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FCC Commissioner: Declining Black Media Ownership is a ‘National Disgrace’
NEW YORK (NNPA) – The level of Black ownership of broadcast media, which has fallen by 30 percent over the past nine years, is a “national disgrace” and reflects overall retrenchment in the march toward justice and equality, a member of the Federal Communications Commission has charged.
The commissioner, Michael J. Copps, made that assertion at a forum held at the 10th annual Wall Street Project conference of Rainbow/PUSH.
“The facts are downright chilling,” Copps stated. “While people of color make up over 30 percent of our country’s population, a study from Free Press last fall tells us that they own only 3.26 percent of all broadcast television stations. Unpack these numbers a little further and you’ll find that African-Americans own only 1.3 percent of all stations. And it’s sad to say, we’re not making progress.
“There has been no improvement in the level of minority ownership since 1998, even as the total universe of stations has increased by 12 percent. Truth is that there has been a sharp drop in the total numbers of African-American stations since 1998 – by 30 percent. This isn’t just a problem. It’s a national disgrace.”
In his presentation last week, Commissioner Copps described how African-Americans are being ill-served.
“Today, we gather to talk about equality and justice in our broadcast media,” he began. “Neither equality nor justice exists there yet. We’re not even moving in the right direction toward equality and justice. Minority issues don’t get decent coverage. Minorities don’t own enough media. At its core, this issue is about civil rights, and one of those rights is accessible media that reflect and nourish the diverse genius of our nation.”
A second commissioner, Jonathan S. Adelstein, generally agreed with Copps, noting that the FCC regulates the airways because they belong to the public, not profit-driven media conglomerates.
“It’s something that affects everybody’s lives, the lives of not just minority communities, but everybody in this country – how they perceive minorities and how minorities are treated, both in terms of ownership and the way they are portrayed,” explained Adelstein.
Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., president and CEO of Rainbow/PUSH, invited the commissioners to a follow-up meeting he plans to hold in Chicago within the next two months to draw more attention to the issue.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=73c4c4e5c34d18d4c77770bdeb3a33a4
“The facts are downright chilling,” Copps stated. “While people of color make up over 30 percent of our country’s population, a study from Free Press last fall tells us that they own only 3.26 percent of all broadcast television stations. Unpack these numbers a little further and you’ll find that African-Americans own only 1.3 percent of all stations. And it’s sad to say, we’re not making progress.
“There has been no improvement in the level of minority ownership since 1998, even as the total universe of stations has increased by 12 percent. Truth is that there has been a sharp drop in the total numbers of African-American stations since 1998 – by 30 percent. This isn’t just a problem. It’s a national disgrace.”
In his presentation last week, Commissioner Copps described how African-Americans are being ill-served.
“Today, we gather to talk about equality and justice in our broadcast media,” he began. “Neither equality nor justice exists there yet. We’re not even moving in the right direction toward equality and justice. Minority issues don’t get decent coverage. Minorities don’t own enough media. At its core, this issue is about civil rights, and one of those rights is accessible media that reflect and nourish the diverse genius of our nation.”
A second commissioner, Jonathan S. Adelstein, generally agreed with Copps, noting that the FCC regulates the airways because they belong to the public, not profit-driven media conglomerates.
“It’s something that affects everybody’s lives, the lives of not just minority communities, but everybody in this country – how they perceive minorities and how minorities are treated, both in terms of ownership and the way they are portrayed,” explained Adelstein.
Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., president and CEO of Rainbow/PUSH, invited the commissioners to a follow-up meeting he plans to hold in Chicago within the next two months to draw more attention to the issue.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=73c4c4e5c34d18d4c77770bdeb3a33a4
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