Media 2070 Sounds the Alarm: FCC’s “media redlining” still shapes who controls America’s airwaves

A new op-ed argues federal licensing choices helped lock Black owners out of broadcast power—and consolidation keeps the gap in place today.

By: MMM Editorial Team (8 pt)

Media 2070’s latest op-ed in The Black Wall Street Times makes a clear case: what the authors call “media redlining”—historic FCC licensing decisions that excluded Black owners—still affects who holds the mic today. With modern consolidation, a handful of companies set the agenda for local news and culture, shaping what communities see and how they’re portrayed.

“Media inequity is a central civil rights issue.” — Media 2070 op-ed (BWST)

The piece traces how the FCC, created in 1934, granted scarce, valuable broadcast licenses “in the public interest”—but often denied Black applicants while approving owners who profited from segregation. That legacy, the authors argue, still echoes in 2025’s hyper-concentrated media landscape.

[Related] Media 2070 announces August consortium call 

Why this matters now

Engaging in media that centers and uplifts Black narratives is critical to building equity in media. Here, a young family views literature and news outlets at the Los Angeles stop of the Black Future Newsstand.

The op-ed situates the history alongside current headlines—high-profile media firings and controversies, and ongoing debates about federal oversight—underscoring that ownership still determines narrative power. One data point the article cites: Black owners control roughly 3% of full-power TV stations, a stark indicator of who gets to set the frame for local storytelling.

“If you don’t own the means of communication, you don’t control the narrative.”

How policy choices shaped the market

According to Media 2070, licensing choices weren’t neutral. They produced a map of access and exclusion that tilted the playing field for generations—and later deregulation and consolidation compounded the effect. The result: fewer decision-makers, broader reach, and narrower perspectives across many local markets.

Today’s consequences

When fewer conglomerates control local TV lineups, they decide which stories air and how they’re told. For Black communities, the op-ed argues, that’s meant lost opportunity and ongoing misrepresentation or under-representation in the stories that shape public opinion and policy priorities.

A recent project under Media 2070 and Free Press pushed for safer forms of community journalism, demonstrating an overhaul in American journalism from how stories are covered to which ones are chosen.

[Related] Media 2070 on Charlie Kirk, Feature in the Seattle Times

“This is about power—who has it, and who doesn’t.”

What Media 2070 calls for

Media 2070 positions media equity as civil-rights work, urging redress for past harms and policy that grows ownership diversity, not just audience reach. The goal: a healthier information ecosystem where communities can see themselves accurately and hold powerful institutions to account.

Read the op-ed: Full piece: “FCC Drew the Map: Media Redlining Still Shapes Who Controls the Airwaves,” The Black Wall Street Times, Oct. 20, 2025. The Black Wall Street Times

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