AFTRA

AFTRA Members Make Strong Case Against
FCC Relaxing Media Ownership Rules at New York Town Hall Meeting

NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 19, 2006) – Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps heard from members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and other community members at a town hall meeting that focused on the impact of media consolidation on the news, information, and entertainment needs of communities of color.

Organized by a coalition of public interest groups, the Town Hall/Public Hearing on the Future of Diversity in the Nation’s Media was held Thursday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in the Hunter College Kaye Playhouse. The FCC commissioners heard from the public and a panel of experts.

As a participant on the panel explored diversity in the media, AFTRA member and former Boston radio host "Coach" Willie Maye spoke about how the silencing of radio station WILD-FM destroyed a valuable media outlet, which serviced a minority community in Boston.

“For decades, WILD radio served as the voice of the Black community in Greater Boston through its unique mix of local programming, news, and music,” said Maye. “Unfortunately, this heritage urban voice was abruptly silenced last month as the current owners plan to sell the station to another radio corporation that is interested only in the transmitter to enhance the signal of one of their current stations. The Federal Communications Commission is currently evaluating not only the sale of WILD, but also the rules governing corporate ownership of the public airwaves. With the sale of WILD, we have seen first-hand the impact of radio ownership consolidation on our community.”

Other panel participants included Juan Gonzalez, New York Daily News columnist; Anthony Riddle, Alliance for Community Media executive director; Betty Ellen Berlamino, WPIX-TV vice president/general manager; Arlene Davila, New York University professor of anthropology and American studies; Mark W. Mason, CBS Radio Stations vice president of news programming and 1010 WINS Radio executive editor/program director; and Maryann Pryor, Writer’s Guild of America East council member.

During the public comment period of the event, AFTRA member Anita Hollander spoke about media representation of people with disabilities and how the AFTRA Performers with Disabilities committee is working to increase media access.

This meeting was sponsored by the National Hispanic Media Coalition/National Latino Media Council, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the National Institute for Latino Policy.