Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 10 February 2011 — Page 39

The Muncie Times • February 10, 2011 • Page 39

News Briefs

Compiled By Andre Scott Black Press to push for more ad dollars from companies that target African American consumers [ST.THOMAS, Virgin Islands--Equal access. Thesetwo words dominated discussions, during the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) 2011 MidWinter Conference. Recognizing the need to grow itsreach into federal and corporate arenas, the oldest and most influential blacknewspaper association had executives/consultants from the top 25 Fortune 500companies and industry insiders present the publishers with concrete lessonslearned and best practices to expand its penetration into those markets duringthe country’s economic recovery.“Wepride ourselves on being very on point. We focus on the influence that we have.And, we have a responsibility to enhance the quality of life for our blackbrothers and sisters,” NNPA Chair Danny J. Bakewell Sr. told the group.Collectively, the association needs to implement a strategy to gain equalaccess to advertising revenue.Basedupon an audit of the country’s African Americanowned and operated newspapers,Chuck Morrison, executive vice president and general manager of

Uniworld,pointed out that the Black Press had no advertising reciprocity, based on thedata he compiled. Specifically, he said that of the top 25 companies with asignificant market share in the African American community, some firms did noadvertising with the Black Press during the review period. The 13 worstoffenders, in alphabetical order were: Allstate, AnheuserBusch, Chrysler,Coke, Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, Miller, Coors, Nissan, Pepsi, Sony, Toyota,U.S. government and Walt Disney. The companies that consistently spentadvertising dollars with the Black Press, in alphabetical order, are; AT&T,Comcast, Ford, General Motors, Home Depot, and Macys.Developingstrate gic approaches positioning the Black Press to gain equal access tofederal and corporate advertising dollars were discussed during severalworkshops. Dennis Hunn, NNPA Executive Vice President Advertising and Marketingstressed “... we need to know where we are, define where we need to be, and,finally, develop a step by step plan to describe how we get there.” Among thestrategies discussed to help the newspapers generate revenue was marketing andspecial events. In addition, as a part of its overall strategy, the NNPA isdeveloping an

enhanced infrastructure to expedite execution of i t s internalprocesses.Thecal 1 for equal access did not end with its members, but, extended to the peopleof St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and the conference site. Bakewelltold the publishers the association’s support of the U.S. Virgin Islands30year agreement with the owners of locally produced Cruzan Rum, was the rightthing to do. The Black Press will continue to support economic development inSt. Thomas, specifically as it applies to the competition between St. Thomasand Puerto Rico, to secure the manufacturing rights for Cruzan Rum. NathanSimmonds, senior policy adviser for the United States Virgin Islands told thepublishers “the benefits of the rum agreement are not just paper deals.’’Economically, the agreement with the company will generate $50 million inrevenue this year and is projected to triple within in the next 6 years.Applauding the publishers for not “believing the hype”, Simmondssaid , “Thank you for getting the facts and utilizing your power of the pressto help us move forward.’’Duringthe closing night salute dinner, award-winning actress and author VictoriaRowell thanked the membership for its coverage of the on-going challenge facedby blacks

to gain equal access to jobs in the entertainment industry. Shecommended the association for its support that recently resulted in the hiringof the first African American writer on the popular daytime soap opera “Youngand the Restless”, where she appeared for 17 years. “This is only step one”said Rowell, referring to the three time award-winning writer being hired on a6-week trial basis for the show. “None of this could have been expedited had knot been for you. “TheBlack Press has always been good to us. We have a long way to go in Hollywood.But, none of this could have happened, the way it happened, had it not been forthe Black Press. We need access. And, this is what the fight is about.” History-making journalist HunterGault sees racial progress, but says more still needs to be done CharlayneHunter-Gault did not plan on becoming a civil rights hero. She just wanted togo to school. But,her own personal courage and determination to exercise her right to a publiceducational facility 50 years ago this week made her just that.Civilrights his-tory-maker Charlayne Hunter-Gault visited Madison to serve as keynotespeaker for the 26th Annual City-

County King Holiday Observance Jan. 17, at theOverture Center Capital Theatre. HunterGaulthas earned acclaim in her career as an award-winning print and television journalist. She is known for her workin Johannesburg, South Africa, as National Public Radio’s chief correspondentin Africa and, later, for her work as CNN’s Johannesburg bureau chief. Herawards are numerous, including two Emmys and a Peabody for her work on“Apartheid’s People,” a News Hour series on South Africa.Shetook some time away from the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of theUniversity of Georgia (UGA) festivities recently to chat with The Madison Timesfrom her home in Athens, Ga. That tense and very chaotic first day of school atUGA, she still remembers like it was yesterday. Interestedin journalism, a young Charlayne Hunter wanted to attend a college with astrong journalism program. In Georgia this meant the University of Georgia(UGA) in Athens, which in the early ‘60s did not admit African Americans. Fiftyyears ago this week, an impeccably dressed teenager walked through an angry mobof screaming and howling white students to attend her first day of classes atthe University of Georgia, breaking the long-exist-continued on page 43