Bob Menendez: “I come to the floor to highlight what I consider to be a grave injustice, and I urge us to do something about it. I do…”

“I come to the floor to highlight what I consider to be a grave injustice, and I urge us to do something about it. I do so because I remain deeply concerned about an issue that often flies under the radar, which is our Nation's severe lack of diversity when it comes to broadcast station ownership. Three years ago, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights published a report titled ``The Abysmal State of Media Ownership Diversity in America.'' That is an apt title, especially because, according to the Federal Communications Commission--the Agency responsible for regulating broadcasters--minorities in America make up less than 3 percent of all broadcast station owners. For women, the numbers aren't much better. They account for less than 6 percent of all station owners. These abysmal figures from the FCC--consistently in the single digits--are unacceptable. They are an affront to the incredible diversity that makes America the exceptional Nation that it is. And simply put, we do ourselves an enormous disservice when the vast majority of TV and radio stations in America are predominantly owned by White men. This lack of diversity in broadcasting is a problem that materially affects the people I represent in New Jersey. Even as trusted sources of local news continue to be decimated, broadcast media stations play a crucial role in educating the public.…”