Seems as if Time Warner Cable has some explaining to do in Columbus, OH. Seems there is a bit of an uproar because Time Warner doesn’t or chooses not to carry Bounce 23 tV and Asteca Columbus TV, which are two networks geared toward African Americans and Latinos.A major press conference held November 28, 2012 revealed that the Columbus NAACP and the Minority Media Community Collaborative (MMCC) are outraged at Time Warner Cable’s continuous refusal to provide local minority programming. Evidence of this blatant disregard is Time Warner Cable’s refusal to carry Bounce 23 TV and Azteca Columbus TV, two broadcasters dedicated to serving the African American and Hispanic populations in Columbus, Ohio.Reverend Joel King, cousin of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Time Warner Cable has hundreds of cable channels available and yet has refused to sign an agreement to carry local minority broadcasters. And to add insult to injury Time Warner Cable has snubbed our repeated requests for a meeting to discuss these minority community concerns.”Noel Williams President of the Columbus NAACP states, “Time Warner Cable says that they believe in the power of community and value diversity in hiring, but with no space allocated to local minority channels, they do not apply these beliefs to their programming.”The 2010 U.S. Census reports that nearly 40% of Columbus’ population is minority (28% African American, 6% Hispanic and 5% other) and they spend approximately $72 million dollars per year in cable service fees. Yet they are completely denied local minority programming. Time Warner Cable, which controls 60% of the Columbus cable market, recently merged with Insight Communications (30% of the market) and now has a virtual monopoly with 90% of the television cable services in Columbus, Ohio.The Columbus NAACP and the MMCC says, “Time Warner’s mission statement says they are committed to serving the community. Yet they have no local minority programming channels available and have refused to meet with the NAACP and the MMCC! This kind of blatant disregard displayed by Time Warner Cable has the uncanny feeling of 1954 in the year 2013.”
