TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective

It’s unfortunate that people of good consciences allow themselves to be programmed to personalize news and information that they have every right to know. For instance, a couple of months ago African-AmericanNews &Issues was duty bound to report the sale of KCOH (1430 AM) radio for $10 million to a quasi-media conglomerate that’s listed in the Federal Registry as Freedom Com-munications in Hartford, Connecticut (Not to be confused with Freedom Com-munication, Inc. in Orange County, California.) After an obligatory on air explanation by Mike Petrizzo, general manager, CEO and major stock holder of “Houston’s only Black radio station” and our more detailed follow-up investigative report, the issue was apparently tuned out.
Meanwhile, we received feedback that many mindless Black people actually bought into the misconception that we attacked KCOH for some self serving purpose, other than reporting all news without fear or favor as we’re obligated to do as a free press and editorial watcher on the wall. On the other hand, hardly a day goes by without more conscious people (wont to value the vital role that KCOH plays in the Black community) asking us “what up?” Quite frankly, any struggling Black weekly newspaper must use the moving hand approach (FYI: The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it-Omar Khayyam), in order to address the myriad of important issues impacting Black America.
We Must Understand that no news is bad news, for descendants of slaves who have been historically vilified in the mainstream media. Then again, we all too well understand why evil in high places work to divide and confuse the Black media. Without a doubt, if the Black talking heads, in the broadcast media, ever got on the same page with Black journalists, in the print media, our lines of communication would be adequate to keep our people from perishing for lack of knowledge. What we’re saying in essence, is that we don’t see KCOH or any other radio station (that’s truly edifying the Black community), as competition. In fact, the main reason we jumped on the KCOH sale is the fact that it ideally gave the Black community a crucial line of communication to at least discuss our ongoing problems.
It’s sad, but true, there’re many Black people that don’t read too well, therefore it should be incumbent upon Black newspapers to support any radio, or TV station that will objectively report some of the news that impact our community. And for that reason we would like to encourage our Black community leaders to tune into the KCOH situation, lest we will hear Mickey Mouse or Goofy when we dial 1430 AM in the future. Truth is, our elected officials should be organizing as we speak, to make sure that even if they can’t do anything about the sale of KCOH, they at least can let the new owners know what they must do to have their support. For sure, Congressman Al Green is the man to head such a movement, insofar as he validated the station’s effectiveness during the Katrina crisis, after it became obvious that Black Houstonian’s benevolence was being ignored
Green, a master facilitator, who not only revitalized the NAACP’s Houston Branch, but once ran a very strong race for mayor of Houston himself , wisely used some of his left over campaign funds (out of his 9th Congressional Dis-trict’s war chest) to buy time to promote Black Person-to-Person volunteerism on KCOH. He made sure that the Black churches and community leaders that were opening their facilities, homes and hearts to the New Orleans evacuees would be recognized by FEMA and the world. Meanwhile, we will offer those who seem to be reluctant to voluntarily give the community an update of the sale of KCOH a grace period before we, once again, tell it like it is. Because “it ain’t nothing nice” the way we tell it.