Struggles for Equal Voice: The History of African American Media Democracy

Contents

contents acknowledgments xi Preface xv introduction: unveiling the Struggles for Equal Voice 1 chapter 1: The Black image in the White Pathology 17 african americans and the Film industry 18 african americans and the Television industry 24 african americans in Mainstream Visual culture 32 chapter 2: cable Television: Past and Present 35 Prelude: Early Days of cable Television, 1948–1969 37 Legal, Economic, Professional, and Technological concerns, 1960–1979 38 Legal Literature and Public and community access channels, 1980–1989 52 Decrease in cable awareness, 1990–2010 60 Need for Grassroots Movement for cable Representation 61 chapter 3: The incubation Period of cable Television 63 Boston’s Social and historical Background in the 1970s 65 Mel King and african american Media Representation 69 Foreseeable advantage of cable Television in Boston 72 Detroit’s Social and historical Background in the 1970s 85 vii viii Contents Detroit’s Twenty-Year Period of Feasibility Discussions and Study 87 Final Draft of the Request for Proposals 99 Chapter 4: Drafting of Democratic Communication Media 109 Drafting and Issuing the Request for Proposals in Boston 111 Applying to Wire Boston: Submitting Preliminary Application 114 Issuing of Request for Proposals in Boston 129 Submission of Amended Application 133 Drafting and Issuing the Request for Proposals in Detroit 142 Applying to Wire Detroit: Barden Cablevision 148 Emphasis on Public Access and Local Origination in Detroit 176 Chapter 5: Progress and Struggles in the Process of Franchise Decisions for Media Democracy 177 Boston’s Period of Application Review 178 Public Hearings in the Early Summer of 1981 179 Analyzing the Final Applications 189 Choosing Cablevision over Warner Amex 194 Discussion with Cablevision 200 Granting the License to Cablevision 203 Detroit’s Period of Application Review 205 Issuing the Final Report 211 Politics Delay Media Democracy 216 Signing the Final Agreement with Barden Cablevision of Detroit 225 Chapter 6: From Agreement to Production: Period of Struggling 229 Boston and Its Post-Agreement Phase 230 Cablevision’s Failure to Meet the Expectations 239 A Beginning of an Alternative Media Form for African American Bostonians 241 Detroit and Its Post-Agreement Phase 243 Delays during the Post-Agreement Phase 246 Conclusion: BET is not the Answer 249 Historical Lessons from Cable Television in Boston and Detroit 252 African Americans in Cable Television in a National Context 256 ix contents Notes 261 Bibliography 303 index 311 ...