Form 323 Data Show Low Minority, Female Broadcast Ownership
The FCC released results of its Form 323 data gathering on broadcast ownership, and the data shows a slight increase in full-power station ownership by women and a decrease for racial minorities between 2013 and 2015. The groups remain under-represented…
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compared to their portion of the U.S. population. Public interest groups have been asking the FCC to release the 323 ownership data for several years, and pushed the issue during the previous administration's media ownership rulemaking proceeding. "This data is years overdue," said Cheryl Leanza, who represents the United Church of Christ. “Racial minorities owned 36 full power commercial television stations (2.6 percent) in 2015 and 41 full power television stations (3.0 percent) in 2013,” said the Media Bureau’s third report on ownership of commercial broadcast stations. The report shows women owned 102 full-power stations in 2015, up from 87 in 2013. Hispanic full-power ownership also rose from 2013 to 2015, from 42 to 62, the report said. Women owned 14.9 percent of total low-power TV stations in 2013, and fell to 11 percent in 2015, while Hispanic LPTV ownership went from 10 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in 2015. “Racial minorities owned 27 LPTV stations (2.4 percent) in 2015 and 41 stations (3.3 percent) in 2013,” the report said. According to the Form 323 data, American Indian/Alaska Natives owned 40 broadcast stations in 2015, Asians owned 152 broadcast stations, African-Americans owned 180 broadcast stations, Pacific Islanders owned 20, and people belonging to two or more races owned 10 broadcast stations. “Whites collectively or individually held a majority of the voting interests in 9,515 broadcast stations,” the report said.