Call to Action on Female/Minority Ownership Panel

In a guest post, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein calls on the FCC and Chairman Martin to establish a task force to study the impact of media consolidation on female and minority ownership. Join the conversation in the comments section below. Commissioner Adelstein will be available in a few weeks at the Free Press Action Network to respond to your comments and answer you questions. You can also join Commissioner Adelstein in calling for an independent task force on minority media ownership. Submit your comments to the FCC today.

Last week, the FCC hosted an historic public hearing on media ownership at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition National Headquarters in Chicago, IL. There is no better place to address the issue of media ownership, particularly for women and minorities, than Chicago. Roughly two-thirds of the people in the city are black and Hispanic, and over half are women. But collectively, they own just six percent of all TV and radio stations in the Chicago media market. It is outrageous that Chicago, with all its diversity, has the lowest proportion of minority radio ownership of the nation’s 22 largest markets.

With this much diversity among the people of Chicago and so little diversity in the ownership of its media, it is no wonder that when 800 Chicagoans came out to the hearing to tell the entire FCC whether they feel that their communities are being adequately served by local media. The answer was a resounding “no!” We heard impassioned testimony from our panelists and from over 200 Chicago citizens who signed up to testify before the Commission. Here are a few examples of the testimony we heard:

Dorothy Leavell, publisher, The Chicago Crusader – the oldest African-American weekly newspaper in both Chicago, IL, and Gary, IN: “We don’t want crumbs; we want meaningful participation, ownership, access to the airwaves, and more responsible programming….We are no longer on a level playing field. We aren’t even in the same ballpark. In 1996, the FCC hosted an “all-you-can-eat buffet” and the American people were not invited to dine….”

KRS-ONE, legendary hip hop recording artist and author: “Hearings are just that – hearings – we are listening to ideas go back and forth. But as we sit here right now there are hundreds of recording artists who can’t get their records played on radio…. Right now as we speak I cannot get my record played… please help me in this situation.”

Silvia Rivera, General Manager of 90.1 Radio Arté: “We do not own our own media. We will not be able to own our own media if further consolidation occurs…. If the FCC is here wanting to know if Chicago’s residents are being well served, the answer is no. If local talent is being covered, the answer is no. If community issues are being treated sensitively, the answer is no. If minority groups are getting the coverage and input that they need, the answer is no. The answer is no.”

Bottom line: The FCC must not move forward with new media ownership rules without first rectifying the sorry state of female and minority ownership of media, an issue that has been ignored by the Commission far too long. The time has come for us to stop talking and start taking meaningful steps to promote media diversity, because, as revealed in testimony after testimony in Chicago, ownership is the key to having your voice heard.

This is why I have called upon the Chairman to create an independent, bipartisan panel, representing broadcasters, female and minority owners, investors, advertisers, and the public. This independent female/minority ownership panel must review the more than 40 policy recommendations that were proposed by the FCC’s Diversity Committee and the Minority Media Telecommunications Council over the past 15 years. It is critical that we conduct a thorough review of these regulatory proposals, which have been collecting dust on the shelves of the FCC.

This is an undertaking that will require the collaborative efforts of the FCC and Congress; I’m thrilled to see that Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) have voiced their strong support for this effort. I look forward to working with our friends at Free Press and the new Free Press Action Network to make sure that the public is engaged in this very important effort. I am hopeful that we can make real progress if we fight hard enough.

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The National Crisis in Minority Media Ownership

In a guest post, Rep. Hilda Solis calls on the FCC to establish a task force to study the impact of media consolidation on female and minority ownership. Join the conversation in the comments section below. Rep. Solis will return later to respond to your questions and comments. You can also join Rep. Solis in calling for an independent task force on minority media ownership. Submit your comments to the FCC today.

By Rep. Hilda Solis

Guest Blog Post by Rep. Hilda Solis Join the debate

The state of minority media ownership in America is in crisis. According to a study by the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Free Press, people of color own just three percent of all local TV stations and eight percent of all local radio stations, even though they make up 35 percent of the U.S. population. In another study, we find that women comprise 51 percent of the entire U.S. population, but only own approximately five percent of all full power broadcast stations. These numbers are shamefully low.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Chairman Kevin Martin has simply failed in recent years to address the enormous disparity in minority ownership, including women. Their historic neglect is simply unacceptable and cannot be allowed continue. The FCC must not allow new media ownership rules to move forward and further potential consolidation to occur without first addressing minority ownership issues.

For this reason, I recently sent a letter to Chairman Martin in strong support of a proposal by Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein to create an independent task force to examine proposals to increase minority ownership. Furthermore, I requested that the FCC forgo any new media ownership regulations until the work of the task force is completed and the FCC adopts its recommendations.

Given the incredibly low levels of minority ownership in the United States, it is obvious that the FCC needs to establish a Minority Ownership Task Force immediately. Until that happens, it is entirely irresponsible for the FCC to move forward with any plans to draft new ownership regulations.

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Media Ownership and the Jena 6

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has a letter in today’s Washington Post connecting the absence of minority media owners to the plight of the Jena 6.

Copps praises columnist Eugene Robinson’s recent column on how black radio spread the word about this miscarriage of justice while it was largely ignored by the traditional press. But he worries that runaway media consolidation threatens such independent voices.

While the Post, ahem, didn’t bother to cover last week’s media ownership hearing in Chicago — which happened the same day as the massive protests in Jena, La. — Copps offers a glimpse of what they missed:

Last week in Chicago, I heard passionate testimony during an eight-hour Federal Communications Commission hearing on minority media ownership. Many people of color are tired of big media ignoring their concerns, distorting their contributions to society and caricaturing them as individuals. One reason is the lack of minority media ownership. A Free Press study says that while racial and ethnic minorities are more than 30 percent of the U.S. population, they own just 3.26 percent of all commercial broadcast television stations and 7.7 percent of full-power radio stations. This is a national disgrace.

Before the FCC again heads down the dangerous road of permitting huge media conglomerates to grow even bigger — something it’s looking at right now — it should act on proposals to increase minority ownership.

This echoes his colleague Jonathan Adelstein’s call for the creation an independent Minority Ownership Task Force. The FCC has neglected the issue of minority ownership for far too long. We need to solve these problems first before taking any action that could leave our media in even fewer hands.

Add Your Voice: Tell the FCC to Put Diversity Back in the Picture

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In Tribune Meeting, Martin Tips Hand in Favor of Big Media, Against Diversity

On Thursday, Chicagoans packed into an auditorium to voice concerns about media consolidation before the leadership of the Federal Communications Commission.

Hundreds were there to urge the agency’s five commissioners to foster more diversity over the air, by deciding to stop any further amassing of local TV, radio and newspaper outlets under a single corporate owner.

FCC: Listen Up!

But it seems that this decision has already been cast. During a meeting with Tribune editors earlier in the day, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin hinted very strongly that he plans to lift the existing “cross-ownership” ban that has been on the books for more than 30 years.

Such a change to the rules would unleash a new wave of consolidation in local markets.

A Nod to the Tribune

Martin reportedly told his private Tribune audience that he wants to relieve the strain placed on newspapers by the digital marketplace for news — a claim that has been soundly disputed by a recent Free Press study on Chicago news diversity.

“Many of the properties that Tribune owns date back to that original cross-ownership here in Chicago,” he said, referring to the company’s many local holdings — including the Chicago Tribune newspaper and TV stations WGN-AM 720 and WGN-Ch. 9 — which were exempted from the 1975 cross-ownership ban.

“[T]here have been many positive aspects of that cross-ownership, as demonstrated by the ability to try to have other outlets for the news, which has been very important in trying to sustain the investment in news-gathering that’s occurred.”

Earlier this year, Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell offered to buy all Tribune Company properties — including its 16 dailies and 23 television stations, many in the same markets. Zell wants to take the company private, but the success of his bid hinges upon the FCC’s action to either lift cross-ownership bans or extend waivers to Tribune in key markets where the company owns several properties.

If Martin’s FCC proceeds in lifting cross-ownership, the Tribune or any other single company could own the main daily newspaper, eight radio stations, three television stations and the major local cable provider in the same town.

Off the Dial and Out of the Picture

This would accelerate the leeching of diverse perspectives from mainstream media. Minority ownership of radio and television stations is already at a dismal low. According to Free Press, racial or ethnic minorities own just 7.7 percent of all full-power commercial broadcast radio stations and just 3.26 percent of all TV stations, though they account for 33 percent of the U.S. population.

The exclusion of minority owners is reflected in the comments of Don Imus, Michael Savage, Melanie Morgan and Rush Limbaugh and many other media shock jocks who have found a home on the mainstream dial.

The findings — and their repercussions — are a national scandal. They indict the FCC for handing media power to those who already have too much, rather than redressing decades of discrimination in access to the public airwaves.

A move by Martin to lift cross-ownership bans would further disgrace the agency that was put in place to safeguard diversity over the air.

Last night’s boisterous public hearing in Chicago should be the event that decides the fate of our media — and not closed-door meetings between a FCC chairman and conglomerates.

To whom do you think the FCC should listen?

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Tribune’s Truthiness: Blame the Internet

Blame the Internet. That’s Big Media’s latest excuse for why there shouldn’t be any limits on their holdings or pesky public interest requirements. Big Media insists that the Internet has turned the media world on its head — and that they have no more power than a blogger in the basement.

At least that’s what Tribune Co. claimed in an October filing with the FCC, arguing that media ownership rules are obsolete because the once-mighty Trib — which in Chicago alone owns its flagship newspaper, WGN-TV, WGN-AM, cable news channel CLTV and Chicago Magazine — now faces fierce competition from Chicago Ray and Gapers Block.

Not so fast. A new study by Adam Lynn and S. Derek Turner of Free Press debunks Tribune’s claims and shows definitively that a handful of Big Media giants still dominate the local news market — online and off.

Local independent Web sites and blogs are often great sources of fresh opinions and a different slant on the headlines. But they simply don’t have enough local news or a large enough audience to compete with traditional media.

The independent sites in Chicago rely heavily on the traditional outlets for original reporting. And while the independent sites are loaded with concert and restaurant reviews, they’re not covering City Hall or the school board. In fact, only 5.5 percent of the stories contained original reporting on “hard” news topics such as crime, education and local government or politics.

The study also found that independent, Chicago-focused Web sites have tiny audiences compared to their Big Media counterparts. The average number of monthly visitors to the Web sites of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times was nearly 80 times larger than that of the independent sites. And users visited the newspaper sites much more frequently.

The bottom line: The majority of our news and information is still dominated by a few corporations. That’s why limits on media ownership are still so important.

You can read the full study here or see a summary on this handy fact sheet.

Or discuss the findings with co-author Adam Lynn over at the Free Press Action Network.

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Chicago’s Local Broadcasters Speak Up

Local and independent broadcasters around Chicago are speaking up as the date of the fifth FCC hearing on media ownership draws near. The Sept. 20 public hearing will be an important chance for local media outlets to raise their voice about the vital role they play in their communities. They are eager to highlight the ways in which independent radio, TV and newspapers consistently serve the public interest, while Big Media turns its back on local communities.

WVON: ‘Level the Laying Field’

“WVON is the only African-American-owned radio station in the third-largest market in America and, until last year, operated on a shared frequency,” said Melody Spann-Cooper, president of WVON. “We stand as the best example of why the FCC must look at alternatives that will increase minority participation and level the playing field. It is the only way to ensure that the broadcast industry becomes more inclusive and better reflects the true diversity of our country.”

These independent broadcasters are helping diverse local voices get on the air and presenting vital stories that no one else is covering. While the Internet is an increasingly important tool for people to make their voices heard, these local outlets are reasserting the role of broadcast media in our society.

Radio Arte: Minorities Usurped by Big Media

“The voices of Latinos, youth, women and other groups are being usurped by the special interests of media companies that produce programming that is all too often homophobic, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and absent the diversity found in our communities,” said Silvia Rivera, general manager of Radio Arte 90.5 FM. “Radio Arte rejects any additional media consolidation and challenges the FCC to adopt rules that open up ownership opportunities for Chicago’s marginalized groups.”

It is not only the owners and managers who are speaking up. Often, it is those who work on the front lines of the media who see most dramatically the impact that Big Media has had on journalism, the arts, and local communities. Labor unions who represent media workers across Chicago are also concerned about Big Media’s slash-and-burn techniques which leave people out of work and underserved.

IBEW: Consolidation = Lay Offs

“Because we represent Telemundo workers, we know first hand that media ownership consolidation has led to massive staffing cuts in local newsrooms,” said Jesus Sanchez, Organizing Coordinator for IBEW Local 1212. “We have a huge concern that Telemundo is one of only two major Latino networks where Spanish speakers can get their news and stay informed as to what is happening in their communities. If the cuts continue, where will the Latino community get their news?”

Chicago Independent Radio: Let’s Foster Alternatives

The FCC is coming to Chicago at just the right time for the newly launched Chicago Independent Radio Project. The project’s founder, Shawn Campbell, argues that we must not only fight Big Media, but also work to foster vibrant alternatives to the corporate media conglomerates.

“The media landscape has grown increasingly homogenized at a time in our country’s history when independent voices are more important than ever,” Campbell said. “It is crucial that we raise our voices in opposition to further media consolidation, while at the same time, working to ensure there will be more media outlets that truly are serving local communities and broadcasting in the public interest.”

In a city as diverse as Chicago, those who are working constantly to ensure that diversity is represented on the airwaves are speaking up this week to tell the FCC to stop media consolidation and hold Big Media accountable.

89.5 FM: ‘Flattened’ by Consolidation

“This is what it comes down to for me: What kind of world do you want to live in? Do you want to live in a world where all the images you see, all the music and news you read and hear, and all the other media you consume is produced, owned, and controlled by the same five companies? Or do you want to live in a world where what you see and hear accurately reflects the diversity of your own community and the greater city and world?” asked Robin Archer, host and producer at 89.5 FM, Vocalo.org. “The consolidation of media ownership flattens the media landscape, reduces consumer choice, and makes it that much harder for all of us to be media makers in addition to media consumers.”

A broad and diverse range of local and national groups is urging its members to attend the hearing and testify about the impacts of media consolidation. They include: the Benton Foundation, Chicago Access Network Television, Chicago Media Action, Chicago Urban League, Chicago Westside NAACP, Children Now, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, Community Media Workshop, Community Renewal Society, Consumers Union, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Females United For Action, Free Press, Future of Music Coalition, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Illinois Campus Compact, Illinois PIRG, Latino Council on the Media, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Mid-Atlantic Community Papers Association, Midwest Gap Enterprises, Prometheus Radio Project, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Radio-Television Broadcast Engineers Union I.B.E.W Local 1212, South Austin Coalition, the Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center Inc., the Media and Democracy Coalition, the Newspaper Guild-CWA, United Church of Christ, Office of Communication Inc., We The People Media/Residents’ Journal, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and WRTE Radio Arte.

For more information, visit http://www.stopbigmedia.com

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Tune In to Tonight’s FCC Hearing on Media Ownership

Tonight at 4:00 pm CDT, catch the latest FCC hearing on media ownership, live from Chicago.

Listen to the live audio feed

Provided by the FCC.

Watch the live video feed

Provided by RainbowPUSH.

This is a great chance to view democracy in action.

Please note that the links above won’t be fully functional until the time of the hearing.

Visit StopBigMedia.com/=chicago for more information on tonight’s hearing.

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Media Diversity Takes Center Stage in Chicago

When the FCC comes to Chicago next week it will shine a national spotlight on a community where minority owners have been pushed off the airwaves by big media consolidation. The Sept. 20 hearing will be held at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters on Chicago’s South Side. With a focus on minority ownership, the hearing will offer Chicago residents a rare opportunity to voice concerns to all five FCC commissioners about the nation’s lack of diverse media owners.

“Media ownership should look like America, but instead we have too few, owning too much at the expense of too many,” said Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “It’s time to reverse the poor policy decisions that have shut out the public from our airwaves. We are honored that the FCC chose to hold this hearing at Rainbow PUSH and welcome all of Chicago’s diverse communities to join us in speaking out at this important event.”

Chicago has one of the lowest levels of minority ownership among markets of its size and diversity. Research conducted by Free Press found that racial and ethnic minorities make up nearly two-thirds of Chicago’s population but own only 5 percent of the city’s full-power commercial radio and TV stations. Despite comprising half of the population, women own just 6 percent of the city’s radio and TV stations.

“Without the First Amendment, and the ability to bring vivid images into the living rooms of America, there would be no civil rights movement,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. “But today’s civil rights movement also depends on the existence of media that is fully representative of the communities that it serves. Unfortunately, the struggle for a media system that truly reflects our nation’s diversity remains an elusive goal.”

The lack of minority and female owners is reflected in local news coverage. A recent study by the Media Management Center at Northwestern University found that “for every non-white person who is heard in a story, there are three white people” and “people who are white, male and official dominate news about politics.” Women are outnumbered by men on the local news by 2-to-1.

At the national level, the low number of female and minority owners is equally alarming. People of color make up 33 percent of the entire U.S. population, yet own 7.2 percent of all full-power radio and TV stations. While women comprise 51 percent of the entire U.S. population, they own less than 6 percent of full-power commercial radio and TV stations.

“The disgraceful lack of media diversity is the direct result of policies that have allowed big companies to swallow up local media outlets in Chicago and across the country,” said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press and author of two landmark media ownership studies — Out of the Picture and Off the Dial. “It’s time for the FCC to roll back consolidation and get more local and diverse voices on the air.”

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