TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective

Every now and again, some media generated poll designates a “Best City For African Americans” rating on some lucky city. The city is chosen for its ethnic diversity, job opportunities, schools and even it’s weather. I’m sure you remember the July 2004 Black Enterprise article that listed Houston as the number four best city for Black citizens behind Atlanta, D. C., Dallas and Nashville? You also might recall that Houston was number one during the city’s first Black mayor, Dr. Lee P. Brown was promoting diversity. “Best Cities” respondents expressed general discontent with the quality of their public schools, the availability of day care facilities, and the relationship between local police.
The polls are regurgitated as if it’s gospel in the Black media. Especially the glitzy magazines, Black newspapers and the few Black oriented radio stations struggling to survive. Frankly, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with those kinds of positive, feel good articles, as long as supposedly political astute African Americans don’t take them too seriously. Promoting diversity notwithstanding, if African Americans want a true-- tried and tested--barometer to determine which is the best city for them politically, they need to peruse any city’s Black newspaper that has a hard hitting, but objective editorial, that tells it like it is and reports all news without fear or favor, from a unique Black perspective and check out the ads. Especially, the municipal ads. Ideally, at least 10 percent of them are supposed to be evenly distributed in the minority media.
Consequently, if those newspapers, that oftentimes criticize and/or condemn mainstream politics, have a reasonable number of major corporations and businesses advertising in them, it’s a good place for Afrocentric (conscious), political astute “Tree Shakers” to put down their buckets. Cutting to the chase, if advertisers that support politicians, respect Black newspapers, the elected officials have no choice but to support us too, even if they are dumb enough to listen to so-called (Black, or otherwise) political consultants who tell them that they don’t need to advertise in Black newspapers to reach Black voters. Self-aggrandizing aside, the fact that African-American News&Issues is, not only the widest distributed and read newspaper with a Black perspective, but the compromised editorial voice of Black America invalidates that invalid misconception.
And if you need validation (FYI: In an attempt to reach new and young audiences, advertising is rapidly migrating online. Jupiter Research has forecast that the online advertising market will reach $18.9 billion by 2010, compared with $9.3 billion at the end of 2004, at the expense of traditional media. But, newspaper publishers and news broadcasters will take some comfort from the Guardian/ICM poll's findings. Six in 10 said they "like to keep up with the news," rising to more than seven in 10 among 20 and 21-year-olds. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom that young people are turning to the Internet for news, television and newspapers remain by far the most popular means of accessing information. Only one in 10 said they used the Internet to read the news, with most preferring to use it as a means of expression and communication.
More than half said they read a newspaper at least once a week, rising to seven in 10 by the age of 21. -Jupiter Media Corporation.) Translation: A redundant radio promo or TV spot can be easily missed, or ignored, but advertising in newspapers is shared by at least five people. Newspaper ads also are often saved for future references. In addition, a community’s newspaper is the first stop for anybody that truly wants to know that community. What we’re saying is, Black voters shouldn’t be dumber than dumb politicians who ignore Black newspapers, because they fail to understand that advertising is more about politics than business in 2005 America. Surely, it’s common sense not to advertise in a newspaper that attacks their agenda, because it only makes “US” that much stronger to attack their politics.
Then again, good politics isn’t always good business if the corporation depends on Black consumers’ dollars to flourish. On the flip side, it’s not good politics to play money games with newspapers that speak for the voters. One needs to be elected. Truth is, when Black consumers/voters support businesses or politicians that don’t support their lines of communication, they don’t deserve respect. And, quite frankly, if a politician doesn’t respect a Black newspaper (that’s widely respected by the voters that they are asking to vote for them), it’s a safe bet they don’t really respect those voters either.