The NAB, RAB and TVB have joined forces in opposition to ‘urban dictates,’ an ad practice in which companies refuse to place ads on radio and television stations with formats that attract African-American, Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences. The letter, sent to roughly 4,200 agencies, was signed by David Rehr, NAB CEO; Jeff Haley, RAB President; and Chris Rohrs, TVB CEO.
"Although it has not been the subject of an empirical study, there is significant anecdotal evidence of ‘dictates’ or policies against the purchase of advertising time on stations with formats that attract African-American, Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences. Under these policies, regardless of whether a station or its sales representative could show that the station’s viewers or listeners met the target criteria that the advertiser sought, the advertiser or its agency refuses to buy time," the broadcast leaders wrote. "Discrimination against broadcasters based on racial, gender or ethnic stereotyping has no place in today’s media marketplace."
