By: Ron Busby
African-American communities rely more than ever on over-the-air television for local and national news, emergency alerts, community information, weather and entertainment. Today, nearly 23 percent of African-American households view local television using an antenna, as opposed to relying on cable or satellite service, and all of those homes will be affected when many TV stations change to new frequencies over the coming year as required by law.
It is critical that African-American business owners and our consumers know when and how to rescan their antenna televisions when stations in their areas move to new frequencies. This is why the U.S. Black Chambers (USBC) has partnered with the National Association of Broadcasters to ensure the communities we serve are prepared when nearly 1,000 television stations move to new frequencies over the next 18 months to make room for wireless services.
USBC’s mission is to provide visionary leadership and advocacy in the realization of economic empowerment for African-American-owned businesses. Through the creation of resources and initiatives, we support African-American Chambers of Commerce and business organizations as they work to develop and grow Black enterprises. An essential component to that success is the ability of our Chambers and their members to connect with the consumers in the areas in which we live.
In preparation for the anticipated frequency changes, USBC is asking its members to spread the word that local TV stations are moving frequencies, and to visit TV Answers to look up which stations are moving and when. TV Answers provides information specific to each person’s area and details important instructions on how to rescan your television, which will be required for antenna TV viewers to continue to receive the local programming they depend on and trust.
To learn more about the U.S. Black Chambers, visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About Ron Busby
Ron Busby is President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and serves on the Pfizer Small Business Council, National Newspapers Publishers Association Foundation Board of Directors and White House African American Leadership Council. He also formerly served on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities.