WOW The Mighty OJAYS

Normally, I don't anticipate watching a television awards show but this year the BET Awards 09 was special. All day I waited for the program because it was billed as a tribute show to Michael Jackson. This production was three days in the making due to the sudden death of the World's Greatest Entertainer. The original planned production was abandoned in respect to the entertainment icon. If anyone is still confused and doubting the impact that Michael Jackson placed on the World these last few days should provide a clearer picture. No prior entertainer has dominated the media like the passing of Michael Jackson. I'm sure no other entertainer ever will. The World really had something special in Michael. Many of the celebrities talked about how Michael Jackson impacted their lives. The words and memories were fitting to the World's Greatest entertainer. His Father Joe Jackson was in the front row and Janet spoke at the end of the program. The spirit of Michael Jackson must have been in the auditorium.


For me, the special of the night was the performance by the Life Time Achievement Honoree the Mighty, Mighty OJAY'S. It was an amazing performance that pierced through the evening which was dedicated to Michael Jackson. If you missed their performance Sunday Night do not miss the Encore presentation on Tuesday. And don't be hard on Don "Soul Train" Cornelius.

When the O'Jays sang I turned up the volume to hear the Legends from Canton,Ohio and they did not disappoint. Harmony, Harmony and Harmony a straight up singing lesson. Eddie and Walter still have it. And the newest member of the O'Jays hit the notes of the late great O'Jays original member William Powell flawlessly. I mean the O'Jays Sang and "Stepped." Excuse me, you would have to be a fan of singing groups to really appreciate what the O'Jays did on that stage. Don't take my word for it, watch them and turn up the TV as they perform and you will see these "Legends" step and sing great harmony. The harmony itself was music to my ears and that harmony was better with time. I was done after the O'Jays performance. I actually felt better. Micheal's death was heavy on my heart. This weekend seemed so long. I wish singing groups could make a comeback through our younger performers. Maybe our sons and brothers can work it out. BET should have let the O'Jays sing Love Train and that would have been an added tribute to Michael.

The Prime Minister

Michael Jackson, Now Appearing in Heaven with Jackie and James

When I saw the breaking story on MSNBC I knew this news was going to be really bad. I switched channels and every news outlet was reporting that Michael Jackson had suffered cardiac arrest. As I continued looking at the images, I began praying but when I saw the police starting to redirect traffic near the hospital a tear formed in my eye. I knew then Michael was dead it was just a matter of the news outlets making the announcement. When MSNBC confirmed that Michael had expired. I yelled Oh No!, but the truth is God does not make a mistake he wanted Michael home with him.

My heart immediately went out to his family especially his mother. I remembered my grandmother and the pain she was going through as she looked upon my mother who expired. My grandmother kept saying that's my baby. I feel for Michael's mother and for any mother that has to bury their child.

There will be many debates over the legacy of Michael Jackson. He was a gifted man who spent his entire early life on stage. Michael studied Jackie Wilson and James Brown. He was destined to be a star. I first saw him with the Jackson 5 at the Regal Theather on 47th Street and King Drive(South Park) in 1968 singing "Big Boy." They were good. In his career as a member of the family group and soloist Michael Jackson has influenced legions of entertainers.

He was innovative to the music industry creating the first music videos. Michael Jackson made a lot of people rich. His style set standards for all other entertainers. Thriller sold 100 million copies worldwide. Some artist won't sell that many records in 5 lifetimes. He led the way. Despite what was printed in the media, I never believed one thing that was printed or broadcasted. I took Michael at his word. Michael was a victim of his own stardom. None of us can image what he had to go through. And none of us will ever see the likes of an entertainer like him again.

The Prime Minister

True, But the Issue is Greater than Radio One

Black Radio Doesn't Deserve Our Help

Why should we run to black radio’s defense when it has failed black communities so terribly?

• By: Mark Anthony Neal | Posted: May 27, 2009 at 6:35 AM

On May 13, more than 200 protesters gathered outside the Detroit offices of House Judiciary Chairman and longtime Michigan representative John Conyers, who sponsored the controversial Performance Rights Act (HR 848). Known as the "performance tax," the bill would require that radio stations pay yearly license fees for the right to play music on the air.

The protest was sponsored by Radio One, the largest black-owned radio company in the country, with over 50 stations in nearly 20 markets and an increasing share of the so-called urban market via TV One, Giant magazine and the signature syndicated drive-time program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show. Radio One's "Save Black Radio" campaign responds to fears that the new law would hurt already struggling black-owned radio stations.

What's not clear to me is why we should be crying any tears for Radio One. It is BET without the rump-shaking videos, and it's nearly as destructive in warping the musical and communal values that have historically made radio an institution in black communities. This is the very same industry that has effectively shut out independent artists, put out music and lyrics that degrade women and warp the values of children.

Why should we run to black radio's defense when it has failed black communities so terribly?

To be clear, the debates about the Performance Rights Act are part of an ongoing struggle between record companies (the major global conglomerates, Warner Music Group, EMI, Sony and Universal Music Group) and large radio broadcasters such as Clear Channel, CBS Radio and Radio One.

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is pushing the bill in an effort to combat the long-known, though often-denied practice of "pay for play." The practice was brilliantly captured in a series of Salon essays by Eric Boehlert, and three years ago then-New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer forced Universal Music Group into a $12-million settlement in response to claims that the company had engaged in pay-for-play tactics.

In this light, the Performance Rights Act is simply payback (reparations, perhaps) with a stream of money going from the radio stations back to the record companies.

Both record companies and the radio industry have touted the adverse impact on artists if the bill passes or fails. Both arguments are disingenuous given the exploitative relationship they have with talent.

As industry analyst Cedric Muhammad noted a few years ago, Radio One was notorious for admonishing on-air talent who played music that was not sanctioned by the company, making it difficult for independent artists to get airplay. Understandably, Radio One's own corporate ambitions were tied to their willingness to play the game on the recording industry's term, and accordingly now that the environment has changed, they are trying to reverse course. Black radio used to be a place that was supportive of local and independent artists. For many, the idea of black radio has long been dead as companies like Clear Channel and Emmis (parent company of New York's famed Hot 97) have effectively mined the field for "authentic" black on-air talent, to give the impression of being "black-owned," while having little to do with the black communities they ostensibly exist to serve. In a highly competitive marketplace, black-owned radio stations have had little choice but to try to replicate the successes of the ClearChannels of the nation.

Even those Radio One partners such as The Tom Joyner Morning Show and The Michael Baisden Show, who were admirable in their roles during the 2008 election season, are problematic in the ways that they privilege national issues over the kinds of vital local concerns that radio stations have historically shed light on. In his important book Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media, Eric Klinenberg provides examples of radio conglomerates that didn't have personnel on the ground at local stations and thus were unable to warn their local listening audiences of impending dangers. Because smaller radio stations were often the only places where real independent artists could get any airplay, this bill will be detrimental to independent artists, as Tony Muhammad recently noted.

To be sure, the economic impact that the Performance Rights Act will have on black and community-based radio stations are real, particularly those without the corporate profile of Radio One. Historically, black radio has been indispensible to the social and political gains of black Americans, as William Barlow and Brian Ward attest to in their respective books, Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio and Radio and the Struggles for Civil Rights in the South.

But as new technologies emerge, so have new opportunities, particularly under difficult economic conditions. As such, this is a moment that demands new models (indeed, the use of podcasts and online programming like that of Bob Davis' Soul-Patrol Radio points the way) and perhaps "black radio" as we know it and as Radio One has represented it, needs to die, in order for black radio to survive.

Mark Anthony Neal is professor of black popular culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University. He is the author of several books including What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public Culture and the forthcoming Looking for Leroy: (Il)Legible Black Masculinities. A version of this essay first appeared on his blog.

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Reggie Miles comments

All the complaints about Radio One and other media corporations are the reasons why Black people should rise and protest the state of media. I agree that if the radio industry should "bottom out"that would be a good thing for the big media corporations to die. Now is the time for media reform groups to mobilize for change from the corporate giants who have devoured the public airwaves for commercial gain. It is not the time to throw the hands up in disgust, intellectualize about the ills and abandon Black Radio. The radio spectrum is vital and diverse people should have access to it.

The solution to the present media situation is a matter of becoming active and political towards changing the rules to benefit more than a few white males. There are several media reform groups working towards better media. Free Press has an excellent beginner's guide. The so called deregulation is not working. Is it true that small businesses drive this country? Then radio should become a small business enterprise as it once was.

There should be ownership limits in radio. It is apparent that large companies do not adequately serve the public. People are complaining about radio and several studies have been completed. One of the most detailed studies on radio was done by the Future of Music Coalition. Now is the time to raise our voices in protest about the media. In our debates let's continue to educate the masses about a sick and greedy media system.

The Free Press provides and excellent Media Policy 101 guide. With ownership limits more people will have an opportunity to be owners. With that said the focus should be on securing diversity of ownership which is what the FCC should be doing. The Center for American Progress details the importance of diversity in the study Local Diversity Matters. The frustration concerning Black Radio should be directed at the FCC through massive amounts of letters and emails to the FCC. Also include your Congressman and Senator. The FCC has updated the Public and Broadcasting which summarizes information about the FCC and Broadcasting.

New media and technologies are great and it is a good thing that the Internet is available to all but do not sleep on the fact that "big conglomerates" see the Internet as another revenue stream and want to control the pipeline to create a tollway for more revenue and gate keeping.

Support Network Neutrality and don't overlook or give away radio. Consider this, if the new media is going to move people away from radio Why does big business want to keep a dying medium? The reason is because radio is the most personal and immediate of all mediums and the future of radio is brighter through Digital and HD broadcasts. Radio is the grand daddy of the electronic media and has survived through many changes and will survive through changes brought on by itself. Why give up the grandfather?

Disappearing Voices: The Documentary

Thanks to the ICE Theaters and 1690 am WVON for co sponsoring the screening of Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio, in Chicago. The 7:00 PM showing on Friday June 19th was well attended. Although I personally would have liked to see a packed house. The response was refreshing. This film is an eye opener. It holds you through 60 minutes of information packed images on the role of communication in the lives of African Americans. This bold presentation won't be advertised through "mainstream" media because the content will wake radio listeners up.

Now if you decide to see for yourself the film and I recommended that you do. View Disappearing Voices looking at the greater picture. The content of the film is not an exhaustive history of Black Radio, that would take a 6 Disc DVD set. View it with some young adults. Purchase the DVD and make it the focus of a special family gathering. Disappearing Voices is great for a gathering at a Church. Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio lets you know the important role of media communication in our culture.

After seeing the film, there was a discussion hosted by WVON that wasn't long enough. Several in the audience wanted to discuss the film longer than the 25 minutes alloted. It's just that good that it makes you want to talk about radio. Unfortunately, the film producer and director were unable to join us in Chicago, their presence in the Q&A after the film would have surely helped to raise a great wave of activism which is really the intent of this film. It reminds me of the song by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes ---- Wake Up! ---- Everybody..

And thanks to the everyone at Blackwaxx.com for making Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio. You can pre order your copy at http://www.disappearingvoices.com/preorder.html

Incidentally, there is a History of Black Radio Documentary in the works and I can't wait for it !


The Prime Minister

It's Time to Hold Black Radio and the FCC Accountable

Let me begin with this, Radio One is not the only reason for the lack of quality programming, news, public affairs and whatever in Black Radio. There are other Black corporate owners doing the same things as Radio One. Now I do not endorse the business practices of Black corporate radio but I understand why they do what they do. Is that right or wrong? I won’t judge because given the same hand I’d probably play it the same way.

Today’s Black owners who took their business practice to Madison Avenue walked into a den of sharks. It’s like rolling the dice in a crap game with the richest men in the world. They can fade anything you put up. They only let you come to the table so that they can take what you own in the end. Pray for the survival of our Black Owners. They are in a game that is extremely hard to win.

It's a funny thing about the game of "Monopoly." A person can never win in another person's house. The rules always are changing. When they (white males) wanted to change the rules in the media they created an ideology. They called it "Deregulation" which was really a cover name for rewriting the (Communications Act of 1934) rules to benefit a select few white males. The problems with Black Radio are not the entire fault of Cathy Hughes and Radio One. Please remember that to stay in the game you must play the game according to the(their) rules.

Over 40 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King noted the importance of Black Radio. What Martin Luther King described in 1967 as the role of the Black radio announcer was true. And what he said is exactly the reason for controlling the airwaves today. Through radio Black people managed to come together, stay informed and made political gains however that did not go unnoticed. There was a concerted effort to rid the African American communities of conscious "Black DJ's" and it was Black DJ's that did the handiwork.

Unknowingly some of the brightest Black minds in communication led to the demise of Black radio. It was black men that offered the format "More Music and Less Talk" killing the personality DJ that black people thrived on. It was a Black DJ that was hell bent on "Crossover Music/Radio." The Black DJ was a highly respected individual of the community. The DJ according to Professor Gilbert A Williams was a cultural hero.

Black radio began to decline when (white males) realized how much money could be made in the Black Community through radio. Black owners should be commended for surviving the "hell" they have had to endure to stay in business. Madison Avenue and Wall Street are on a mission to "Takeover Black Radio" and the entertainment industry period. Oh yeah, three of the four major record labels are now owned by International Companies.

Broadcast ownership rules and telecom policy were rewritten through stealth legislation to benefit "investors." It all started with calling radio a "product” or “commodity” then arguing for a "Marketplace approach to Broadcast Regulation." This happened in 1981 under President Ronald Reagan. FCC Chairman Mark S. Fowler spearheaded the rhetoric of the Marketplace Approach to Regulation. However the seeds for change were planted under President Carter and the deal sealed under the Clinton administration.

You see while Black people were striving to dominate the world of entertainment. White males were striving to change the rules to control all the venues. It’s amazing that there exist any local concert promoters today. Clear Channel owns radio, the billboards, concert promotions and major concert venues. Rap Brown said we dominate the field of entertainment but we don't control the field of entertainment.

Yes it's time to hold Black radio accountable, but the push can't stop there. Cries of localism, diversity, and equal opportunity should rise from Black people to the FCC. We want Local Radio! We want local Radio! We Want radio regulated to serve the public interest.

For Black radio, Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Doug Banks, Russ Parr, Yolanda Adams, Michael Basiden and other syndicated hosts are not the answer. Radio should always be local.

The only thing that can change this situation is for an informed Black people to Rise. The information you obtain about radio cannot come from the folks in radio. Many of them want to maintain the status quo. Align yourself with organizations that wish to challenge radio as it is.

An organized people can beat organized money.

The Prime Minister

Check This Out. I thought this was done very nice.

Syndication or Localism that is the question?

In the wake of the Chicago showing of the long awaited documentary film Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio. The Prime Minister felt the need to reprint an article by the U-Savior, director of the film Disappearing Voices written nearly a year ago addressing an August 2008 feature in Black Enterprise entitled “Money, Power & Black Radio: How Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner Capture Your Ears and Dollars,” written by George Alexander.

GUEST COMMENTARY

Money, Black Power and radio

By U-Savior Washington

Published Aug 14, 2008 10:52 PM

U-Savior

The August 2008 issue of Black Enterprise featured an article entitled “Money, Power & Black Radio: How Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner Capture Your Ears and Dollars” written by George Alexander. In the article Alexander points out the viability of Black radio in today’s market—despite the seemingly obvious challenges.

As is the case with the approach to many of the problems affecting Black people in America today, the article addresses the “symptoms” and treats them as the focus rather than reaching deeper to present an accurate analysis of the problems facing a medium that has always been under siege.

The article cites “a rapidly changing industry” and ‘brutal competition” as some of the major obstacles facing Black radio today. It claims that the medium “can survive through syndicated programming and bold entrepreneurial moves.”

But what causes these inequities? There are stations that are doing well despite the market’s overall slump. So why is it that with all the sound business models they could emulate, Black radio still struggles? Why has it historically had difficulty competing despite the fact that Black music (or urban, as it is called today) is one of the most popular genres in the world?

The article makes no mention of the historically inequitable treatment that Black radio station owners receive at the hands of Arbitron, the radio ratings system which discounts Black-owned and -programmed radio stations through inaccurate, outdated and racially biased measurement systems. Nor does it mention the Madison Avenue executives who render Black radio unprofitable by refusing to pay premium advertising rates, even though these stations enjoy the largest audience across the board.

Alexander points out that Black radio suffers because a Beyonce, for example, can be heard on many mainstream stations and that listeners need not tune in to exclusively Black-programmed stations to hear her music. But it neglects to deal with the aspects that historically set Black radio apart from all other radio in the first place and that are now nonexistent: serious Black talk and personality radio.

During its golden age Black radio was exciting because it allowed listeners to hear new music; it made listeners enthusiastic about the listening experience because the jocks viewed their uniqueness as a strength. Now we’re forced to hear the same ten songs by the same five artists over and over, played by disc jockeys who promise not to talk too much.

Today’s mainstream Black radio does not deal with Black issues in the unapologetic manner that helped it make a connection with the community. Bob Law’s show, Night Talk, was popular not solely because it was syndicated. It was popular because Bob Law’s approach to politics and culture was relevant, and the show’s content was potent. Comparing the availability of a Black crossover pop artist to the availability of the kind of political content and local coverage offered from the 1960s through the 1980s does us a disservice.

As pointed out in the Black Waxx Multimedia, Inc. film “Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio,” it is not simply the artists or the jocks who are disappearing. Nor is it simply their absence that renders Black radio impotent. It is the fact that the voice of the community they represent has no forum.

Racism and inequality

The Alexander article sought to treat the predicament of Black radio as merely an economic one, when in fact politics and America’s inherent racism are to blame. Even from an economic standpoint we must go back to the beginning of Black people’s presence in this country. While whites owned businesses and set up institutions, Blacks were forced to work for free. Even at the point of the emancipation of the enslaved there were no programs set up so Blacks could “catch up.”

The disparities grew exponentially as time passed. When radio spectrum licenses were first given out, Blacks were excluded. We can’t imagine there is a level playing field in the radio industry today when there is still a need for affirmative action in the workplaces and educational institutions across the nation.

The answer to conglomeration and racism is not an updated business model. The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters complains about the monopoly that conglomerates like Clear Channel enjoy, but there is more to the story than that. Arbitron and Madison Avenue work to keep Black radio poor, patronizing it with substandard rates to maintain their false face of diversity. White-owned media enjoy proliferation while Black-owned radio struggles to stay afloat. Meanwhile NABOB members won’t go for the jugular because they need the crumbs the ad execs dangle in front of them in order to survive.

How can the station owners be sure of their audience when they can’t trust the people measuring them? And if Arbitron’s numbers can’t be trusted, how many times will station owners continue to change their format without questioning the fact that no matter what they play they get paid the same substandard rates for airtime?

Another factor that isn’t taken into consideration is the role the Federal Communications Commission plays–or doesn’t play. The FCC is supposed to protect the interests of the public by seeing to it that radio station owners operate with some level of responsibility to the public, which includes offering programming that serves the community as well as protecting station owners from being forced out of business by monopolies. Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting are stark evidence that the FCC is not doing that job. In the article there is no mention of holding this government body accountable.

The fact is most people may not listen to the radio anymore because they sense a lack of loyalty on the part of these owners. A huge sector of the Black population wants more from Black radio than relationship guidance, gossip, comedy and Jesus. They want to be taken seriously from a political perspective. They want radio that reflects their local issues.

They don’t want Black-faced radio that furthers a white-business/political/cultural agenda. They want Black radio that reflects what is best and brightest about their community. You can’t have that if a guy who’s never been to their town and who doesn’t know about the young boy who was killed by police that week is on the radio during all the prime times. Meanwhile coverage of local activists who make positive changes in the community is replaced by gossip jocks whose sole contribution to the airwaves is “who’s sleeping with who, who’s gay, and whose breasts are fake.”

We need to make room for our best and brightest. There are too many charismatic and informed individuals who need access to the microphone. Regardless of the success of a few chosen ones, if we settle for anything less, we can’t really call it Black radio with a clear conscience.

The writer is with Black Waxx Multimedia, Inc. and is the director of the documentary, “Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio.” Go to www.disappearingvoices.com. Email:info@blackwaxx.com.

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10 month later in the midst of crisis African American owners asked Black people to "help us save Black Radio" while on the other hand African American owners have selfishly operated under the mantra of the Gospel of Wealth and Greed centralizing operations through technology using big names, cutting valuable jobs and opportunity. Syndication they claim will save us from our financial burdens and syndicated programming is better because it's produced better. Bigger media is not better media. I wonder has Black Radio asked Black people what they want? And will they provide it?

The Prime Minister

The Gospel Sister Resigns

Pam Morris submitted her resignation to the Mayor's Office of Special Events after 20 years as the Chicago Gospel Music Festival Coordinator. News of the resignation shocked the Chicago Gospel Community. Pam Morris affectionately know as "The Gospel Sister" called the Prime Minister to give the news of the decision direct from the source. I was flattered to be thought of in such a way.
Pam made it clear that she has done all she could do and accomplished every planned goal during her 20 year tenure as coordinator the World's first and largest open air Gospel Music festival. "The Lord said it's time to move on. I want to devote more time to my church, family, and grand children but first I have to find Pam again" said Ms. Morris. Also, The Gospel Sister stated that she is not resigning from Gospel Radio though. She will continue every Sunday with Gospel music on 1690 AM WVON and devote her energies towards bringing light to the senseless gun violence among the youth in Chicago.


The task of coordinating an event of the magnitude of the Chicago Gospel Music Festival is not an easy task. The festival was not without problems and controversy. Chicago politics and the religious community are deep waters to navigate. Pam should be commended for navigating at the helm for 20 years. The mere fact that a city sponsors a "Gospel Music Festival" can cause serious legal and first amendment issues. However, Gospel Music is an original art form that proliferated out of the South Side of Chicago. There had to be a way that Chicago could sponsor the event. Gospel Music is the best contribution that Chicago through Dr. Thomas A Dorsey has given to the World. In 1984 under Mayor Harold Washington the city officially recognized the Gospel Music Festival.

There is a saying in the Gospel Community that states "When one door closes another is ready to be opened. The Lord will Make A Way !" Thanks Pam for a job well done and a standard that the new coordinator will have to reach. May God Bless You and your family.

The Prime Minister

A Federal Bailout For Black Radio​? Under What Conditions?

From the Black Agenda Report

By BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon

There's a hilarious Direct TV commercial which takes place in the boardroom of a giant cable TV corporation. The not-too-bright suits at the table acknowledge that Direct TV is killing them, but one has a solution. “Two words,” he says. “Federal. Bailout. Read a paper. Everybody's doing it.” They all concur and nod in unison. A May 19 article in The Hill by Silla Brush confirms that reality has overtaken satire.

High-ranking House Democrats are urging the Treasury Department to prop up minority-owned broadcasters suffering from a lack of capital and lost advertising revenue amid the economic slump.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is leading an effort to convince Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to take “decisive action” by extending credit to this sector of the broadcasting industry.

Clyburn and other senior members, including House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), argue that minority-owned broadcasters are sound businesses, but that the recession could undermine the government’s efforts to diversify the airwaves.

A number of members from the Congressional Black Caucus signed the letter, too.

So nobody is laughing. One of the most powerful congressmen on Capitol Hill wants bailout money allocated to black radio. Why? To start with, Radio One and the other leading African American owned broadcasters are pitifully small compared to Clear Channel, CBS and the big boys. Black radio is indeed suffering, and the reasons have nothing to do with the so-called “free market.”

“Free markets,” in fact, have never had anything to do with how the U.S. broadcast industry operates. The broadcast airwaves were not invented by some smart engineer or clever entrepreneur, they are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, along with gamma radiation and sunshine. The radio-TV broadcast spectrum is thus a limited public resource. Broadcast licenses are monopoly licenses awarded by the government to a select few wealthy individuals and corporations from which those wealthy few reap tens of billions in annual profits. Though licenses are supposedly awarded on the condition that broadcasters operate in the public interest, no broadcaster in U.S. history has ever had a license revoked for flunking this test.

If a public interest test for broadcast licensees were ever administered, few if any commercial broadcasters would pass. That certainly includes black radio. Where a generation ago black radio deployed local news gathering organizations in dozens of cities across the country, with black journalists ferreting out local news, there is not a single urban radio station standing with a news gathering operation. Journalism on black radio has been dead so long that no adults under 45 can recall what it looked or sounded like. The premiere black-owned radio chain, Radio One pioneered the cutting of newsrooms and their replacement with cheaper and more profitable talk shows, mostly about celebrities and relationships.

It's not as if black owned radio stations manage to serve the public on the artistic end either. As Davey D points out on Jared Ball's Jazz And Justice, the playlists for white owned stations aiming their programming at black audiences are the same as Radio One's. The corrupt regime of payola rules the airwaves on black owned stations, just as it does on white ones, depriving audiences of the opportunity to hear newer and local artists. A recent study by the Future of Music Coalition indicated that up to half the songs played on the top four radio chains are oldies. Radio One was not among the chains audited, but their playlists differ in no other discernible ways from their white owned competitors.

HR 848, the so-called performance rights legislation will doubtless further disadvantage black radio station owners because it will, in effect, legalize payola, and give the biggest chains more leverage in dealing with labels than smaller ones. Under HR 848 as presently written major chains like Clear Channel will be able, as Davey D points out, to cut deals with labels that ban airplay on competing stations. Radio One founder Cathy Hughes may not be entirely wrong when she predicts the end of commercial black radio.

Still it is impossible to justify a federal bailout of any commercial broadcaster when none of the commercial broadcasters are honoring their public service obligations. News departments on black and white radio, and on TV for that matter were dumped because, as Dr. Robet McChesney has pointed out for about a decade, entertainment is more profitable than news.

The crisis of black radio is an opportunity for African American communities, and for all Americans. It's one of our best, and maybe one of our last chances to impose stiff news and public service requirements upon broadcasters, requirements that they have successfully evaded since the FCC was founded more than seventy years ago. If leading House Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus are really interested in reviving and revitalizing the institution of black radio, they need to lead and participate in a public discussion of how news coverage affects communities, how payola shuts down the careers of local artists, and what the public service obligations of broadcasters really should be.

Since radio broadcasting has never been and never will be a “free market” and the principle is well established in law that broadcasters hold their licenses on the condition of public service, the arguments about government “not picking winners” are just nonsense designed to protect the ill-gotten and irresponsible gains of those who run our airwaves for their private profit today. If a bailout of broadcasters is contemplated, there must be congressional hearings that explore what the public service obligations of broadcasters are, and stiff measures instituted to strip the licenses of those who fail to meet them. Should every station with gross revenue of say, $1.2 million annually be required to field a news department covering school boards, local issues and local politics? Should stations be required to play new and local artists in every market? What rights will the public have to police and enforce the service requirements of broadcasters?

If members of the Congressional Black Caucus are serious about saving black radio, they will need public support. They won't get and don't deserve it without a public discussion, without hearings in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia. Before any bailout of broadcasters, black or otherwise is contemplated, we have to have this conversation. BAR reached out to the office of Congressman Clyburn early this week and received no response. We will continue to call Rep. Clyburn's office on this subject.

Let's Move On

Wednesday June 3rd supporters of the Local Radio Freedom Act declared

That Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.

The language is clear. This resolution is supported by 222 members of Congress which is over half and counting. The success of the Performance Rights Act HR 848 appears to have stalled.

Actually, I was invigorated by all the responses on both sides of this issue. I am a life long radio man. My opinion is that artist should take the battle to the record companies. Quoting from the producer of Disappearing Voices Iyanna Jones, "I think to pay artists on major labels that are getting a lot of money or are getting huge advances should not be a priority as far as the Black community is concerned." With that said, let's move on and focus on the real issues concerning the Black community about radio.

Many individuals voiced and posted their issues with radio in cyberspace and that was encouraging because people are tired of listening to what they are hearing. Radio is an important medium that should not be overlooked. The best thing that can happen for the Black community is to wake up the sleeping giant within us and come together to demand greater participation in media ownership and better quality from Black radio. Equal access is paramount.

There were so many attacks on Radio One that they seemed personal. The picture is bigger than Radio One. There should competition between Black Owners too. It would great to have at least two different Black owners in every major metro areas where millions of Blacks are. There is no competition in Radio everybody is doing the same thing. And the Telecommunications Act supposedly was to bring more competition to the communities. It did not. Our legislators who supported the Act were "bamboozled."

Think about this, questioning the legislation that has radio operating the way it does today. We can't blame Radio One, for going into syndication. When their competitors 96% of them syndicate programming. Syndication technology and programming saves millions of dollars through human resource elimination. Faced with the same choices as Radio One you would probably do the same thing. So cut them some slack and focus on changing rules/legislation to bring diverse and local programming to the radio.

I do not like syndicated programming it's built on the same business formula that all syndication uses. Do not forget that radio today is not intended to elevate community consciousness. For example, In Chicago where I live part-time, murders among young people have escalated tremendously. No one in syndication can address that local issue. I remember back in the day when "Real Black Radio" existed WVON had Operation Crime Stop, segments designed to help stop crime. Where is that today when it is needed? Oh yeah, Radio is caught up in humor, celebrity gossip and who's making love to who or what. Radio as a social agent has been axed from the Black Community, unless it is something like the Jena 6. We barely hear news headlines. Urban Radio today is focused towards greed instead of community need.

The Prime Minister.

People Get Ready - A Film to Open Our Eyes

There is great anticipation by the Prime Minister for the release of this film "Disappearing Voices". As a life long student of the medium that helped me get over my fear of being alone in the dark, this film hopefully will educate Blacks in America that radio is a medium worth fighting for. The problem with radio is radio itself and that African Americans seem to have forgotten what radio actually contributed to the Black Community. Radio was once an adhesive that connected communities together. The personalities were once cultural heroes. Black Radio was central to the struggle. You mean to tell me that we've arrived and the struggle is over! I don't think so. Actually through "Disappearing Voices" the struggle must go into high gear with an effort to reclaim Black radio.

There has been plenty of criticism about radio in the last few weeks and some people want to abandon it altogether. The Performance Rights Act has complicated the issue more and African Americans are a house divided. It's time to remember what radio was and put some value to that history. A friend made a point that was very profound. He said, "There were great DJ personalities in every city in this country and we've forgotten about them and we're forgetting about radio." What he said made me think. I can still remember the Good Guys at WVON in Chicago. And I'm sure many of you can remember your favorite DJ's from your city.

We've lost localism, we're losing ownership and the identity of Black Radio. Today what we hear on radio is a showcase of promotions and buffoonery. That's Urban Radio and not Black Radio. Black radio was conscientiousness, political, informative and entertaining. Was Black Radio really that bad or was Black Radio actually that good? The film Disappearing Voices will answers many questions. This film will be shared with my students because they will have to live with and straighten out the mess that is radio today.

For more information go to http://www.disappearingvoices.com/
Check out the Trailer






Iyanna Jones Disappearing Voices Interview
Check out the Interview

The Prime Minister.