The data may reflect what the FCC observed as of October 1, 2023, but the results are hardly shrug-worthy. The Seventh Report on Ownership of Broadcast Stations, released late Thursday by the Commission, finds that majority ownership interest in commercial full-power radio and TV stations by Blacks and Hispanics remains paltry.
The report breaks down commercial full-power television by attributable ownership interest by gender, race and ethnicity; it does the same for majority ownership interest. Both 2021 and 2023 are examined.
The good news? Black/African American ownership didn’t decline; Hispanic/Latino ownership did, albeit ever so slightly.
The bigger take-away, however, is where these race and ethnic groups stand compared to the total marketplace.
Below is the FCC’s look by attributable interest. Below, majority ownership interest is shown. And, it sees Black majority ownership of commercial TV stations at just 3%; for Hispanic/Latino, it is just 3%, too.
Meanwhile, the state of multicultural ownership of AM radio stations — which many argue is an important band for non-English-language and ethnic programming — is not so strong.
By attributable interest, 20% of commercial AMs are tied to Hispanic/Latino individuals; by majority ownership interest, the percentage stands at 8%.
The numbers are worse for African-American licensees. By attributable interest, 16% is tied to Black/African-American parties; by majority ownership interest, the percentage is mired at 4%.
Lastly, the report looks at FM radio stations. Good news can be found when looking at attributable interest, as it rose for Black/African-American parties in 2023 to 21% from 19%. For Hispanic/Latino parties, an increase to 26% from 25% was seen between 2021 and 2023.
The bad news: when looking at majority ownership interest, the Hispanic/Latino percentage fell to 4% from 5% between 2021 and 2023. For Black/African-American majority ownership interest, the percentage remained at just 2%.
