The U.S. media system doesn’t look like the vast majority of
Americans. People of color — who comprise a third of the population —
own just 3 percent of the nation’s commercial TV stations.

Martin’s proposal doesn’t merely ignore the disgraceful state of media diversity; it would actually make the situation worse.

Fact No. 8: Martin’s Plan Would Harm Minority Owners

On the surface, Martin hoped to quell critics’ concerns by claiming
to relax the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban only in the top 20
markets and by letting newspapers combine with broadcast stations only
outside of the four top-rated channels.

The problem is that nearly half of the stations owned by people of
color are in the top 20 markets, and none of these are among the top
four stations. That puts the few minority-owned stations directly in
the cross-hairs of consolidation.

Targets for takeover

Overall, nearly 90 percent of minority-owned stations are not ranked
among the top four in their respective markets. If the ban is lifted,
minority-owned stations will be targeted by newspaper owners seeking to
purchase a station. And increased consolidation will only decrease
opportunities for people of color to enter the market and purchase
stations of their own.

One of the myths manufactured by Martin and his allies is that the
current ban is especially bad for minority owners, because it keeps
them from establishing synergy between print and broadcast outlets. But
there are currently no minority-owned companies that already own both
daily newspapers and radio or TV stations. And it’s the Big Media
giants — not smaller minority owners — that are pushing for these rule
changes.

Who’s counting?

Martin released his new plan despite repeated requests from his
colleagues, Congress and civil rights leaders to first address the
crisis in minority ownership by creating an independent task force to
examine the impact of consolidation — before considering any new rules.

So far, the FCC has failed even to conduct an accurate count
of minority-owned stations. And a recent FCC study failed to identify
69 percent of minority owners and 75 percent of women owners. Yet
Martin’s accelerated timetable leaves no time for an independent study
of how his proposal will affect minority media ownership.

In rejecting the FCC’s previous attempt to overhaul media ownership
rules in 2003, the federal courts specifically cited the issue of
minority ownership. In addition, congressional leaders such
as Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. John
Kerry (D-Mass.), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Conyers
(D-Mich.) as well as more than 20 national civil rights groups,
including Rainbow PUSH, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and
the National Council of La Raza, have called on Martin to address the
ownership diversity crisis rather than perpetuate it.

Reining in media consolidation is the only way to promote media
ownership by people of color and by women. Other policies aimed at
promoting minority and female ownership won’t work if media
consolidation continues unchecked.

Next: A broken and corrupt process creates bad policies.