NAMIC's General Session was part enriching analysis, part pep rally, energizing support for an industry facing demographic and technological upheavals made evermore pronounced by the upcoming US Census. The Brookings Institute was quoted as predicting that "demographic transformation could be America's ace in the hole." As the US population continues to fragment and digitize, groups like NAMIC are leaders in adapting to the new terrain, rather than attempting to ignore or simply mitigate these historical forces.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn's keynote address was a highlight of the morning, as her presence alone speaks to diversity's current centrality. She asserted one of NAMIC's prime messages, that diversity needs advocacy "not only because it is smart, but because it is right." She highlighted the technological changes that we are all familiar with and how business can act on those changes. Audiences are larger than ever, cable is the prime broadband provider, and the internet puts "microtargeting on steroids." The FCC's mentoring and community outreach programs were promoted, as was their actions to partner large companies with smaller ones, encouraging small and diverse businesses even as larger corporations continue to merger.
The voice of academia came to us through Leo Estrada, who presented a sneak peek at data from the 2010 census. The country's population is becoming more diverse, older, and more reliant on new media. Perhaps most heartening is the emerging political power in non-white youth, from whom we saw the greatest increase in voter turnout, and the boom in ethnic media. On the downside, our schools are more segregated than ever, as whites are putting their children in private schools, while dropout rates continue to plague the hispanic and African American youth. Estrada asked what role media companies could take in finding cross-cultural solutions to these social ills.
The panel discussion was filled by incredibly seasoned leaders in media business and thought. The leaders in ethnically targeted channels Univision and BET were happy to say they had transitioned from as niche stations to cultural forces in a multicultural nation with social ambitions. Cesar Conde spoke of Univision's panel on immigration, which they aired during prime time to stellar ratings, showing the market for intelligent, quality content. Scott Mills from BET noted that NAMIC did not push a post-racial image of the country; that race will always be important. He spoke highly of any company that can market themselves to a complex, segmented demographic, and earn the trust of their audiences. It's when this industry reflects on itself and realizes its immense social affect that it can become a positive social force, not just an intelligent community of businesses. It's that kind of reflection that I'm most happy to see at this conference.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn's keynote address was a highlight of the morning, as her presence alone speaks to diversity's current centrality. She asserted one of NAMIC's prime messages, that diversity needs advocacy "not only because it is smart, but because it is right." She highlighted the technological changes that we are all familiar with and how business can act on those changes. Audiences are larger than ever, cable is the prime broadband provider, and the internet puts "microtargeting on steroids." The FCC's mentoring and community outreach programs were promoted, as was their actions to partner large companies with smaller ones, encouraging small and diverse businesses even as larger corporations continue to merger.
The voice of academia came to us through Leo Estrada, who presented a sneak peek at data from the 2010 census. The country's population is becoming more diverse, older, and more reliant on new media. Perhaps most heartening is the emerging political power in non-white youth, from whom we saw the greatest increase in voter turnout, and the boom in ethnic media. On the downside, our schools are more segregated than ever, as whites are putting their children in private schools, while dropout rates continue to plague the hispanic and African American youth. Estrada asked what role media companies could take in finding cross-cultural solutions to these social ills.
The panel discussion was filled by incredibly seasoned leaders in media business and thought. The leaders in ethnically targeted channels Univision and BET were happy to say they had transitioned from as niche stations to cultural forces in a multicultural nation with social ambitions. Cesar Conde spoke of Univision's panel on immigration, which they aired during prime time to stellar ratings, showing the market for intelligent, quality content. Scott Mills from BET noted that NAMIC did not push a post-racial image of the country; that race will always be important. He spoke highly of any company that can market themselves to a complex, segmented demographic, and earn the trust of their audiences. It's when this industry reflects on itself and realizes its immense social affect that it can become a positive social force, not just an intelligent community of businesses. It's that kind of reflection that I'm most happy to see at this conference.
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