Why Media Diversity Matters

A national town hall meeting in DC, Denver, and live via webcast

Moderated by Tavis Smiley (DC) and Mayor John Hickenlooper (Denver)

With an introduction by LCCR President and CEO Wade Henderson

Featuring FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and civil rights experts

June 29, 2007

12noon Eastern, 10am Mountain

Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Turnhalle in the Tivoli, Denver, CO

There’s a battle looming at the Federal Communications Commission and in the court of public opinion. It’s a battle over control over today’s media environment.

For more than two decades, the FCC, the agency that regulates the media, promoted minority ownership and employment in broadcasting, but that progress has been halted. Today, instead of local ownership with a diversity of views, we now have homogenized, cookie-cutter media divorced from local concerns.

Every American should be concerned about the loss of the diverse, independent journalistic voices that used to connect our nation, serve our local communities, and provide the foundation for our democracy.

Join author, commentator, and talk show host Tavis Smiley, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, and other distinguished speakers on June 29, 2007 for a one-of a-kind event on the importance of media diversity.

More information coming soon!

About the LCCREF Media and Communications Project

The Media and Communications Project was developed to help the national civil rights community play a central role in the policy debates shaping the nation’s media and communications landscape. At its core, communications policy is about equal opportunity and equal access to important local and national resources, such as education, health care, and economic equality.

For more information about LCCREF, visit www.civilrights.org.