WASHINGTON—The call for local media, including TV and radio broadcasters, to receive federal support during the current coronavirus pandemic has another champion in the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB).
NABOB President James Winston sent a letter earlier this week to House and Senate leaders highlighting the service that black-owned TV and radio stations are providing to viewers, particularly the African-American community, which has been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus.
“Therefore, it is critical that, in the next round of pandemic response legislation, Congress provide financial assistance to our member stations so that we can continue to provide much-needed news and information to help our most vulnerable citizens survive the pandemic,” Winston wrote.
He claims that without financial support, many stations would be forced to layoff staff, reduce their broadcast output and possibly stop all operations.
According to Winston, many NABOB member stations have seen revenue declines of 40-50% in March and April, primarily because of the loss of advertising revenue from local businesses forced to shut down during the pandemic.
NABOB is joining the call that the NAB and coalition of newspaper associations have issued to Congress regarding federal advertising funds of between $5-$10 billion to be earmarked for local media advertising, as well as the assurance of local media to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Broadcast and media organizations aren’t the only one calling for such support. A bipartisan group of House members, as well as a group of 19 senators, have written letters to their colleagues and to President Donald Trump saying they should take action to support local media during this time,
Winston’s full letter is available online.
