Black Media Still Matters

Against the backdrop of the Presidential election and the black lives matter movement, the host of Newsome now is black-owned media’s most powerful voice

- Alfred A. Edmond Jr.

THE POLICE KILLINGS OF UNARMED BLACK MEN THAT SPARKED the Black Lives Matter movement. The Flint, Michigan, water crisis. The 2016 presidential primaries and election. Even nationally syndicated talk show host Wendy Williams casting shade on the need for historically black colleges and universities and the NAACP.

If there is news impacting the lives of African Americans, you can bet that TV One NewsOne Now Anchor/Host Roland S. Martin is not only covering it, but using every media platform at his disposal, from television and radio to podcasts and YouTube, to inform black America and set the record straight on its behalf. Today, Martin is the most persistent, prominent, and impactful voice in black-owned media (and the only one calling the shots on a daily news show), in an era when blackowned media brands are struggling to adapt (or are no longer black-owned), while the need for them is greater than at any time since the civil rights era.

Martin, who holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Christian communications from Louisiana Baptist University, might be known by most Americans for his memorable, often tumultuous tenure as a member of CNN’s Peabody Award-winning political team. However, he’s spent most of his career with black-owned media outlets including The Houston Defender, Savoy Magazine, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, BlackAmericaWeb.com, and now, TV One (No. 17 on the be industrial/service companies list with $184 million in revenues). black enterprise persuaded Martin to sit on the other side of the interview desk for a candid discussion about black-owned media’s failings, purpose, and potential, as well as why he remains determined to keep African Americans from being dependent on media outlets “that do not have our best interests at heart.”