The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Diversity in Media Ownership & Employment

The debate over communications policy has focused on market efficiencies and technological development, avoiding the hard questions about equality and community engagement. Why you should care about Media Diversity.

Leadership Conference Materials

• Letter FCC on Media Ownership - 11/09/12
• Wade Henderson's Testimony on Media Localism- 10/31/07
• Why Media Diversity Matters: A National Town Hall Meeting in Washington, D.C., Denver, and Live Via Webcast - 6/29/07
• Employment Trends in the Communications and Media Industries - Report - July 2006
• Minority Ownership and Employment in the Mass Media - Report - 11/1/05
• The Success and Failure of the 1996 Telecommunications Act - Report - 6/1/02

Fact Sheets

• TV Ownership Fact Sheet- Consumers Union
• Radio Ownership Fact Sheet - Consumers Union
• Who Owns What: A Guide to What the Major Media Companies Own- Columbia Journalism Review
• Timeline of Media Mega Mergers (1986-2006)- Common Cause
• Facts on Media in America- Common Cause
• Media Consolidation- Common Cause
• Women in Media Fact Sheet - National Organization for Women

Feature Stories

• FCC to Collect More Data on Minority and Female Broadcast Ownership- 4/9/09
• Senate Approves Resolution Blocking Media Consolidation  - 5/16/08
• Senate Committee Approves Resolution Blocking Further Media Consolidation - 5/7/08
• Groups Rally against Media Consolidation - 12/4/07
• The FCC, Media Diversity, and Media Consolidation - 6/27/07
• Consolidation Could Shut Minorities and Women out of TV Ownership, Report Finds - 10/5/06
• Calls for FCC Investigation Intensify  - 9/28/06
• Quantity and Quality of Jobs for Women and Minorities at Risk in New Communications Environment - 8/1/06
• Groups Mobilize in Support of Media Diversity - 6/21/06
• Groups Address Legacy of Jim Crow in FCC Broadcast Licensing  - 11/7/05
• Millions Demand a Voice in Telecommunications Policy Debate - 5/10/05
• 'Cable a la Carte' Programming Option Could Affect Media Diversity - 7/21/04
• In Support of Media Diversity, Court Rules Against FCC - 7/9/04
• Senate Votes to Crush FCC Ownership Changes - 9/16/03
• Senate Committee Rescinds FCC Gift to Media Giants - 7/9/03
• Henderson Slams FCC Decision on Media Ownership - 5/28/03
• FCC Rules on Media Ownership in Jeopardy - 5/22/03
• FCC Commissioner Calls for National Debate on Communications Issues  - 9/25/02
• Panel Discusses Media Diversity - 3/19/02

Reports

• Media and Democracy in America Today: A Reform Plan for a New Administration (pdf) - Common Cause - August 2008
• Newsroom Employment Census-  American Society of News Editors - 4/29/08
• Out of the Picture: Minority & Female TV Station Ownership in the United States- Free Press - October 2007
• Off the Dial: Female and Minority Radio Station Ownership in the United States - Free Press - 6/6/07
• Making the Right Call: Jobs and Diversity in the Communications and Media Sector (pdf) - Institute for Women's Policy Research - 3/26/07
• Local Media Diversity Matters: Measure Media Diversity According to Democratic Values, Not Market Values - Center for American Progress - 1/22/07
• Media Consolidation Reports from Selected States - Media & Democracy Coalition - 10/1/06
• Prometheus Wins Lawsuit vs. the FCC- Prometheus Radio Project - 1/10/06
• A Failure to Communicate: Katrina Pinpoints Dangerous Lapses in our Telecommunications Policy- Common Cause - 10/21/05
• The Fallout From the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Unintended Consequences and Lessons Learned- Common Cause - 5/9/05
• Battle Over the Airwaves: Principles for Spectrum Policy Reform- New America Foundation - 9/1/01
• Progress or No Room at the Top? The Role of Women in Telecommunications, Broadcast, Cable and E-Companies- Annenberg Public Policy Center - 5/31/01
• Changes, Challenges, and Charting New Courses: Minority Commercial Broadcast Ownership in the United States - NTIA - 2000