Study Reveals Alarming Reality of Radio Ownership
Free Press released
a 76-page study this week on media diversity, focusing specifically on women and minority ownership of radio stations -- or the lack thereof. The study, titled
Off the Dial: How Media Consolidation Diminishes Diversity on the Radio, reviews the current state of radio ownership (predominately white and male), and the future consequences if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to press pro-consolidation policies.
The findings, while powerful, are not surprising. Women own a mere 6% of full-powered radio stations but comprise 51% of the population. People of color own 7.7% of these stations while making up 33% of the population. Similarly, 15% of the population is Latino, but own only 3% of radio stations. The study also finds that women- and minority-owned stations are the most likely to air local content and diverse programming.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is currently considering relaxing media ownership limits. Public interest groups, in the wake of this study, are stepping up their advocacy for policies that encourage greater diversity of media ownership. They have in their court longtime public interest champion Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein:
"Women and people of color have been left off the dial because the FCC has pursued policies that are far off the mark," said Commissioner Adelstein. "It is our legal and moral obligation to promote diversity in the public airwaves…. Misguided policies have concentrated radio ownership in a few hands and denied two-thirds of the American people an opportunity to serve the needs of their communities. The Commission needs to …develop a comprehensive strategy to remedy this injustice.
Carol Jenkins, President of The Women's Media Center, calls women “the silent majority”:
"Women are acutely under-represented in the media overall. In the case of radio, it's a pipeline issue: when 85 to 90 percent of general managers and program directors are men, women simply don't acquire the skills to run- and then own- radio stations."
You can learn more and participate in this debate on June 29 when Common Cause and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights co-host
a national town hall meeting on “Why Media Diversity Matters.” There will be live events in Washington, DC and Denver, CO, and the meeting will be webcast for the rest of the country. Stay tuned for more details.
Tags: Media and Democracy, media ownership, minorities, FCC, Free Press, media diversity (all tags)
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