First the news…
Black Press Being “Fenced†Out of Economic Justice
Members of the West Coast Black Publishers, an organization of approximately 30 African American Newspapers throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, and the California Black Media organization attended a Press Conference, called by the Pasadena Journal News at the Pasadena Playhouse, on September 1, 2006, to protest discriminatory treatment. The protest was held after charges of discrimination in advertising practices by the Playhouse were leveled by Pasadena Journal publisher, Attorney Joe C. Hopkins, in The Journal’s August 31, 2006 issue…
Hopkins alleges that the Pasadena Playhouse spends their advertising dollars with White owned newspapers, while ignoring the Black Press, except through their non paying marketing strategies which includes free press releases sent to the Black press and soliciting Black audiences, directly through African American sororities and social groups such as the Links, and others, to form theater parties. Hopkins does not criticize the age old practice of holding theater parties or direct sales approaches. He feels, however, money from Black groups go to support advertising for White owned newspapers, while many Black press newspapers are snubbed. Black plays for next years’ season are already being promoted to Black audiences.(source)
This same complaint was thrown to T.D. Jakes not too long ago for not advertising in local black newspapers:
ATLANTA (NNPA) – Talk is cheap and, apparently, so too is television minister Bishop T. D. Jakes.
In June, Jakes who has been dubbed “America’s Best Preacher†by TIME magazine, pledged a partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a federation of more than 200 Black newspapers. But when his MegaFest 2005, one of the largest religious conferences ever, rolls into Atlanta this week with an estimated 150, 000 people in attendance not one single dime will have been spent with Atlanta’s Black press.
“We got nothing, he’s not spending anything with Black newspapers,†says Cheryl Mainor, advertising and marketing director for The Atlanta Voice. (source)
In other words, a shakedown.
The harsh reality for this group is that readership of black newspapers are not what they used to be. In fact, newspaper readership is down in general. You can also factor in the more technological way people in general get their news. More and more people are turning to the web to get their news versus a conventional newspaper.
With the exception of a few, most black newspapers are not dailies but weeklies. Most black people who are interested in the news are not going to wait a week to find out what is going on in the rest of the community. This is why it just makes sense to advertise in larger publications as they have a much larger audience increasing their chances for visibility to the audience they are trying to reach. Black publications like Black Enterprise, Ebony, or Essence are also good examples of high visibility marketing tools.
Although many black newspapers have made the jump to cyberspace, you simply cannot expect to be a strong competitor with other news outlets when you website is updated only once a week (there is also the issue of always covering stories of white vs. black racism–I’ve talked about that on this site quite often).
Roland S. Martin (executive editor for The Chicago Defender) had this to say regarding blogs:
I’ve taken the time to peruse a number of blogs, and folks, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. In fact, I see blogs as nothing more than a glorified, 21st century diary. Now be honest: how many of you are dying to read what’s in your next door neighbor’s diary or some insomniac from across the globe?
Far too many of my colleagues have gone mad with the fascination with blogs. What makes the really interesting blogs, well, interesting, is that the people behind them have actually done something and can speak with authority on the subjects they write about.
Remember, we’ve been down this path before. Five years ago, everyone was rushing to get their own web page. Internet firms were charging exorbitant amounts of money to build them, and clueless folks were shelling out the dough because it’s the latest fad.
A lot of those website owners thought that because they had a site, all of a sudden they should be afforded the same access to news events as real journalists. And I hated standing next to one of these wanna-bes. They didn’t know how to ask questions, were often uninformed on the issue, and couldn’t write worth squat. Call me a media snob, fine. But at least if you want to be taken seriously, learn the rules and ethics of the business! (source)
In the meantime, it has been blogs that has been changing the playing field on how news is reported. Large newspapers such as the LA Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution and others all have incorporated blogs as part of their Internet presence. To his credit, Martin has incorporated podcasts as a part of his newspaper.
The “Black loyalty at any cost” mantra has not and will not work in today’s marketplace especially if you are not willing to embrace change. Like everyone else, the typical black reader has become more savvy on how and where they get there information. Hopefully black newspapers will do the same instead of looking for a handout.
