Kevin Ross: Internet Radio to the Rescue (Part 5 of 5)
INTERNET RADIO TO THE RESCUE
By Kevin Ross
No wonder bloggers and specifically the black blogosphere have become the go-to folks for bringing issues such as these to the forefront. And for many, sites like Blogtalkradio are assisting in that effort. One of several online stations that have come on the scene in the last few years, Blogtalkradio allows anyone with a phone and a computer to host and podcast their own Internet radio program for free.
Last year the social networking site saw exponential growth with hundreds of hosts from all racial and ethnic groups. In November 2008, some 3.8 million listeners tuned in to Blogtalkradio, nearly 750,000 or 16% of which were African-American alone. These folks clearly have something to say and are finding an audience, albeit small, eager to hear it.
Obviously these hosts are playing in the minors while superstars like Limbaugh reign supreme in the big league.
“I have a very simple philosophy … put the very best product you can on the air, regardless of origin,” says Gabe Hobbs, a senior vice president for programming at Clear Channel for twenty-five years.
Hobbs was among those recently laid off at the San Antonio, TX based company as a result of low ad sales.
In 2010, blacks are estimated to spend $1 trillion dollars. Hispanics are on tap to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2011.
Both groups listen to talk, yet unanswered text messages to radio execs are saying loud and clear, “I’m just not into you.”
“These hiring authorities, in contrast to their reputations for being visionaries and innovative programmers, don’t appear to be as either visionary or innovative; but, rather, they seem awkward or clueless, oblivious or insensitive about their responsibility for inclusive hiring. This lack of inclusiveness appears to be a failure of leadership rather than as outright racism or the intentional exclusion of minorities,” says Meyers.
Meyers goes on to point out that the widely-held perception that mainstream, majority-owned AM Talk Radio stations are broadcasting mostly or only Caucasian talk show hosts daily is accurate. “This is a problem of defacto racial segregation that is both easily recognizable and easily fixed. It is a challenge to the stations’ executives– people of good-will, to a person, we are sure– for prompt, corrective action,” Meyers concludes.
These were the identical words he used in 2000. Eight years later, News/Talk became the number one format in terrestrial radio.
Sound check one-two, one-two! Is this thing on?
There’s a saying that goes “I can’t hear you, because your actions are speaking too loudly.” Well, for radio companies such as Cumulus, Westwood One, Citadel, CBS, Premiere, Cox, Salem and Clear Channel, the silence of minority voices is most certainly not golden. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
To the point of being deafening. John &
Kevin Ross is president and CEO of strategic marketing firm 3BAAS Media Group. A former talent on KABC, he currently hosts his own show on Blogtalkradio and blogs at 3 Brothers And A Sister.
