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Auveiusing aycivy wids uncovered by FCG stiuy
From page one
people aradiospectrum filled with
stations that serve all the people
and viewpoints of our nation,”
Mr. Kennard said.
: WFXA, Foxie 103, is the #1 sta
tion in Augusta, according to
arbitron ratings. However, Tanya
Barnhill, a sales representative
for Foxie, echoes the reports sen
timent that being #1 is not enough.
According to recent arbitron rat
ings referenced by Ms. Barnhill,
Foxie 103 is the #1 radio station
in Augusta with 94,700 listeners.
This is 24,000 more weekly lis
teners that it’s mainstream com
petitor WBBQ. 26.6% of these
listeners, over 20,000, are white.
' Ms. Barnhill says she has been
fortunate enough not to have any
3ne tell her directly that they
lon’t want African American busi
ness or making a stereotypical
comment about the stations tar
tet audience. However, after
years of submitting “Avail Re
quests”, a request of results that
can be guaranteed if advertising
time is bought, to such establish
ments as Applebee’s, it has be
come painfully obvious. .
Curtis Downey, sales manager
of Cumulus Broadcasting, WHBX
in Tallahassee, Florida and
former WFXA employee, viewed
the situation similarly. He stated
that businesses perceive the situ
ation in one of three ways: 1) they
don’t want our (minorities) busi
ness, 2) they have enough of our
business or 3) they are comfort
able in the fact that they don’t
have to do anything to get our
business because we will come
anyway.
April; a salesperson at WRDW,
a*'minority-owned, ‘mainstream
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A Closer Look
formatted talk radio station,
states that they have the same
problems. “Though there is no
hard evidence, if you have a good
product and it’s a good fit (with
the company), then it’s the differ
ence in the salesperson that mat
ters.” The salesperson spoke of
instances when a minority sales
person may have been turned
down for a sale and a white sales
person will go back a few weeks
later and be awarded the sale.
Not all minority-owned broad
casters see race or ethnicity as
the chief problem. Stacey Brown,
a salesperson for The Boss,
WAAW, says that they have not
experienced these types of prob
lems. Though they are minority
owned, they play all types of mu
sic. However, she notes that they
haven’t been on the air very long
and need toincrease their ratings
before going after the big compa
nies. :
Mr. Richard Burkeen, President
of Multi-Media of Augusta, rec
ommends self-examination and
cites lack of training as the rea
son salespeople at minority owned
and formatted stations can’t get
the big sales. He says that com
panies should evaluate the
amount of money spent training
their salespeople to go after
agency business. In addition,com
panies and salesperson should be
mindful of the number of events
they didn’t attend, then they will
know why the advertising execu
tivesdon’t accept theirinvitations
or buy their accounts. Mr.
Burkeen contends that the sales
people are not aggressive enough
and should re-evaluate their
training and professionalism be
fore claiming discrimination.
Dr. Cal Brice, a former adver
tising sales executive -in New
Yorx, doesn’t agree. “If you're not
in the loop, you’re not going to get
the sale,” says Dr. Brice. “Agen
cies buy from people they can
relate to and they don’t relate
very well to people that are other
than themselves. ' Blacks don’t
get jobs buying time and because
whites don’t know you, they wont
agree to be wined and dined by
minority salespeople.” Dr. Brice
is no longer in advertising-he is a
practicing chiropractor in Au
gusta.
Ofthe 3,745 radio stations that
were the basis for the analysis, 44
percent estimated that dictates
interfere with their ability toraise
capital and to acquire minority
formatted stations and 44 per
cent estimated that dictates de
tract from the value of minority
formatted stations when they are
being sold.
Anecdotal and quantitative
evidence included in the study,
suggest that certain practices in
the advertising industry under
mine marketplace competition
and First Amendment: principles
favoring diversity of viewpoint.
Eldorado Communications,
Inc., a broadcaster who serves
Hispanic lisveners, deems the
practices ~ shameful and
unAmerican. In a press state
ment, the company acknowledged
being a victim of minority dis
counts and experiencing, first
hand, a loss of advertising rev
enue due to the dictates. “Such
practices will end only when cor
porations take responsibility for
the actions of their ad agencies.
Hopefully, this study will foster a
dialogue that leadstoalevel play
ing field for all broadcasters, and
respect for all communities,” says
Eldorado Communications.
One of the study recommenda
tions is that the private sector,
broadcasters, advertisers and ad
agencies adopt a voluntary code
of conduct that prohibits “no ur
ban/spanish dictates” and “minor
ity discounts”.
The American Advertising Fed
eration has decided, in part, to do
just that. The AAF will deliver a
report to advertisers outlining
issues and concerns about the way
media is bought and sold and dis
parities in advertising rates be
tween minority and mainstream
media. In addition, they will ap
point a blue-ribbon panel repre-
Waring
From page 8
ing can be planned. There are
plenty of people, automobiles,
etc. to accommodate a genuine
“Get Out the Vote” campaign in
November if desired. History
will be watching. Are we ask
ing too much?
Continue King renaming
process
May I urgently and respectfully
urge the NAACP and Richmond
County Commission to continue
theirdiscussionon therenaminga
street for Dr. M.L.. King, Georgia’s
only Nobel Peace awardee.
While the still A-Building
Murray Road is one of my first
choices, there are other options.
There’s Old Savannah Road from
Gordon Highway eastward into
Bush Field. Thirdly, may we look
at 15th Street running northward
from the juncture of Milledgeville
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sentative of the ad industry to
address steps to increase minor
ity opportunities in advertising,
including the viability of a code of
conduct.
AAF President and CEO Wally
Synder is not totally convinced
that such a code is necessary.
“We need to determine whether a
business code would advance the
goals of fair access, fair competi
tion, and equal opportunities sug
gested by the FCC, or whether an
aggressive educational campaign
is a more powerful and effective
way to increase investments in
the multicultural market.”
Road to Reynolds Street downtown.
It would pass by several venerable
and famous institutions. Frontingit
aresuchfacilitiesagT.W.Josey High
School, Shiloh Community Center,
Williams CME Church, Sunset
Housing Project, Screen-Ramsey
Post or the American Legion, the Dr.
Walter Jackson Post VFW and
Kappa Alpha Psi House. Leaving
Wrightsboro it runs by Paine Col
lege (which faces it) and along the
side of MCG’s dormitories, the stu
dentbuilding and hospital to Harper
Street. Thence past the front door of
our splendid V.A. Medical Center.
There are a number of fine business
firms, such as Castleberry’s, along
side the proposed thoroughfare. Itis
my sincere hope that they will act in
aresponsible manneron this subject
as his citizens have in many other
communities around our nation.
I can well remember back in
1975 when I proposed changing
Gwinett Street to Laney-Walker
Boulevard. Many Blacks said “Phil
Waring, don’t youknow those white
folks will not allow this street to be
renamed for two former slaves?”
To this date I have not heard one
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The FCC has vowed to continue
o monitor the problem. “As long
as I am privileged to be on the
FCC,” says Gloria Tristani, FCC
Commissioner, “I will continue to
work to ensure that all voices
have an opportunity to be heard
over the public airwaves.”
Bobby Nichols, Co-owner of
WIIZ, The Wiz, feels “the black
radio stations do not get their fair
share of corporate advertising
dollars,” and hopes “that one day
black radio stations can truly say
they’re #l—in rating and in bill
ing, where it really counts.”
negative word from this splendi
institution of science and culture
If 15th Street is selected, it is m
fond hope that the business firm
will follow MCG’s splendid ex
ample.
Others have suggested Eas
Boundary. Now back to Murra
Road Expressway. It runs paralle
to a railroad and is void nearb
houses, business firms and thelike
Old Savannah would involv
county action, while Murray Roa
would need approval by both pub
lic bodies.
But for the proposals for a monu
ment or a park, etc. may I sa
forget it. The Augusta-Richmon
Black community needsand wan
a street named for Dr. King."
Our City Council acted splen
didly on this matter after prope
debate and discussion, and thi
column salutes them. An entirel
difference scene presented itsel
before the Richmond County Com
mission on two occasions, whe
two factions of the KKK, th
United Daughters of the Confed
eracy, local residents and several
business firms opposed it. ‘
9A