Minority Broadcasters Lobby Govt. For A Bailout

By Danielle Belton

It's the recession and everyone's broke, but in the media world, no one is more financially-challenged than minority-owned broadcasters (save maybe minority-owned newspapers). A group of broadcasters have now reached out to Fed Chairman Timothy Geithner looking for a financial hand-out (or hand-up depending on how you view it). What's surprising is how out of all the broadcasters listed on the letter no one from Radio One is there. The black-owned, Cathy Hughes-founded entity was trading on the stock market for less than a four-piece chicken McNugget a month ago. If anyone need an assist, it's them. But they seem to be absent in this S.O.S. Perhaps Cathy's got a hold card we don't know about that's above this kind of begging.

As for everyone else, they're on their knees.

Here's the letter via Mediabistro's TV Newser:

The Honorable Timothy Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20220

Dear Mr. Secretary:

The recession and current credit crisis are having disastrous impacts in all economic sectors, but minority-owned broadcasters are close to becoming an extinct species. Even in better economic times, minority broadcasters have historically had difficulties accessing the capital markets to make the meager gains achieved over a decade after the tidal wave of media consolidation. We write today to support and highlight a letter sent to you by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and a group of key House Committee Chairmen, including Reps. Barney Frank, Charlie Rangel, Ed Towns, Bennie Thompson, Carolyn Maloney, and Maxine Waters among others. The letter urged you to act to ensure minority-owned broadcasters are afforded similar consideration for federal assistance and investment given to the financial services and the domestic auto industry.

Unlike the auto business, the broadcasting has been healthy for many years and, upon a recovery, could shortly be restored to a path of growth with some temporary assistance. Given the global credit crisis, plummeting ad revenues, no-minority dictates by advertisers, and changes in Arbitron audience measurement, which have further deflated ad pricing, the short-term financial outlook for our broadcasting companies is not good. Many of us are now, or will soon be, weathering significant defaults of our credit facilities. Ironically, the loss of automobile advertising revenues, a substantial source of revenue for broadcast stations, is also weighing heavily on our businesses.

It is particularly concerning that the percentage of minority ownership in the broadcast industry is currently in the low single digits. What will happen to the communities we serve if this once in a lifetime financial crisis completely severs our access to capital and we lose our stations? The federal government for decades has advocated the importance of minority voices in the broadcast industry as a precursor to a vibrant democracy and a more inclusive society. Financial foreclosure will roll back decades of work by the federal government to encourage more minority voices in the broadcasting industry.

We are urging you to heed the recommendations from those key House leaders calling for:

The enactment of an investment facility similar to the Auto Supplier Support Program to help restore credit flows to the broadcast sector; and Consideration be given to temporary bridge financing or government-backed loans (with warrants) until the economy improves.
We understand many businesses are seeking federal assistance. We don’t diminish the worthiness of those sectors. However, the primary source of news and entertainment for millions of minority communities in the U.S. comes primarily from minority-owned broadcasters. It would be unconscionable to have financial institutions that have accepted billions of federal government assistance to foreclose on these vital American voices. If the Treasury does not want to enact a direct assistance program, at least it should seriously demand that banking institutions receiving federal funds extend credit and be flexible in restructuring credit facilities to insure that healthy, commercially-viable minority broadcasters can weather this unprecedented, but temporary, financial storm.

We look forward to working with you, your staff, members of Congress, and our colleagues in the broadcasting industry to find ways to move forward during these difficult economic times. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely yours,

Amador S. Bustos
President and CEO
BUSTOS MEDIA, LLC

Walter F. Ulloa
Chief Executive Officer
Entravision Communications Corporation

Ronald L. Ulloa
President
KVMD Licensee Co., L.L.C.
Multicultural Broadcasting Companies

Ra’ul Alarc’on
President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board
Spanish Broadcasting System

Pierre M. Sutton
Chairman
Inner City Broadcasting Coalition

James Winston
President
National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters

Maria De Leon
President and CEO
KXTD Gaytan Broadcasting Media, LLC

Alfredo Plascencia
President
Lazer Broadcasting Corp.

Norberto Sanchez
President and CEO
Norsan Media

Michael Carter
Chairman
Carter Broadcast Group, Inc.

Sydney Small
Chairman
Access.1

Karen Slade
Vice President and General Manager
Taxi Productions, Inc.

Bennie Turner
Chairman
T&W Communications Inc.

Carol Moore Cutting
President
Cutting Edge Broadcasting Company