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Q: What's the biggest problem with how networks and corporations communicate news, information, and advertising to African Americans today? A: Effectively reaching the African-American viewing audience requires more than just inserting African-American characters on a TV show. We will stay strictly and completely focused on this demographic category. What we hope to do is to create an environment by which corporations and advertisers can know exactly who they're reaching and when they're reaching them.
I also serve on the board of directors at Proctor & Gamble. This experience has enhanced my knowledge and understanding about creating the right marketing environment to reach African-American and Hispanic adults -- the two largest areas of population growth in the country. We'll be creating a look and feel that will make us a comfortable place for African-American viewers. Ads must be presented in an environment that reflects the tone and values of who we, as African Americans, are as a people.
Q: How about other corporations? What are the most important things that companies can do to communicate effectively with African-American viewers? A: More consumer research needs to be done on the African-American community. You have to find out what people think and what their attitudes and preferences truly are.
Also, businesses need to understand that black people in America have a different perspective based on the fact that "all men are created equal" didn't apply to us for a major portion of our country's history. This comes from our experience as a people with everything from slavery to racial discrimination to everything else in society that has separated African Americans from the mainstream population.
Corporations must assign diversified workforces to design marketing campaigns targeted toward African Americans and other ethnic groups. General market approaches do not necessarily work with minority audiences.
Q: How about comparisons between TV One and other networks, such as Telefutura, Telemundo, Univision, and CBS? A: The revenue structures between network television and cable television are different. Network-television broadcasters are focused on reaching as broad a swath of the American population as possible. If African Americans come into their flow, that's fine. [In that sense] we hope to have the same entertainment values as CBS's target audience.
One of the beauties of cable television is that it's a focused, targeted medium. Nickelodeon goes after kids. ESPN goes after sports. TV One goes after African-American adults. Our programming fits in the cable spectrum.
Q: How will you be judged? A: I will be judged like any other CEO -- on my ability to accomplish the task. There was no time to stop and learn the job. I have learned about the needs and preferences of the African-American community over my entire life and how to program and run a TV channel from over 30 years experience in television and print journalism.
The two most important lessons I learned from my television experience is to build programming to attract an audience and to create an advertising environment that advertisers find the most beneficial. These are the two most critical objectives I bear in mind as I build everything else.
Liss is a contributing correspondent for BusinessWeek Online. His background includes six years as a management consultant and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. He has a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University.
What would you like to Ask the CEO? Send your questions to Ask_The_CEO@BusinessWeek.com Edited by Douglas Harbrecht
Copyright 2003, Bloomberg L.P.
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