Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Jim Winston
So far, 2022 has been a year of multiple socioeconomic and political challenges for all Americans.
But for African Americans and other communities of color, this year represents both challenges and opportunities in terms of business ownership. Black-owned media businesses, in particular, have a growing sense of resilience in the face of persistent and deep racial and social inequalities.
America’s telecommunications and media industry in particular should be one of the leading industries to adopt a sense of “good business” that embraces the values and benefits of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This is not about charity or charity. Diversity is objectively good for business.
The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) are working together to encourage the media and advertising industry to be more proactive and address diversity from executives to decision managers. increase. But more needs to be done to increase and strengthen the ownership of media businesses by African Americans and other minorities.
Economic equity in media requires equal access to investment capital, technological advances in telecommunications infrastructure, and inclusion in other industry innovations. As changes in the U.S. racial demographic continue to accelerate, U.S. media need to be more representative of the country’s growing diversity.
Thus, in one of the recently announced major media mergers, Standard General, a minority-owned company awaiting regulatory review and approval by the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, owns 64 television stations. It is worth noting that we acquired the company TEGNA. of each place.
Su Kim, successful Asian-American business leader, founder and managing partner of Standard General, emphasizes: that. “
We agree with this sentiment because multi-ethnic ownership of America’s media business continues to be seen as a strategic predictor for the country’s future economic well-being. We want to raise our voices in favor of positive outcomes for economic and social equity.
The Leadership Conference on Citizenship and Human Rights points out: The civil rights era will continue to live on. ” Again, overcoming these divides should be a priority for the national media industry.
“At a time when more people, especially Black people, are distrusting the media, the diversity of media owners is more important than ever to the functioning of our democracy. Diversity is part of the solution.”
We agree with the Leadership Council on Citizenship and Human Rights position on this issue.
Finally, today, as our country prepares for the midterm elections scheduled for November, many are predicting low overall voter turnout. Millions of dollars are spent on Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaigns. Anyone who wants to increase her GOTV among African-American and other communities of color needs to engage Black-owned media as a “trusted voice” of Black America to increase voter turnout. there is.
Jim Winston is president and CEO of the National Black Owned Broadcasting Board (NABOB), headquartered in Washington, DC.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), headquartered in Washington, DC.
