Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Zook (Black Women's Lives: Stories of Power and Pain) introduces a diverse cast of characters in this interview-based history of African American media ownership. Some made millions, others struggled until being forced out of the industry, but all offer important insight into the decline of African American media ownership. In a time when giants like Clear Channel are quashing small operators and the FCC has discontinued affirmative action, many of Zook's subjects have defied steep odds. James L. Winston, executive director of the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters, sets the tone by talking about the establishment of the Minority Tax Certificate, a major tax incentive for media owners to sell their businesses to minorities which was repealed in the 1990s. Dorothy Edwards Brunson, the first African American woman to own a radio station, speaks about media consolidation and the business acumen it takes to succeed in the industry. In the introduction and her perceptive questions, the author helps articulate the importance of black ownership as well as any of her subjects and the compilation of these interviews creates an important story. (Mar.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Review by Library Journal Review
The subject of media ownership raises many complex questions. Along these lines, freelance journalist Zook (Black Women's Lives) traces the history of African American-owned radio and television stations through a series of interviews with individuals who shaped this segment of the industry. These interviews not only offer firsthand details about the emergence of the stations-their programming philosophies and the necessary existence of their unique perspectives-but also provide thought-provoking information about the struggles, disparities, politics, and inner workings of it all. Among the highlighted figures are Percy Sutton, onetime Manhattan borough president and cofounder of Inner City Broadcasting; Booker Wade, owner of an African American public television station; and Jim Winston, executive director of a national trade association for African American radio and television owners. Each makes a significant and eye-opening contribution here, bringing to light issues and challenges that are often lost in a culture overshadowed by corporate media giants. Zook presents keenly insightful background and commentary, and readers will be left hungry for more. For circulating libraries and large media collections.-Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
