NABOB pushes feds to spend more on radio.

Story by Inside Radio

The U.S. government spends $750 million a year in paid commercial advertising and National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters executive director Jim Winston believes more transparency is needed to make sure that money is being fairly distributed. At NABOB’s urging, the Department of Defense is being urged to put more of its $450.1 million ad budget into radio.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) inserted language into the Defense Reauthorization Bill that encourages a shift in media buying strategy. “The broad reach of radio makes it an effective media vehicle to utilize to reach both recruits and influencers,” the House Report on the bill now reads, noting radio reaches 92% of Americans each week. NABOB determined the Department of Defense spends less than 2% of its ad budget on radio, even though it’s cost effective — something high on the minds of lawmakers.

At the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council conference this week in Washington, Winston said the broader issue is the need for disclosures of where those ad dollars are flowing. “That should be on the public record,” Winston said. He believes that transparency will reveal whether minority-targeted stations – whose listeners disproportionately make up the military ranks — are getting their fair share of those ad dollars.

As things stand today, Winston thinks most black-owned stations get almost no federal advertising buys. His group is also pushing other federal departments, including Treasury, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Homeland Security to put more of their ad budget into radio — and specifically minority-targeted stations.