Illinois Public Media is looking to better serve Black communities in Central Illinois with a media service, both on the air and online, dedicated to “Black music, voices, and culture.” Their motivation centers around the lack of Black media spaces in this area in recent years:
Over the past two decades, media organization serving the Black communities in central Illinois have shrunk or disappeared. In 2007, the last Champaign Black newspaper closed, and radio stations centered on our region’s black communities have disappeared. This is happening despite research from Nielsen consistently showing that Black Americans listen to the radio and podcasts at higher rates and longer than many other communities.
If you would like to offer your thoughts on what should be featured through this service, which will launch in January 2024, you can fill out their survey.