Yesterday (3/19) was the day that syndicated radio host Tom Joyner led a delegation of minority broadcasters to Capitol Hill to campaign against imposing performance royalties on radio stations to be paid to record labels and artists. The broadcasters held a congressional staff briefing to explain the adverse impact a performance tax would have on minority-owned radio stations in America. Panelists, including Radio One’s Alfred Liggins and Cathy Hughes (pictured), also discussed how the performance tax effort, led by the Recording Industry Association of America, would destroy diversity in the urban radio community and put many radio jobs at risk.
The event, hosted by Tom Joyner and NAB, was moderated by David Honig, Executive Director of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC).
Panelists, included:
Tom Joyner, Host, The Tom Joyner Morning Show
Susan Davenport Austin, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation
Ron Davenport, Jr., General Counsel and President, Radio Division, Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation
Cathy Hughes, Founder and Board Chairman, Radio One, Inc.
Alfred Liggins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Radio One, Inc.
Alex Snipe, President, Glory Communications
Charles Warfield, President and COO, ICBC Broadcast Holdings, Inc.
