Gore, FCC Push for Fair Ad Competition

WASHINGTON —  The government is urging advertisers and broadcasters to adopt a system to prevent advertisers from discriminating against radio stations owned by or geared to minority listeners.

Vice President Al Gore and Federal Communications Commission Chairman William E. Kennard are making the pitch today at an advertising conference in New York.

Their challenge responds to a report, issued by the FCC last month, that said advertisers often bypass or pay less money to minority-owned radio stations or stations targeting black or Latino listeners.

At the conference, Kennard plans to suggest that the industries develop a voluntary code guided by, among other things, the principal of “fair competition,” said FCC and administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Diversity of voices and views is a pillar of our democracy,” Gore says in remarks prepared for delivery to the conference via satellite. “That is why we must ensure that our airwaves provide opportunities for all Americans.”

The challenge is intended to be a “starting point” for the industry to consider, the officials said.

Thus far, the advertising and broadcasting industries have been open to, but noncommittal about, developing such a code. The American Advertising Federation is assembling a panel to examine its feasibility.

Gore, who supports Kennard’s approach, will call on advertisers and advertising agencies “to make voluntary commitments demonstrating that they understand the value of diversity and the economic logic of serving minority consumers,” according to his prepared remarks.

A copy was made available to the Associated Press.

The FCC report, written by the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, an advocacy group based here, recommended that the industry adopt a code of conduct that requires decisions about buying ads to be based on market research.

It’s unclear specifically whatGore and Kennard would like to see included in such a voluntary code.

Gore also plans to announce the creation of a new interagency working group to examine advertising practices and their effect on minority broadcasters’ and minority advertising agencies’ ability to compete and thrive.

The FCC, the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department, the Commerce Department and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy will be part of the working group.