Talk to Me- Brenna Munoz
In response to Newman’s statement that “Black Radio, though it was a part of corporate America’s exploitation of the black consumer, had some positive effects within black culture and black consciousness,� I disagree with the belief that black radio was only part of corporate America’s exploitation of black consumers and feel that this statement falsely implies that corporate America’s intentions wrongfully took advantage of a needy or vulnerable African American society. This so called “exploitation� of corporate America not only through Radio, but various forms of media, is not limited to only minorities such as black culture in the 1960s, but instead corporate America can constantly be observed searching for new target marketing audiences of various age, race, culture, and class in order to sell. Therefore, Newman’s use of the word exploitation, when referring to the reason for this breakthrough of black radio, is somewhat harsh considering that this searching for new target audiences is simply part of the increasingly competitive business world, whether its effects are positive or negative.
However, I do agree with the second part of Newman’s statement which claims that this emergence of black radio had many positive effects for black culture. These positive effects are strongly depicted in the film Talk to me where the evolution of “Petey� Greene from convict turned radio star and media idol becomes an inspiration for all those around him. The movie shows how the major stride for African American society through Black Radio contributed to accomplishments for black culture on a national level along with many examples of progress regarding internal conflicts faced by many individuals of color during this period of time. The increasing involvement of African Americans within the media, in this case Radio, allowed for the African American culture to gradually make advances within society, becoming more connected with the general public and white culture in addition to one another.