Thursday, March 25, 2004
A Voice of Reason
The National Association of Broadcasters is an organization in turmoil. Once the dominant voice of the broadcasting industry, the Washington-based trade group has been battered and bruised in recent years. The changing nature of the broadcast industry has put the NAB squarely in the middle of increasingly contentious debates between the major television networks and the local affiliates over media consolidation. This in turn has created a host of problems for the NAB as it tries to determine its role within a changing broadcast climate.
But as one who is often critical of the industry’s role with regard to its efforts in the area of diversity and creating both opportunities and programming, I have over the years found one bright spot within the NAB.
For 25 years, Dwight Ellis, NAB’s Vice President of Human Resource Development has devoted himself tirelessly to the cause of diversity within the broadcast industry. With little fanfare, a minimal budget and often with less than enthusiastic support from his colleagues, Ellis championed the issue of diversity in the NAB. While there have certainly been other voices who from time to time have acknowledged the need for diversity within the industry, credit for keeping the dialogue alive in many of the corporate board rooms of radio and television giants must go to Mr. Ellis.
In an industry where profit is increasingly the top, middle and bottom line, Ellis has chosen to invest his time and energy in people. Through his efforts, Ellis was instrumental in creating NAB's Career Center. This free referral service linked broadcasters to culturally diverse, qualified job applicants, as did NAB's diversity outreach program that links television and radio broadcast companies to colleges and universities across the country. His efforts to network people of color with each other and with broadcast entities are legendary to those of us who have known him during his quarter century of service to the NAB.
For many broadcasters of color, Ellis was a constant, someone to be our advocate and voice in an increasingly hostile industry. But that voice will soon be lost. Dwight Ellis has announced his retirement from the National Association of Broadcasters.
When Ellis retires from the NAB, we fear that it will not only be the end of an era, but the end of the dialogue. Will the NAB continue the many programs and initiatives that Ellis sometimes single-handedly kept alive? Or will they follow the industry trend to place profit over people. Will the NAB sacrifice important, socially progressive initiatives designed to increase the diversity of our industry to the scrape heap?
If so, the legacy of Dwight Ellis will not be one of empowerment and progress but one of futility and waste. We hope that the NAB and the broadcast industry choose to honor and thank Mr. Ellis for his service and commitment to the cause of diversity by for once, placing people above profit. It would be a fitting tribute and legacy for one who has done so much for so many.
The National Association of Broadcasters is an organization in turmoil. Once the dominant voice of the broadcasting industry, the Washington-based trade group has been battered and bruised in recent years. The changing nature of the broadcast industry has put the NAB squarely in the middle of increasingly contentious debates between the major television networks and the local affiliates over media consolidation. This in turn has created a host of problems for the NAB as it tries to determine its role within a changing broadcast climate.
But as one who is often critical of the industry’s role with regard to its efforts in the area of diversity and creating both opportunities and programming, I have over the years found one bright spot within the NAB.
For 25 years, Dwight Ellis, NAB’s Vice President of Human Resource Development has devoted himself tirelessly to the cause of diversity within the broadcast industry. With little fanfare, a minimal budget and often with less than enthusiastic support from his colleagues, Ellis championed the issue of diversity in the NAB. While there have certainly been other voices who from time to time have acknowledged the need for diversity within the industry, credit for keeping the dialogue alive in many of the corporate board rooms of radio and television giants must go to Mr. Ellis.
In an industry where profit is increasingly the top, middle and bottom line, Ellis has chosen to invest his time and energy in people. Through his efforts, Ellis was instrumental in creating NAB's Career Center. This free referral service linked broadcasters to culturally diverse, qualified job applicants, as did NAB's diversity outreach program that links television and radio broadcast companies to colleges and universities across the country. His efforts to network people of color with each other and with broadcast entities are legendary to those of us who have known him during his quarter century of service to the NAB.
For many broadcasters of color, Ellis was a constant, someone to be our advocate and voice in an increasingly hostile industry. But that voice will soon be lost. Dwight Ellis has announced his retirement from the National Association of Broadcasters.
When Ellis retires from the NAB, we fear that it will not only be the end of an era, but the end of the dialogue. Will the NAB continue the many programs and initiatives that Ellis sometimes single-handedly kept alive? Or will they follow the industry trend to place profit over people. Will the NAB sacrifice important, socially progressive initiatives designed to increase the diversity of our industry to the scrape heap?
If so, the legacy of Dwight Ellis will not be one of empowerment and progress but one of futility and waste. We hope that the NAB and the broadcast industry choose to honor and thank Mr. Ellis for his service and commitment to the cause of diversity by for once, placing people above profit. It would be a fitting tribute and legacy for one who has done so much for so many.
