Civil Rights Groups Urge Radio Bill Delay
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law this week urged the House Judiciary Committee to delay any action on legislation that would end a longstanding royalty exemption for AM and FM radio until the panel holds a hearing to weigh the bill's impact on minority-owned broadcast radio stations. Noting "two significant voting rights cases" before the Supreme Court, the groups explained that "the chief remaining resource to ensure that African Americans can participate fully in the democratic process will be the continued engagement of minority radio broadcasters to drive turnout."
Passage of the Performance Rights Act, which was sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, "would eviscerate this remaining, powerful resource," the letter from Rainbow PUSH and the Lawyers' Committee said. LCCR sent a separate letter to Conyers expressing similar concerns. The letters raise "important questions regarding the negative impact of the performance tax on minority broadcasters, niche programming formats and media diversity," said Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, which is leading the lobbying effort against the legislation. He added that "minority broadcasters often serve as the only voice for African-American and immigrant communities."
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