| Roland S. Martin, the keynote speaker for the 22nd Annual State of Wisconsin King Tribute and Ceremony, is a straight talking man. Spend a few minutes talking to him on the phone and one know exactly where he's coming from. Although he's easy to talk to on the phone, one also gets the impression that he knows where he's going and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Martin is a media person's media person who has dappled in them all. He is the executive editor of The Chicago Defender, one of the granddaddies of the Black Press. He can also be seen on broadcast television and cable as a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, BET Nightly News, and America's Black Forum among others. Roland was a founder of BlackAmericaWeb.com and has written a book called Fulfilled! The Art and Joy of Balanced Living. And, by the way, he's done radio providing news reports for American Urban Radio Networks. While back in the day when Martin attended the Jack Yates Magnet High School of Communications when specializing in a particular field was considered a necessity, Martin would have none of that. "We had our own television station, radio station, and newspaper," Martin said in a telephone interview with The Capital City Hues. "I was always interested in doing all forms of media. Even when people were trying to get me to focus on one media, just newspapers or just television or just radio, it was always my willingness to take all of the classes. In fact, they would not let me take additional courses when I was in high school. I wanted to take a photography class and because I had too many communications credits, they wouldn't let me. I always hated that and once I got out, I made sure I took some photography stuff." In an age of media integration, Martin's instincts have served him well. The Black Press has played a significant role in the historical evolution of the African American community. It is The Chicago Defender that is given credit for playing a major role in the African American migration to the North in the early parts of the 20th century. But in an age of fast-paced change in the media world, Martin warns that this is not a time for the Black Press to be resting on its laurels. "The Black Press must confront its relevancy in the 21st century," Martin emphasized. "Is it a medium that is keeping up with technology? Does it speak to the needs of a changing reader? Unfortunately, I think far too many members of the Black Press continue to stay wallowed in their great past and are not laying the groundwork for a great future. That was one of the criticisms that I had with The Chicago Defender when I arrived here. Everyone kept speaking about the Defender in historical terms. I kept saying that as long as you keep talking about this paper in historical terms, you will be history." Martin is passionate about the Black Press because he feels it needs to continue to play a vital role in the African American community. "I think the Black Press has to remain a forceful advocate of those issues and concerns of African Americans," Martin said. "But not just in terms of those issues, but also they must be very critical in terms of analysis of Black America. Whether we are talking about African American children and education, or other issues, it is very important that we serve as that voice to talk about issues and challenge African Americans and not just look at it in terms of what others are doing to us but also what we are doing to ourselves." Indeed, Martin feels that the Black Press needs to confront issues in the African American community regardless of the cause of the issue and regardless of who is listening in. "Our job is that of a journalist," Martin said emphatically. "That is what we do. That is what we are here for. We must be able to cover stories from that perspective. If your readership is largely African American -- that is the audience you are speaking to -- why would you not focus on the critical issues that we know need to be dealt with. One of the things that I continue to see is if we continue to ignore many of those relevant issues, I think we do that at our own peril. You have to be able to challenge people to act, to challenge them to move. It's simply a matter of upholding the traditions of excellence in journalism. Again, my philosophy is very simple. If you do good, I'll talk about you. If you do bad, I'll talk about you. So when you operate from that standpoint, you're not worried about airing our dirty laundry or being too critical of people because of the good things that you have said." While Martin is worried when news conglomerates begin to destroy the news product and service in search of economies of scale, Martin sees a lot of benefit from media consolidation, going against the grain of much contemporary thought about consolidation. And Martin feels that the Black Press is falling behind because the wave of media consolidation has fallen short of its door. "Frankly, I think the lack of ownership, the lack of consolidation among Black media is what has contributed to far too many weak newspapers," Martin said. "And so by you not having the ability of being able to grow to scale, it becomes a problem in terms of the resources. When you have 100 independent voices out there, you have 100 very small voices that don't have the capital to adequately fund their operations. In the case of the owner of The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times, they own five newspapers. There's value to being able to own multiple products because you can cover different things. It's a matter of how you allocate the resources. I hope we have more consolidation among the Black Press because we need better Black Press products." Today's media consumer receives his or her information from multiple sources throughout the day and Martin believes that the successful media outlet of the future must be able to meet the needs of the consumer and provide them with information wherever they may be. "The Chicago Defender is a leading news and information source of Black America and Chicago," Martin emphasized. "I did not say we were a newspaper. We are a news and information source. That means our copy can be distributed across multiple platforms. The audience today is saying 'I do not want to only receive your information in one form. I want to be able to get it in the print form. I f it's the Web, that's fine. If it's a video podcast or television station or a radio station, then so be it. We have to respond to the needs of the consumer." Within this media technology explosion of recent years, daily newspapers have steadily lost circulation. Some have sounded the death knell for printed media, but Martin scoffs at those thoughts. "Print media isn't a dinosaur," Martin asserted. "I am a student of my industry. Silent film is the only form of major media that is no longer in existence. When talkies came along, they said it was going to kill silent films. That did indeed happen. When radio came along, they said it was going to kill movies. Well last week, "The Pursuit of Happyness" crossed the $130 million mark. I don't think movies have died. Then when television came along, it was going to kill radio. Then when cable came along, it was going to kill broadcast. Then when VCRs came along, that was going to kill movies and television. And then DVDs were going to kill movies as well. Movie studios today generate more money on DVD sales than they do on movie tickets. So we have seen a progression of media. The difference is from a media standpoint, the advertising dollar being spent on the Web is not commensurate with the print product. That means you can charge someone for a $20,000 full page ad in a newspaper or magazine, but you're not going to get $20,000 for that one banner on the Web. That is what has changed. Technology has changed." However, Martin stated that if the owners of the Black Press continue to do things the way they have always done them, then their papers will fold. "What are dinosaurs are the individuals who are running these products who don't understand how the game has changed," Martin observed. "So their thought process is that of a dinosaur, but not the product." On some levels, Martin feels that the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a victim of the mass media as he has been turned into a one-dimensional person, while leaving many parts of his message on the cutting room floor. "We have made King to be a figure who only gave one speech," Martin said. "Even when we look at that speech, we do it a severe injustice because we only focus on the bottom portion of his speech versus the real thesis of his speech, which was the economic independence and the need for economic rights for African Americans and others. We also do not see King's legacy in its totality. He was an individual who really got involved with the movement when he was 26 years old. We do not fully appreciate the brilliance of his strategy, his planning and how everything was linked. We may look at a protest and not fully understand what went on prior to the protest. We don't understand how they were sending out advance teams to be able to cultivate the audience prior to King and his lieutenants coming in. He was a brilliant mastermind who was able to assist change in this country. Too often, we have reduced him to his "I Have a Dream" speech. So you'll see a politician talk about the content of character and talk about us all being able to get along and all of that stuff. We just don't understand that King was a revolutionary figure. We have presented him as a sort of docile, quiet guy who gave a special speech." Martin feels that the legacy of Dr. King should be a call to action. "What the challenge should be for anyone is to say 'Do I want to praise King,'" Martin said. "'Do I want to recite King's words? Or do I want to live by the ideals by which King lived?' That is what it boils down to. We could all get together and talk about King and have a great day. If you ask people about what they really know about Dr. Martin Luther King, I guarantee that for most of them, they are going to probably stop at the "I Have a Dream" speech. And that is a severe injustice because that means you have overlooked the body of work versus a piece of the body. But the question is 'Are we willing to really say what the ideals were that he was preaching and speaking on? Am I willing to live up to those at home, at work, at church, and in the community?' That's what it boils down to." That's a lot of straight talk from a straight talking man. The 22nd Annual King Tribute and Ceremony will be held January 15 at noon in the rotunda of the State Capitol. Please check Happenings for more information about the ceremony |
| Roland S. Martin to speak at Wisconsin King Tribute and Ceremony Straight talking man By Jonathan Gramling |
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