 37 years, MAP has promoted the public interest before the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Courts, fighting for an open and diverse communications system that protects freedom of expression, promotes universal and equitable access to media outlets and telecommunications services, and encourages vibrant public discourse on critical issues facing our society. MAP is the only Washington-based organization devoted to representing listeners’ and speakers’ interests in communications and technology issues before the Federal Communications Commission, other policy-making bodies, and in the courts. MAP’s staff attorneys provide guidance and representation to scores of national and local non-profit groups annually. They appear frequently at academic, legislative, and professional meetings to ensure that the needs of the public are not forgotten as policies are established for the next generation. MAP is at the forefront of efforts to develop media policies which will, quite literally, govern the terms of voter participation and public discourse in the next generation. MAP works to ensure that current and future media and telecommunications technologies promote, and do not impede, democratic values. (mediaaccessproject.org)
Stop Big Media The StopBigMedia.com Coalition is made up of groups from across the spectrum that agree to a set of principles and have banded together to stop the FCC from allowing a handful of giant corporations to dominate America's media system. We believe that a free and vibrant media, full of diverse and competing voices, is the lifeblood of America's democracy. We're working together to see that our media system remains, in the words of the Supreme Court, "an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will prevail." Coalition Partners: Free Press Consumers Union Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Newspaper Guild - CWA Service Employees International Union AFTRA AFL-CIO, Department for Professional Employees League of United Latin American Citizens Rainbow/PUSH Coalition National Organization for Women Feminist Majority State PIRGs/U.S. PIRG Public Citizen Common Cause
National Hispanic Media Coalition National Council of Churches United Church of Christ American Federation of Musicians Center for Digital Democracy Media Access Project Prometheus Radio Project Future of Music Coalition Benton Foundation Children Now Center for Creative Voices in Media Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting Industry Ears Media Alliance Media Empowerment Project
MediaTank National Federation of Community Broadcasters New America Foundation Pacifica Foundation Reclaim the Media SaveAccess Center for Media and Democracy ACLU of Iowa ACME: Action Coalition for Media Education Association for Community Networking Backbone Campaign Baltimore Grassroots Media Blue Wave New Jersey BuzzFlash Center for Information Awareness CCTV - Center for Media and Democracy Center for Rural Strategies Chicago Media Action
Coalition Against Hate Media Coalition for the Peoples' Agenda Consumer Action GRIID Independent Press Association Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy KRIM-LPFM Arizon May First Media Action of Lehigh Valley MediaGeek News Corpse Northeast Citizens for Responsible Media Onion River Community Access Media Montpelier Transnational Temps ReclaimDemocracy.org Women, Action & the Media WSLR-LPFM Sarasota
Free Press Free Press is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism, and universal access to communications. Free Press was launched in late 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney, journalist John Nichols and Josh Silver, our executive director. Today, Free Press is the largest media reform organization in the United States, with nearly half-a-million activists and members and a full-time staff of more than 30 based in our offices in Washington, D.C., and Florence, Mass. Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund, our advocacy arm, are nonprofit organizations that rely on the support of our members. Please click here to make a donation or learn about member benefits. Media play a huge role in our lives. TV, radio, the Internet, movies, books and newspapers inform and influence our ideas, opinions, values and beliefs. They shape our understanding of the world and give us the information we need to hold our leaders accountable. But our media system is failing. This failure isn't natural. For far too long, corrupt media policy has been made behind closed doors in the public's name but without our informed consent. If we want better media, we need better media policies. If we want better policies, we must engage more people in policy debates and demand better media.
That's why Free Press was created. We're working to make media reform a bona fide political issue in America. Powerful telecommunications, cable and broadcasting companies have plenty of lobbyists to do their bidding. We're making sure the public has a seat at the table, and we're building a movement to make sure the media serve the public interest. Free Press believes that media reform is crucial not just for creating better news and entertainment, but to advancing every issue you care about. A vibrant, diverse and independent media is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. (freepress.net) National Coalition of African American Owned Media NCAAOM has the responsibility of ensuring that African American owned media companies are given the same opportunities as their non-African American counterparts to produce compelling content, access distribution, and flourish in today's integrated media landscape. The organization is focused on creating sustained equality through ownership as a means of rectifying the continued racial imbalance within the competitive media industry. Their mission is the following: Protect and increase African American owned Media. Ensure that African American owned media has distribution on all platforms. Ensure that African American owned media receives significant ongoing advertising revenue support. (www.ncaaom.tv) • • •
Minority Media and Telecommunications Council The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media and telecommunications industries. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation’s leading advocate for minority advancement in communications. We strongly believe that the breathtaking changes in communications technology and the new global forms of media partnerships must enhance diversity in the 21st century. (www.mmtconline.org)
Section 3.1 - Looking Ahead Towards New Media Statistically, the African American population has steadily increased in using the Web. According to Pew Research, the nation's online population has grown steadily over the past four years, as has the percentage of the public that regularly gets news from the Internet. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they go online to access the Internet or to send and receive email, up from 54% in 2000. During the same period, the number of people who go online for news at least three days a week has grown from 23% in 2000 to 29% today. As the overall base of Internet users has broadened, so has the population that regularly uses the Internet as a source of news. Over the past two years, especially, racial and ethnic differences in online news consumption have lessened. Two years ago, 26% of whites and 15% of African Americans went online for news at least three days a week; today, the gap is just four percentage points (29% white/25% black). (Pew Research)
Highlight Minority New Media Companies Lee Moss Media is an online media powerhouse and the largest African American marketing, public relations, and diversity recruiting firm in the country. Based in Columbus, Ohio, our company owns the largest network of premium African American web properties. Since 1999, we've been growing into a very necessary amalgamation of websites to fill a niche void for Black Americans. Our one-of-a-kind catalog boasts a number of Internet titles, such as HBCUconnect.com, BlackNews.com, BlackHistory.com, and BlackWomenConnect.com - just to name a few. On a monthly basis, across our network of sites, we attract over 2 million monthly visitors and can deliver over 12 million ad impressions.
Dallas South News Dallas South News is a nonprofit news organization utilizing technology, social media, and journalistic principles to empower and inform underserved communities. Dallas South News uses a combination of traditional journalists, citizen journalists, and bloggers to provide a fresh perspective to news stories important to Southern Dallas communities. We cover local news as well as provide state and local commentary on a variety of topics. Dallas South News is charting a new course in journalism by using innovation to provide relevant news and information to a targeted diverse population; based on the values of leadership, courage, discipline and transparency. Dallas South News holds workshops and seminars designed to empower residents to produce news stories using mobile phones, digital cameras, and mini video devices, as well as to utilize social media tools like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. Southern Dallas is home to over 500,000 people, which is more than the city of Atlanta. Dallas South News covers stories and events that are important to the residents of this area. Local media outlets have targeted other areas of North Texas as their core readers, putting this area on the backburner. DSN sees Southern Dallas as its core and will provide citizens there a much needed voice. (dallassouthnews.org) On Point Radio OnPoint.FM is the hottest Hip-Hop, R&B, and Talk Radio station online. On Point Media purpose is to empower, educate, mentor and entertain the African American community, currently the have an online radio station with 380,000 listeners worldwide representing in 80 countries – started in 2006. Michelle Obama Watch & What About Our Daughters are successful blogs created by an African American woman, Gina McCauley, who saw a need which as positive African-America women images in the media. A blog was her way of expressing how she felt about things going on in the media. With one of her blog averaging over 50,000 hits a month, new media has allowed people like Gina to express and create content that big media companies about not showing. “It presents an opportunity. Entertainment is a way. I want to be like Martha Stewart or Orpah Winfrey. I want to do everything BET couldn’t or wouldn’t do…showing us in a light that we’re not shown.” – Gina McCauley Interactive One – Division of Radio One (Black Owned Media Company) Interactive One is ignited by its mission to create an online community that engages and positively impacts the lives of African Americans. Interactive One empowers African-American men and women by providing news, information, entertainment, connections and resources that meet the unique needs of this audience's core values.
A division of Radio One Inc., Interactive One was launched in 2007 to complement existing Radio One brands and create the leading digital African-American network. Since its launch, Interactive One has succeeded at becoming the #1 African-American digital platform - superserving more than 9 million monthly users. (interactiveone.com) Pros & Cons of New Media The Internet has allowed people who always want a voice in the media a platform. From blogs, videos, and social media sharing content has become all the rage. But they are some concerns to new media such as creditability and trustworthiness. Pros •
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Organization amongst the blogosphere. Gina McClueny who is the creator of What About Our Daughters and Michelle Obama Watch has established a conference within minority blogosphere called “Blogging while Brown”. This is a conference this summer in Washington, DC on June 18th-19th, 2010. The purpose of Blogging While Brown is to give Bloggers of Color an opportunity to meet each other for the first time, discuss current them with publishing their work. Blogging While Brown was created in response to widespread dissatisfaction with the amount of diversity in some of the largest blogging conferences. A critical mass of Bloggers of Color has yet to attend these established conferences, however the initial response from Bloggers of Color to the idea of holding their own conference has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Bloggers of Color are excited about a conference, for, by and about them and look forward to moving beyond the single panel or discussion focusing on diversity that are typically featured at some of the larger blogging conferences. Using social media. Social media is a way to connect and build relationships with viewers and readers. Using social media to spread information is the latest marketing strategy that could interest minority media companies utilizing new media. Cost-Effective. To create a blog, use YouTube, or internet radio the cost is very little to nothing. To create and build a radio station and/or television cost millions of dollars.
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Creditability. The Web has many benefits where anyone can be a content creator. But due to the lack of online journalism police, if is very difficult to see if someone is creditable or not. Difficult to stiff through the noise of Internet to find newsworthy material Legacy media. Legacy media such as traditional radio, television, and publications still reaches the largest audiences and make the biggest impact.
Is there a danger that too much diversity in the media will simply allow people to ignore the opinions of anyone they disagree with? Craig Aaron is the Communications Director of Free Press, a non-partisan advocacy group working to promote diverse media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoXntWoxIlg&feature=related
Section 4.1
Media Reform Organizations Free Press 26 Center Street 2nd floor Northampton, MA 01060 Ph 413.585.1533 Fax 413.586.8398 info@mediareform.net www.mediareform.net A fabulous new media reform organization working to build the grassroots movement for democratic media policy. An excellent site with information on, and links to, everything from Congressional battles to overturn the FCC's rules changes to steps you can take to combat the effects of advertising on school children. Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press 1940 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-1502 phone: 202-265-6707 allen@wifp.org www.wifp.org Works to increase communication among women in the media and to democratize the press by enabling all people to speak directly to the whole public about their own issues and concerns. Excellent on-line directory of women's media and links to other resources for and about women in the media worldwide, with a dedicated section for and about women of color. Women's Radio Fund P.O. Box 242048 Memphis, TN 38124 Phone/fax: (901) 685-6950 dorothy@womensradiofund.org http://www.womensradiofund.org/intro.htm Building a support network for women radio producers and broadcasters worldwide. The Center for Digital Democracy 1718 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20009 Phone: (202) 986-2220 http://www.democraticmedia.org/ Organization working to ensure that the digital media systems serve the public interest. Comprehensive site on threats to democratic control, especially of the internet. Media Tank 100 S. Broad Street Suite 1318 Philadelphia, PA 19110 Ph: 1.215.563.1100 Fax: 215.563.4951 http://www.mediatank.org
info@mediatank.org Works to bring together media arts, education and activism to build broader awareness and support for media as a vital civic, cultural and communications resource. Publishes a comprehensive email newsletter that digests media coverage of media issues - a helpful resource for activists. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting - FAIR 112 W. 27th Street New York, NY 10001 Tel: 212-633-6700 Fax: 212-727-7668 E-mail: fair@fair.org www.fair.org Offers well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship. Works to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. Publishes the excellent print magazine, Extra! Their email newsletters are critical tools for media activists. MediaChannel http://www.mediachannel.org/ The site "is concerned with the political, cultural and social impacts of the media, large and small. MediaChannel exists to provide information and diverse perspectives and inspire debate, collaboration, action and citizen engagement." Third World Majority 369 15th Street Oakland, CA 94612 510-682-6624 info@cultureisaweapon.org http://www.cultureisaweapon.org/ A media training and production resource center dedicated to global justice. Run by a collective of young women of color and their allies, they are artists, writers, filmmakers, techies, violence prevention advocates, and organizers in their own communities. Center for Media and Democracy 520 University Ave., Suite 310 Madison, WI 53703 phone (608) 260-9713 editor@prwatch.org http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/index.html Investigates the public relations business and the relationship between PR and what we read and see as "news." Publishers of such critical studies of this cozy relationship as Toxic Sludge is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry and Weapons of Mass Deception : The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq. Who Owns What http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/
Columbia Journalism Review's comprehensive online guide to media ownership. Also includes selected articles regarding media ownership. The National Organization for Women Foundation Chart of Media Ownership http://www.nowfoundation.org/issues/communications/ tv/mediacontrol.html
Annotated Bibliography (1999). 49% solution. Advertising Age, 70(25), 36. Retrieved from MAS Ultra - School Edition database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=1933976&site=srclive It's no surprise major ad agency holding companies have cast their acquisitive eyes on minority shops. And it's to be expected that the people who created and built those agencies want to cash in during these heady times and realize their reward for years of hard work. But there's an extra element involved with these agencies, and Publicis' Maurice Levy and Burrell Communications Group's Tom Burrell have come up with a perfect solution that takes into consideration the perception and reality of minority ownership. (2008, August). MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA TODAY. A REPORT FROM THE COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND, 1-32. Retrieved 9 March 2010, from : http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773655. An increasingly concentrated media ownership system has a negative impact on the quality of news and information Americans receive about the nation, the world and their local communities. Common Cause continues to play a lead role in the effort to stop the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from relaxing media ownership rules. In addition, Common Cause is working to help community members own their own media. (2009). African American Wealth: Powerful Trends and New Opportunities. Retrieved Feb. 22, 2010, from New York Life Insurance Co., New York. Web site: http://www.newyorklife.com/nyl/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=921e3c5ac59d2210a2b3019d221024301 cacRCRD. African Americans are steadily increasing their wealth, boosting their holdings in real estate, stocks, and savings vehicles, as they seek to fund college educations for their children and create a secure retirement for themselves. This article focuses on the African American buying power and ways to continue to create wealth through outline savings plans. (2009). Media Democracy, Low Power FM Radio. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from Common Cause, Washington, DC. Web site: http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773667. In most cities and towns, radio stations are controlled by a handful of wealthy corporations who tend to put their own profits ahead of the needs of the local communities they serve. A recent
study from the independent MITRE Corporation shows that Low Power FM causes no interference and can co-exist with major radio stations, even in big cities. That's why Common Cause is calling on Congress to support the expansion of Low Power FM radio. (2010). Media Ownership Workshop: Minority and Female Ownership. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from FCC, Washington, DC. Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/workshop-012710.html. The forum examined: the interaction of the FCC’s media ownership rules and minority/female ownership, including the potential impact of any rule changes on such ownership; marketplace or other factors that encourage diverse entrants; the constitutionality of targeted race-based measures for promoting diverse ownership; and the impact of subsequent judicial decisions on the Adarand standard. This site provides statements from each of the panelists attending the meeting of their purpose and goals. This site includes a video podcast of the meeting. (2009). Media Ownership. Retrieved Mar. 28, 2010, from Women Arts, San Francisco, CA. Web site: http://www.womenarts.org/advocacy/MediaOwnership.htm. (2009). Stop Big Media. Retrieved Mar. 28, 2010, from Stop Big Media, Washington, DC. Web site: http://www.stopbigmedia.com/.
ANDREW JAY, S., PRESIDENT AND, C., & MEDIA ACCESS, P. (n.d). MINORITY BROADCAST OWNERSHIP. FDCH Congressional Testimony, Retrieved from Middle Search Plus database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=32Y1774409974&site=src-live This is a Statement of Andrew Jay Schwartzman President and CEO Media Access Project at the Committee on House Judiciary discussing the Minority Broadcast Ownership. Enact HR 1147, which will expand the low power FM radio service and serve as a platform for training for a new generation of minority radio broadcasters. Browne, J. (2003). FCC decision 'a blow to diversity.' (cover story). New York Amsterdam News, 94(24), 1. Retrieved from MAS Ultra - School Edition database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=10036113&site=src-live Three advocacy groups on Capitol Hill — the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Hispanic Caucus and the Asian Pacific American Caucus — have issued a joint statement criticizing the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to deregulate media ownership. Converse, S. (2009). Broadcasters Face off on Minority Ownership and Media Consolidation. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from Stop Big Media. Web site: http://www.stopbigmedia.com/blog/2009/11/broadcasters-face-off-on-minority-ownershipand-media-consolidation/. The FCC kicked off its 2010 media ownership review with a series of workshops with scholars, public interest groups and broadcasters. The Nov. 6 podcast of Media Minutes focuses on the public interest panel. At the broadcasters’ workshop, representatives from Hearst, Media General and the National Association of Broadcasters called for increased opportunities to gobble up more media properties. Panelists from the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters told a different story: Media consolidation is squeezing smaller stations out of business.
Eggerton, J. (2009, November 2). FCC Wades Into Media Ownership. Broadcasting & Cable, 1. Retrieved 9 March 2010, from : http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/367228FCC_Wades_Into_Media_Ownership.php. Academics took aim at the media ownership review process Monday in the first of three workshops at the Federal Communications Commission this week as the agency begins its congressionally mandated quadrennial review of media-ownership rules. The commission must review all its rules every four years to gauge whether they are "necessary in the public interest. Garcia, L., & Surles, E. (2007). Media ownership and communications: Enriching the research agenda. ScienceDirect, 31(8), 473-492. Retrieved from database. This paper examines whether diverse opinions make their way into the communication policy decisions. Specifically, it examines whether academics from distinct disciplines engage one another and whether Federal Communications Commission (FCC) experts rely on a multidisciplinary body of research in making telecommunications-related decisions. After tracing how narrow expertise can lead to shallow policy perspectives, the paper employs a social network analysis of citations to assess the breadth of the media ownership debate. The case of media ownership was considered a worthy choice for analysis because it was so high on the policy agenda. Hendricks, M. (2003, May 30). Media ownership rule change could silence voices. The Business Review, 1. Retrieved 9 March 2010, from : http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2003/06/02/editorial1.html?q=minority%20media%20 ownership%20journals. The communications world has changed since that rule was established. Media are converging. The world is too complex to limit the voices. What happened to radio has not been good, except for a very few companies, since the FCC dropped its ownership regulations of that industry. There is a lot to be said for corporate resources of big business in media. If one company is allowed to dominate a media market, those contrarian voices with something valid to say will have an even harder time being heard and that will be a loss to all of us. When the FCC alters the rules for media owning, it is tampering with the DNA of democracy. Honig, D. (2009, December 2). ARBITRON'S METER AND MINORITY OWNED STATIONS. FDCH Congressional Testimony, 1. Retrieved 1 March 2010, from : http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=32Y0060345154&site=src-live. This is a statement of David Honig President and Executive Director Minority Media and Telecommunications Council made at the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform. The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (``MMTC``), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media and telecommunications industries. He discussed the importance of minority owned media giving several examples of the successes. Then he points out the failure of PPM and Arbitron. McChesney, R W. (2008). The Political Economy of Media. New York: Monthly Review Press. This book demonstrates the incompatibility of the corporate media system with a viable democratic public sphere, and the corrupt policymaking process that brings the system into
existence. It provides a comprehensive critique of the degradation of journalism, the hypercommercialization of culture, the Internet, and the emergence of the contemporary media reform movement. Moyers, B. (2007). Minority Media. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from Bill Moyers Journal, PBS. Web site: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11022007/transcript1.html. Out of more than 10,000 radio stations in the country, African-Americans and Hispanics own only 635, just under 6%. A recent Duke University study concludes that "minorities and women are clearly underrepresented" in the radio, television and newspapers markets. A handful of megamedia corporations have gained unprecedented control over radio ... television ... publishing and the Internet. They determine what music you hear, what stories get covered, whose opinions get expressed. This is an actual transcript of the only black owned radio station in Chicago WVON speaking with Bill Moyers. Napoli, P. M. (2002). Audience Valuation and Minority Media: An Analysis of the Determinants of the Value of Radio Audiences. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46(2), 169-184. Retrieved from HeinOnline database. Examines the factors affecting the value of radio station audiences in the U.S. Impact of minority composition on the value of radio audiences; Establishment of minority media outlets; Preservation of the viability of media outlets. This study examines the factors that affect the value of radio station audiences, with an emphasis on whether, and to what extent, minority composition affects the value of radio audiences. The results indicate that the prominence of minorities (both African-American and Hispanic) is negatively related to the value of radio stations. Omachonu, J. O., & Healey, K. (2009). Media Concentration and Minority Ownership: The Intersection of Ellul and Habermas. Journal of Mass Ethics, 24(2), 90-109. Minorities comprise a tiny fraction of media owners, and continued media consolidation exacerbates existing disparities. This article examines this problem by integrating the work of Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Ellul. These theorists identify a common concern—described alternately as technicization and colonization—involving homogenization of content, loss of localism, and decreased ownership diversity. Prince, R. (2010). Comcast, NBC Grilled by Congress on Lack of Blacks in Programming and News. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from Target Market News, Chicago, IL. Web site: http://www.targetmarketnews.com/storyid03011001.htm. The occasion for the discussion of NBC's diversity was a hearing on the proposed $30 billion merger of cable giant Comcast and NBC Universal, in which Comcast would have a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal. Several members from Congress thoroughly voiced their concerns about the lack of diversity on the NBC station. This was a very heated debate of what is going to be done about this situation. This article supports my research because it focuses on the lack of minority representation and how Congress is starting to investigate this issue.
Prince, R. (2009, November 2). Minority Radio Ownership at a Standstill. The Maynard Institute, 1. Retrieved 9 March 2010, from : http://www.mije.org/richardprince/minority-radio-ownershipstandstill. The study was conducted by Catherine Sandoval, a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, partnering with Allen Hammond, also of the law school, and David Honig of the Washington-based Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, which lobbies for minority broadcast ownership. The study was undertaken to make recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission. It urged the FCC to take the new figures into account when it reviews ownership rules next year. It wanted the agency to recognize that most owners of color obtained their stations before the Supreme Court restricted the FCC's ability to take race into account in awarding licenses and construction permits, and before the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which abolished limits on ownership of broadcast stations, squeezing out many smaller broadcasters. Wade, M. (2008). MEDIA MONOPOLIES. Black Enterprise, 39(4), 28. Retrieved from MAS Ultra School Edition database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=34974419&site=src-live Broadcasting industry continues to shut out small minority operations by the FCC approving a controversial bid by Sirius Satellite Radio to acquire XM Satellite Radio for a reported $3.3 billion in July, many in the broadcasting industry saw the approval as giving big media leeway to form monopolies and shut out small minority-owned operations. Walker, A. (2005). Black-Owned Radio Stations Struggle to Survive. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from WBAI-FM and Pacifica Foundation. Web site: http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6341&Itemid=2. The article goes through the timeline structure of how the Black radio evolved to what the current state. The FCC also released a report in 1999 on advertising practices in broadcasting. The central finding of the report was that radio stations that are successful in attracting large minority audiences still do not attract the dollars commensurate with their ratings. Wheaton, K. (2008, April 14). When it comes to media, content trumps ownership. Advertising Age, 40. Retrieved 1 March 2010, from MAS Ultra - School Edition database: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=31674426&site=src-live. When it comes to buying media, marketers have no choice but to make their decisions based on the content of the media's character, not on the color of the media owner's skin. Expecting the government to step in and remedy the situation doesn't seem realistic, considering all of the regulatory knots the FCC has tied itself into in the past couple of decades. This editorial suggests that content will always weigh out over ownership.