NAACP’s MFUME AGAIN THREATENS TV NETWORK BOYCOTT, SEEKS FYNSYN RETURN
LAS VEGAS -- It’s “increasingly likely” that NAACP will start boycott soon against one of Big 4 TV networks (unnamed) and its advertisers because of what Assn. Pres. Kweisi Mfume called networks’ “snail’s pace” in their diversity efforts after they all signed agreements last year to increase those efforts (CD Jan 10/00 p1). At appearance before NATPE convention here Mon. afternoon, he also called for return of financial syndication (finsyn) rule that prohibited networks from having financial interests in syndicating programming, and for legislation requiring networks to air 3 hours weekly of programs written, starring and produced by minorities. As justification for latter, he cited FCC’s 3-hour kid TV rule.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Mfume (ex-Democratic member of Congress from Md.), cited his close relationship with many members of that body in saying he would seek meetings with congressional leaders and FCC Chmn. Powell to push his agenda. He also said NAACP board would meet soon to consider “deeply sustained boycott.” He said networks’ failure to move on their own “leaves little hope that the networks understand or are willing to… work on the issue of diversity… in the executive, production and talent ranks.” Continuing pace of consolidation in broadcasting and programming has caused “bottleneck” controlled by “a good-old-boy network” in opportunities for minorities to get programs on networks’ prime- time schedules, Mfume said.
Suzanne de Passe of Passe Entertainment complained that, “left to their own devices, the buyers and gatekeepers of the airwaves are not going to change the structure of who says no and who says yes” to programming that gets on air. Other panelists also agreed with Mfume’s assessment -- to which TV networks disagree, saying they already had made giant strides. Coalition of minority groups began threatening boycott in summer of 1999 and, after long negotiations, agreements were signed with Big 4 that included hiring of diversity executive by each of 4 networks -- and when asked at TV critics tour in Pasadena 2 weeks ago, they all said they were living up to agreements, although “there’s a lot more to be done,” as CBS TV Pres. Leslie Moonves put it (CD Jan 11 p3). Only handful of broadcasters were in audience for diversity panel.
In session on advertising, Internet Ad Bureau’s Rich LeFurgy said advertisers in that new medium get good branding results, and day-after recall figures from public just as high as those for over-air TV. Big mistake Internet advertisers make, he said, is wanting to be “publishers. They should put their ads where the audience is, not build [their own] big Web sites.” New media, he said, are “the opportunity of the future,” while conceding that some Internet salesmen had promised more than it can deliver, from which industry now is trying to recover. Chris Rohrs, pres. of TV Bureau of Advertising, disagreed: “The Internet is a great communication, messaging and transactional medium, but it does a disservice to TV to equate its branding and image-building capabilities” with TV. Cable Ad Bureau Pres. Joesph Ostrow said: “The synergy of the elements in a cross-platform sale… is becoming the rule, not the exception.”
At Wed. news conference, NATPE Pres. Bruce Johansen and outgoing chmn. Stephen Mosko of Columbia Tri-Star, responded to Mon. criticism by 7 syndicators that NATPE’s annual confab had outlived its usefulness as market for program sellers (CD Jan 24 p2). Saying he was misquoted in a daily publication at NATPE on issue, Johansen told reporters Assn. would continue to adjust its focus as needed -- just as it already had done to embrace international companies and new media. “We are about being an efficient outfit and how [exhibitors] do their business is their business.”
At 11 a.m. Wed., NATPE said there were record 19,834 attendees, up from final 17,250 at convention year ago in New Orleans. Of those, record 4,525 were from outside U.S. and 2,590 from new media. Johansen called last figure “somewhat disappointing… but understandable” in light of large number of dot-com companies that have gone bankrupt. NATPE exhibits are occupying only small portion of mammoth Las Vegas convention center.
At close of convention today (Thurs.), Jon Mandel of MediaCom will take over for Mosko as NATPE chmn. Tony Vinciquerra of Hearst-Argyle TV will succeed Mandel as first vice chmn., with Marcellus Alexander, KYW-TV Philadelphia, and Carole Black, Lifetime TV, elected to Exec. Committee. Joining NATPE board are James McNamara, Telemundo Network; Jonathan Rodgers, Discovery Networks, and Hans Seger, Kirsch Group of Germany.