http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=21&ItemID=5414A while back I listened to a recording of a teach-in at Columbia University in which Cornel West was giving a speech. At the beginning he said, "I'd like to thank that group that made September 13th an upbeat day for me, even given the death of brother Tupac Shakur." He was referring to the group of prisoners who took part in the Attica prison uprising on September 13, 1971, the same day that Tupac died in 1996. Some of the white liberals in the audience responded by laughing, thinking that West was making a joke. They were so clueless that they didn't realize West was expressing genuine remorse over Tupac's death. I was reminded of that incident when I started learning about this new "liberal radio network." I thought that a lot of black folks must be laughing right now, because although white liberals don't seem to realize it yet, Air America Radio is a joke.
The network made its debut in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. all of which have a substantial black population. New York has more blacks than any other American city. Chicago's black population is nearly as large as its white population. Generally speaking, blacks are more liberal than their white counterparts. About 90% of blacks vote for the Democratic Party as opposed to just over 40% of whites. Given these facts, one might expect African Americans to be prominently featured on this new network. Sadly, the folks at Air America Radio could only find space for a grand total of two black people, both of which have two white cohosts. Chuck D, frontman for the great rap group Public Enemy, deserves better than to be a token black guy for this project. The other is Mark Riley, who cohosts the show Morning Sedition. Chuck D was more recently given a weekend show with black cohosts, but minority representation on the network remains tiny, especially during the best time slots. Highly qualified black journalists who asked not to be named were interviewed for on-air positions and felt slighted after not getting the job.
It gets worse. In New York, Air America's programming will be featured on WLIB-1190 AM, which is owned by the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC). Prior to the partnership with Air America, WLIB had been serving New York's black community for decades. It was an outlet for black activists and featured unique "Afrocentric" programming. The CEO of the ICBC, Percy Sutton, tells his listeners that the new move "gives us an opportunity to impact on the world outside of our own community." Many in the black community disagree. According to black activist Elombe Brath, "We have people here already who know radio, who can do shows. And they want to come in with a program from other people trying to talk to black people in New York City? (WLIB) is just a station that has been stripped of what it's supposed to be! ... In reality what the station needs is to have some people who know the community and can speak to its needs."
In recent years WLIB has mostly featured Caribbean programming. Carl Tyndale, a listener for more than 17 years, was upset with the takeover: "Where are we going to find Caribbean music now? This station had so much information. They would broadcast cricket games and news from back home. Other stations don't do that. I don't think there is going to be many black issues with the new format, and there will be less Caribbean callers because people won't feel at home. That is where people tune in to get something from home." Tracey-McCallum, a Jamaican listener, was equally discouraged. "Their programming was quite good and offered quite a bit of Caribbean news; so that one source now is no longer available to us," she said. The takeover couldn't have come at a worse time, considering the recent coup in Haiti and the threats that CARICOM nations are facing over their refusal to recognize the new government. People in New York's Caribbean community who may be concerned about their loved ones back home will now have a harder time finding news about the region. The station now only features Caribbean content from midnight to 5 AM. A prominent black newspaper ran a headline that said "WLIB: Black After Dark" in response to the changes.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
