8320: Arbitron PPM® OK 4 U?

The digital ad above announced, “Arbitron PPM® radio ratings meet Media Monitors commercial data.” Given all the past problems, is it too early to declare mission accomplished?

6993: Minority Broadcasters Need A Bailout.

From The New York Daily News…

Obama, throw a lifeline to black and Hispanic radio

By Pierre M. Sutton

Now that the transition to digital television has stranded many low-income Americans, broadcast radio is the last remaining free over-the-air medium for millions of low-income families, including many African-Americans and Latinos.

But as the economic crisis leaves wreckage in its wake, minority-owned and oriented radio stations are fast becoming an endangered species, with dire consequences for our diverse democracy.

African-Americans and Latinos — who comprise about 28% of the U.S. population — now own only an estimated 6.3% of full-power radio stations in America. Pittsburgh’s only black-oriented radio station, WAMO, has recently been sold, as have Spanish-language radio station KLOK in San Jose, Calif., and Border Media, a leading chain of Latino-oriented radio stations in Texas.

Imagine how different New York City’s history would have been — or how difficult our future could be — without African-American and Latino radio stations. During the decades of civil rights struggle, the pioneering black-oriented radio stations, WLIB and WWRL, focused listeners’ minds on the movement, while broadcasting the jazz, rhythm-and-blues and gospel sounds that soothed their souls. Pioneering Spanish-language stations played a similar role, publicizing voter registration drives while providing music and talk that helped generations of newcomers feel more at home in New York.

Now, though the soundtrack has changed, these stations still play a vital role in keeping their listeners informed, inspired and involved in their communities and their country, as well as promoting businesses and generating jobs in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Perhaps you’re thinking: Just about every industry under the sun is hurting during this deep recession, and the traditional media have been adapting and contracting over the course of many years. Why should minority-oriented radio stations get any special consideration or treatment?

Because these radio stations — which serve a vital and underappreciated role — have been suffering economic body blow after body blow in the current crisis.

First, banks and other lenders are becoming de facto owners of the nation’s airwaves, driving out diversity of all kinds.

Second, Arbitron, whose ratings determine where advertisers buy airtime, has initiated a new method of measuring audiences that we believe dramatically undercounts minority stations’ listeners.

Third, advertisers across the board are cutting back their buys on minority radio. That’s especially true of the troubled auto industry, long a leading advertiser on black stations.

Black and Hispanic radio stations must not be allowed to go extinct — but today, that’s looking like a very real possibility.

That is why leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and New York’s own Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan) and Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn) are urging that the federal government help minority-owned radio stations weather this financial storm.

In a meeting today with senior Obama administration officials, minority broadcasters will make our case for emergency federal assistance. We appreciate the administration’s attention to these important issues thus far and hope for its help.

No new laws would have to be passed. The Treasury Department can easily tap into funds already appropriated under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which has helped to restore credit flows to the financial and domestic automobile supplier industries. Bridge financing or government-backed loans could also be provided until the financial system recovers.

Minority radio stations aren’t failing businesses begging for handouts; they’re healthy enterprises, beset by a perfect storm of bad circumstances, that are in need of a lifeline. At a time when millions of African-Americans and Latinos need information and opportunities to get jobs and build businesses, let’s not pull the plug on black and Hispanic radio.

Sutton is the chairman of Inner City Broadcasting Corp.

6930: Minority Broadcaster Bailout?

From The New York Daily News…

Minority broadcasters to Treasury Secretary Geithner: We need a bailout, too

By David Hinckley, Daily News Staff Writer

A dozen of the country’s largest minority broadcasters warn they’ll be “extinct” if they don’t get some federal bailout dollars — or at least a helping hand with bank loans.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, dated Sunday, the broadcasters say a credit crunch from “plummeting ad revenue” and other factors has led to an “unprecedented crisis.”

The letter does not address the sticky topic of whether government should provide financial assistance to media, but does warn that a loss of these stations could “roll back decades of work by the federal government to encourage more minority voices.”

The letter asks for either the direct aid provided to the auto and financial services industry, or government pressure on banks to free up money for loans.

Signers of the letter include Pierre Sutton, chairman of Inner City Broadcasting Co., which owns radio stations WBLS and WLIB. Inner City was founded by former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, Pierre’s father.

It also was signed by Sydney Small, owner of WWRL, and by Raul Alarcon, president of Spanish Broadcasting Systems. His company owns New York’s two largest Spanish radio stations, WSKQ and WPAT-FM.

WSKQ, which a few years ago was the city’s No. 1 station, says revenues have plummeted 40% or more in the last year. WBLS says its revenues are down by more than half, compared with an industrywide average of 20% to 30%.

Treasury Department spokeswoman Meg Reilly did not return calls asking when and if the request would be considered.