FCC Probes Urban Radio Ad Bias

The Federal Communications Commission is nearing completion of an effort to gauge the extent of discrimination in the placement of ads on black- and Hispanic-oriented radio stations.
Surveys have been sent to dozens of minority and women broadcasters regarding advertising, FCC representative Liz Rose said last week.
The FCC is “not looking so much at minority-owned stations, as the format and whether that automatically puts the station in a certain category,” said a source.
Following reports that advertisers and ad rep chains routinely avoid placing spots on “urban” and Hispanic radio outlets, the FCC has conducted interviews with agency executives and clients.