Essay 759

New York Public Radio conducted a discussion on our segregated industry. Below is a brief overview. Click on the essay title above to hear it all. (Thanks to Hadji Williams for bringing this stuff to our attention.)

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Segregated Ad Industry

Joining us are

Richard Wayner: President/CEO of the True Agency and Chairman and CEO of Alliance TRACE Media.
Lisa Sanders: Reporter at Advertising Age.
Don Richards: Senior Vice President of Agency Diversity Programs at the 4As.

The Issue:

The Human Rights Commission is investigating why the number of African Americans working in mid- and upper-level jobs in general market agencies is so low. They’re comparing numbers of African Americans currently employed to those taken from the last time the Commission undertook a broad look at the industry, which was from 1968 to 1978. The Commission began this probe in Nov. 2004. The Commission’s chief, Pat Gatling, earlier this month announced that her agency will hold hearings on this topic Sept. 24-29, and has sent subpoenas to 16 chiefs of New York City agencies, requesting that they testify.

In response to the Commission’s efforts since the probe began, back in Nov. 2004, the industry has hired several lobbyists (as well as lawyers). Most recently, the industry trade group, the Four As has hired a firm, Bolton St. John’s, to lobby members of the New York City City Council, and specifically members of the Committee on Civil Rights, and its chairman, city councilman Larry Seabrook. That’s because several months ago, Councilman Seabrook said his committee is going to hold public hearings of its own on this issue. These hearings would be separate from the Commission’s.

Richard Wayner, CEO of The True Agency, did make allegations that there tend to be “silos” in the industry of agencies that handle multi-cultural and ethnic accounts versus agencies that handle general market business. Some in the industry believe that the doling out of accounts along target-market agency lines leads to minorities being segregated, largely working in ethnic agencies.