Black papers undaunted by key report
Publishers assail
Special To The Chronicle
Beginning with his opening
remarks. Doug A 1 1 i ii< h got oil on
? the wrong loot. ami-vrcm-rimvtitn-W
Itotn there."
That's largvly the opinion ol
black newspaper publishers across
the country, m response to the criti
cal re|x>rt recent l> released b> Mr.
Alligood lor the New York advertis
ing agcnc> Batten. Barten, Dursiine
lV Osborn.
"And because of his insensinvi
t>. everything we (black newspaper
publishers) seek to accomplish
becomes twice as hard/' sa\ s r.rnest
Pitt, publisher ol the award-winning ?
IVv risio trs dl\ tn' V 1 fro nit Ic . lis
unfair. But, believe me. black news
papers will persevere."
"Black Readers of Consumer
Publications" is the title of the report
written by Mr. Alligood, vice presi
dent of special markets at BBDO.
and reported on in the June issue of
Marketing & Media Decisions Mag
azine. The findings of that report
assert lhat, "The best way 10 reach
the black cons urrier is not through?
black-appeal publications only, but
through a combination that includes
general interest publications as
well."
The-report- actually breaks little
"new" territory. However, it raised
the ire of main professionals in
black media who have seen these
kinds of reports published and used
in the past by agency media people,
solely, to rationalize their clients'
absence from black publications or
? to justrty-rcdiictKms' in their black
media purchases, rather th an for the
good news thai so often is uncovered
about the strengths of black publica
tions.
The concerns of these black pro
fessionals seemed to be substantiated
rather than appeased by BBDO's
John Belfiore, senior vice president
and director of media planning, who
stated lhat, "We will look at the
report to find out ... if we need to
add black media."
Misunderstanding or oversight?
But black newspaper publishers,
who were omitted from the analysis,
were incensed right from the begin
ning of the report by its lack of
insight and understanding relative to
the role and history of the black
press. In his introductory remarks,
Mr. Alligood notes:
"Black Americans have read
newspapers and magazines, listened"
misinformation, lack of insight
lo radio and watched television pro
giams mat. until recentk. viriuall>
ignoicd the concerns. the opinions
and sometimes even the \er\ cvis
tenee of-Ttie entire btack population
segment." And thus. "Black-appeal
media was created u> till a void.
'"That assessment" in flawed lrotn
the vers start!" sa>s Patricia I'homas.
president of the National Newspaper
Publishers Association and publisher
ol the Mtlw uukee Community Jour
nal. N1an> ol the black papers sou
see' tod as were first published ncarh
MM) years ago. long before televi
sion. radto or niaga/incs. l'he>
weren't created to till a media void.
Thev were created to fill an iiitt>rma
non~V<M07TTuirjr^:lv\~rFicy~\vcrirTFTc^
and are today, the most credible and
believable sources of information for
the black consumer." On that point,
the black publishers and Mr. Alh
good would seem to concur. His
rcpon acknowledgesvthe role of
black media in providing "tailored
communications that reflected the
lifestyle, concerns and aspirations of
black audienccs with messages of
cot tv ic t ioinmri-bdievabi 1 n \ ?
However, this credibility among
its audience has been ignored by
media planners. In fact, some agen
cies maintain an objection to the
very editorial policies that make
black newspapers so valuable to their
readers. This places publishers in the
unenviable position of deciding
which is more important: revenues or
credibility among their audience.
Thus far, credibility has won,
bemuse black publishers know ih.il
their current levctsof ad support
would uuicklv vanish if they lost the
trust and following of their readers.
"That trust sells newspapers,"
says Garth Reeves, president of
-Amalgamated Publishers Inc., the
marketing organization Tor more than
SO black newspapers. Reeves says,
"It also represents the perfect plat
form and environment in which mar
keters can signal their commitment
to the black community. The concern
about editorial policy is, unfortunate
ly, just another cxcusc general mar
ket agencies use to exclude black
papers from their considerations."
The reluctance of general mar
ket media planners to consider black
newspapers appears to be rooted in
cultural differences and inscnsitiviiy.
Without clear and accurate insight
into what motivates blacks, their
media decisions arc based too often
upon information indicative of white
audiences.
We arc not dark white people."
says Mr. Reeves, who also is chair
man of the award -winning Miami
lanes. "One simply cannot reduce
every decision to 'the numbers' when
NjvaNine o! the black consumer mar
ket. and black newspaper is a prime
example of that. These papers have
an importance far beyond their num
bers. Unfortunately. Done Alligood
thinks black people are a media
event."
Mis reference is to the first sen
tence in Mr. Alligoods report which
slates: "Media in America have con
tributed much to the emergence of a
distinct and unique black consumer
market."
"That's an insult, and to put that
into perspective." notes Mr. Reeves,
"you have to understand that when
Columbus landed in this eountry.it
was a 'discovery' in his own head,
but not in the minds of the X million
or so Indians w ho already lived here.
"In the same framework, blacks
were a distinct and unique consumer
?audience long before we were 'dis
covered' by the media. When the big
agencies slop treating the black com
munity like a media event, their
clients will begin to reap the rewards
~ of selling to this audience."
Black publishers contend that to
understand the high importance of
Mack newspapers within the commu
nities i hey serve, is to recogni/e the
tremendous image-building potential
for advertisers, allowing them to
position their companies and create ?
an aura of auceptannj tor their prod
ucts and services among black con
sumcrs. That's ihc advantage of hav*
ing such high credibility.
In the words of Garth Reeves,
"When will advertising professionals
enjoin this kind of thinking as it
regards the black press? When will
4 hey recogni/e that black publishers
are members of the same advertising
fraternity, and start looking for ways
lo protect our interests as being com
mon to iheir own?"
Before marketers dash off lo the
now more fashionable Hispanic mar
keting, .leaving the issnv' olLh-lack
consumer marketing broadly "unfin
ished," black publishers offer this
quotation by Justice Brandeis:
"The greatest dangers to liberty
lurk in insidious encroachments by
men of /cal, well-meaning, but with
out understanding."
Parents workshop From Page A3
wclcomc mai for all parents and lhai
is siill a perception," said Ms. Smith,
who also questioned the "exclusion
ary" practice of requiring PTA mem
bers to pay dues.
At the workshop's end, the par
ticipants completed an evaluation.
Those forms and notes taken during
each of the workshops will be evalu
ated and reviewed by Donna E. Old
ham, committee member and commu
nications specialist for the city-coun
ty schools. Ms. Oldham will report
her findings to Superintendent Larry
D. Coble and the CHR/CDC who will
later convene and decide what the
next step will be, she said. *
Seventy concerned parents,
grandparents and child advocates
attended one of the five workshopv
Ms. Oldham said.
"We were very pleased with the
number that turned out," she added.
"It was more than we expected con
sidering this was the first time we've
done something like this. Parents,
child advocates and grandparents
were mainly seeking clarification of
ccrtain policies about the way things
arc done in the schools."
The concerns participants voiced
were uniform throughout the work
shop scries Ms. OUham said. Among
the major items discussed in the five
workshops were; ?
?lack of communication between
schools and parents,
?transportation problems -- stu
dents missing the bus, etc.,
?curriculum and instruction poli
cies, procedures,
?increasing the levels of Afro
Americans' achievement.
WSSU trustees ?From Page A2
"That number ccrtainly speaks well
for Winston-Salem State," said Chan
cellor Cleon F. Thompson, "consider
ing the fact that the national average
of college and university faculty with
Ph.D.'s is 70 percent."
?heard a report on the nursing
program. Sadie Webster, director of
ttrcr Division of Numrrg and Allied"
Health, and Dr. Sylvia Flack, c(x>rdi
nator of the nursing program, report
ed that WSSU's first-time writers of
the nursing licensure exam is up 14
points, from 50 percent last year to 64
percent. They outlined steps to
improve the success rate including
recruiting and developing faculty,
compcitcr-assistcd instruction, lest -
taking workshops ?y.id
. . . -t
During a gathering later that
evening, the trustees heard from for
mer University of North Carolina
President William Friday, who spoke
on the general state of education in
the Tar Heel state.
The trustees and the revived
Board of Visitors had a joint retreat
on Sept. 15; The Board of Visitors is
an advisory group that offers assis
tance to the major academic units of
the university in the areas of program
development, curriculum, student
internships and support services.
There arc 23 people on the board. '
WSSU's Founder's Day Convo
cation and Homecoming activities arc
slated for the weekend of Oct. 27-28.
will take place Oct. 2X and will be
followed by a football game pitting
WSSU's Rams against Morris Brown
~ College of Atlanta, Ga.
mi mKv
Week nights 6 PM
WGGT-TV
The Great Entertainer
i AH) f CHANNf 16
These are the
Lutisher Adams
Gwen Asley
Dr. J. David Branch
Linda Coaxuin
Thomas Coaxum
C.E. Bitfhouse Gaines
H.D. Haith
Louise Hamilton
Thelma Mi'ttWeir
Geneva C. Hill
Dnane I\ Jackson
Corrected Names that should have apppeared in the
Martha Wood Ad Sept 7, 1989
Pauline Jackson
Annie Brown Kennedy
Harold L. Kennedy
Glenda Little
Joette Little
Larry Little
Nettie Lowery
Dr. H. Kembert Malloy
Beverly Mitchell
George Newell
Virginia Newell
Earline Parmon
Marie Koseboro
James (Butch) Sims.
Lizzie G. Sims
Odessa Sims
Norma Smith
Beth Stafford
Jackie Teal
Evelyn Terry
Ella M. Whitworth
"For eight years.
Martha Wood
has been standing
with us-now we
must stand with her
on Election Dai/!"
? ? ? ? *1 limWHM HIT I VlTii
Rep. Ann it* Brown Kennedy. Alderman Virginia K. Newell, and
former Alderman Lanv Little with Martha Wood
MARTHA WOOD - OUR CHOICE FOR MAYOR
Lulisher Adams
Ola Ash lord
Owen Ashley
Virginia Ban*
Kalherine Boger
Dr. J. David Branch
Gail Bur nolle
Ri uli Carter
Thomas Coaxum ? T
Linda Coaxum
Luellen Cuny
John Ducan
Norma Duncan .
AnitaJ; Dunslon
Rev. Cnrllon A.G. Everslev
Warren H. Fulp
C.E. Bighouse" Gaines
Dr. Kellv O.P. Goodwin
Helen L. Gwvn
II. D. Hailh
Louise 1 Intuition
UjIs Hanes
Thelma M. Hines
Duane P. Jackson
Pauline Jackson
Manuel "Brick" Johnson
Harold L. Kennedy
Annie Brown Kennedy
AL - Wadoud Jabbar
Glenda Litlle
Joelle Little
Larry Little
Lillie Lomax
Nettie Lowery
Tonya Lyde
Dr. H. Rembert Maltoy
Mrs. Willie McArthur
Willie B. McDowell
Albert Morgan
George Newell
Virginia Newell
Gladys Oldham
Dr. J. Raymond Oliver
Anna J. Rogers
Isaac C. Rogers
Marie Rose bo ro
Azeal Saunders
Odessa Sims
William C. Sims
Lizzie G. Sims
James "Butch" Sims
Theldora Small
Norma Smith
Beth Stafford
David Tate
Jackie Teal
Evelyn Terry
Tom Trolli nger
wi i-ssa i lauser
Geneva C. Hill
Earline Farmon
L>r. Barbara K. Fhillips
Kay Troll inger
Lee Alma Vaughn
Howard L. Ward
Ella M. Whitworth
Andrew Wilkes
Mahala Wilkins
Clifton C. Reynolds
Ida Wflliams
Henry A. Wilson
punch m Martha
VOTE TUESDAY "WTOOD
SEPTEMBER 26lh THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE
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