Caucuses Seek Hearing on Local Airplay Royalties

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus have sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers requesting a hearing examining the impact performance royalties for local radio airplay would have on minority-owned broadcast stations.

"African Americans and Hispanics are already underrepresented in radio ownership and it is important to understand the impact on minority-owned radio stations as we evaluate legislation that seeks to establish a new performance royalty," wrote lawmakers Andre Carson (IN-7), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Al Green (TX-9), Chaka Fattah (PA-2), Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) and David Scott (GA-13).

Last Wednesday (5-6), letters were sent to Chairman Conyers from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law urging the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing to weigh the legislation's impact on minority-owned broadcast radio stations.