New York Daily News, October 23, 2006
By David Hinkley

The two Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission called for more minority voices in the media during a public hearing at Hunter College Thursday, and both warned that further expansion for media giants is not the way to get there.

Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps both cited statistics showing blacks, Latinos and Asians own only a tiny percentage of radio and television stations and newspapers.

"We have an unforgivable lack of women and minority ownership and perspectives," said Adelstein. "As fewer media companies gain more control," they reflect less of the national experience.

Copps said the 1996 Telecom Act that allowed companies to own more stations has reduced the breadth of media voices, "and this lack of diversity is more shameful now than it was 30 years ago."

He also warned that the Republican-controlled FCC may further relax ownership rules, noting that a loosening two years ago was reversed only after "three million e-mails" and a court ruling.

The commission now may reinstate those relaxed rules, he said, further reducing minority voices in mass media.

"Diversity is America's strength," said Copps. "It's what gives us an edge in the 21st century. It's worth fighting for."

The Hunter hearing, sponsored by Latino media groups, drew about 350 people, many of whom addressed the commissioners in the public portion.

Malin Falu, morning cohost on WADO (1280 AM), said her years in media had been "bittersweet." In her youth, she said, black Latina women "were never the doctor or the lawyer" in media, and today the growing diversity of the country is still not reflected in a media mostly controlled by white-owned companies.

"It's been painful and depressing to me," she said. "It's important that media monopolies be stopped."

Juan Gonzalez, a panelist and columnist at The News, noted projections that by 2050, half the U.S. population will be "minorities," and that without media diversity, this could lead to "a de facto apartheid system, where a white minority" controls information flow to everyone else.

Betty Elleen Berlamino, vice president of CW11, suggested television station owners need greater ownership flexibility to compete with "pay-TV operators."

She also argued that it is possible to get wide diversity under a single owner, noting the number of media outlets started and run by CW11's parent Tribune Co.

Gonzalez disagreed. "If you have the same owner," he said, "you won't get diversity no matter how many platforms."

Adelstein saluted the organizers of the Hunter session, which was informational, saying, "The airwaves are yours. They belong to the American people, not to huge media companies."

HOT 'N HAPPY: The night the summer Arbitron ratings came out last week, showing WQHT (97.1 FM) back in the lead over hip-hop rival WWPR (105.1 FM), Hot-97 evening host Funkmaster Flex did a verbal victory dance on the air.

Flex does that a lot on ratings day, since he's almost always No. 1 with the station's target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds.

But since Hot-97 sometimes seems to make the news only when the police blotter is involved, the summer ratings also made it a good day for program director John Dimick, who's had to put out a lot of fires since he arrived at Hot.

"It feels good to be actually doing radio," said Dimick, "instead of having to deal with everything else. Programming is what I came here to do."

Part of Hot pulling ahead of Power-105 stems from the fact Power fired its morning host Star and his his successors — Egypt, Big Tigger and now Donnell Rawlins — so far haven't matched his numbers. Last summer Star's show averaged 9.9% of the 18-34 audience. This summer Power averaged 6.1%, with some negative trickle-down the rest of the day.

Hot's Miss Jones morning show is up from 8.2% a year ago to 9.1%, as her show continues to survive what has at times been a rocky ride.

Overall, Hot's audience share is down a little from a year ago. But being ahead of Power-105 for the hip-hop advertising dollar is crucial, and this year the station shouldn't be slammed with the ad-dollar loss it suffered after the "Tsunami Song."

"The whole staff here at Hot is focused on winning," said Dimick. "It's nice to be part of that."

Of course, he added, this still is hip-hop. "One thing I have learned," he said, "is that something always could happen tomorrow."

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