Study: Minority Ownership Flat

Survey Shows Lack Of Minority Ownership

A new study by SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW Professor CATHERINE J.K. SANDOVAL with the MINORITY MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL reports that minority ownership of commercial radio stations has not grown substantially since 2007 (812 to 815), with 324 distinct minority commercial radio station owners in mid-2009 controlling 815 full-power commercial radio stations.   

The breakdown includes 139 Hispanic owners, 129 African-American, 34 Asian-American or Asian/Pacific Islander, and 14 Native Americans.

SANDOVAL also notes that 43 of the new minority-owned stations recorded in 2009 came from the transfer of DAVIDSON MEDIA stations to SS HOLDINGS, which she characterizes as a workout of debt; she "recommends that the FCC establish a separate filing category for transfers to bankruptcy trustees, debtors-in-possession or trusts established as a lender workout, recognizing the extraordinary nature of such transactions. The current system creates huge barriers to scholarly, public, or FCC identification of broadcaster failures or distress, issues crucial to examining the status of broadcast ownership and the effect of FCC rules on the broadcast industry and the public it is licensed to serve."

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