Tom Joyner , host of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) ,” and other leading minority radio broadcasters held a congressional staff briefing on Capitol Hill yesterday to explain the adverse impact a performance tax would have on minority-owned radio stations in America. For those who don’t know what this is… there has been an ongoing debate for several months to determine if radio stations should pay artists to play their records. Considering the fact that if it was not for radio, many artists would have never had careers, the issue is of legitimate concern to radio corporations, owners and artists who feel they deserve to be compensated for their music. Read more: Radio Facts Legacy 30th Anniversary Issue.
Panelists 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: (click pic for larger image)
Tom Joyner , Host, The Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS)
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.
