Rainbow Push Wall Street Project Summit

Steve C. Roberts will be participating as a panelist in the
upcoming Rainbow Push Wall Street Project Summit.

The 15th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit will be held on Wednesday, January 25 – Friday, January 27, 2012 at the Sheraton NY Hotel & Towers in New York, NY. Board of directors member and St. Louis business leader, Steven C. Roberts, CEO of Roberts Companies & Roberts Broadcasting Companies has been invited by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. to participate in the summit’s roundtable discussion on “Equity and Ownership in the Media – An Overview of the Current Start of the Telecommunications Industry.”

The roundtable will be moderated by Steve Smith, Director, Public Policy Institute, Government Relations & Telecommunications Project. The invited panelists will focus on discussing the current trends in the telecommunications industry. Joining Mr. Roberts on this panel of distinguished business owners will be Chairman Julius Genachowski, FCC, Commissioner Copps and Clovis Campbell, President, NNPA. Afterward the Commissioner will be honored for his lifelong outstanding services to America’s underserved communities. Mr. Roberts graciously accepted his seat on the panel.

This year’s summit theme is “We Are One World – Bringing Everyone to the Table: Celebrating Fifteen Years of Access to Capital, Industry and Technology.” “This [theme] epitomizes what we need to do as a nation to rebuild and restore confidence and financial stability as we continue to experience the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.” Says Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr, founder and president of the Rainbow Push Wall Street Project.

The Rainbow Push Wall Street Project was founded in 1996 by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and the Citizenship Education Fund, and officially launched by Rev. Jesse Jackson and prominent minority business owners on January 15, 1997, Dr. King’s birthday. The Project is represented by satellite or bureau offices (New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, East Palo Alto, Houston and Washington, D.C.), each representing the competency center for one or more of the industry spokes the organization focuses on: financial services, public policy, telecommunications, automotive, energy, advertising, international affairs, food services, insurance, entertainment, manufacturing, and information technology.

The Wall Street Project challenges corporate America to end the multi-billion dollar trade deficit with minority vendors and consumers and works to assure equal opportunity for diverse employees, entrepreneurs, and consumers. The Project uses Operation Breadbasket’s model of research, education and negotiation and reconciliation to achieve its mission to promote inclusion, opportunity and economic growth by encouraging public and private industries improve hiring, promotion and retention practices, name more minorities to corporate boards, allocate more capital to minority companies, promote intra-trade relationships among diverse businesses, increase funding for educational scholarships, and voter registration education and increase financial literacy in minority and/or underserved communities through the work of the One Thousand Churches Connected program .

Visit the projects website to register and view the agenda.
www.wallstreetproject2012.org

Capitalization Strategies Workshop

Mr. Steven C. Roberts of St. Louis, Mo, member of the Re-Chartered Federal Communication Commission on Diversity Committee for Communication in the Digital Age, has just returned from a two day meeting on the importance of lowering the barrier in the broadcasting industry for historically disadvantaged men and women. The Capitalization Strategies Workshop focused on capital acquisition for small and diverse businesses in the communications industry. Small, minority- and women-owned business owners interested in telecommunications, broadcasting, or related businesses for which raising capital is a prerequisite, heard remarks presented by panelists on two panels. The first panel consisted of government sector representatives and the second panel featured finance experts from the private sector.

Specifically, the panelists addressed issues related to obtaining public and private-sector financing for those entrepreneurs who seek either to launch new enterprises or to facilitate growth in existing businesses.  Panelists discussed capitalization strategies applicable in a variety of business sectors, i.e. broadband technologies, cable and broadcast TV, broadcast radio, wireless services, and common carrier facilities. Capitalization strategies were discussed in the context of ownership of ancillary services that provide technological, marketing, and administrative support systems for businesses in the communications industry.

In addition Mr. Roberts participated in the FCC Capitalization Strategies Workshop for Small Minority and Women owned business. The workshop includes a 30-minute breakout sessions in which several of the panelists meet one-on-one with individual entrepreneurs and provide constructive feedback on their business plans.

A webcast of the panelist and their discussion is available online at

http://www.fcc.gov/events/capitalization-strategies-workshop.

Since 1986, the FCC suspended two of its minority broadcast ownership policies, which was the beginning of the end for the broadcasting diversity in ownership. Mr. Roberts has encouraged the FCC to close the digital divide and find its voice as a champion of diversity and equal opportunity. “This is a great start to ensure a diverse voice in programming for the captive United States.” 

American Hotel & Lodging Association

Steve C. Roberts has recently been reappointed
to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s
Multiunit Owners & Operators Council.

Mr. Steven C. Roberts of St. Louis, Mo, CEO of The Roberts Hotels Group, has been re-elected to the prestigious Boards of Directors in the hotel industry, the Multi-Unit Owners and Operators Council. Mr. Roberts states that “he plans to continue to submit testimonies for improving the hospitality industry in the United States.”

This Corporate Membership affords hotel owners unique opportunities to grow and strengthen their brand alongside their subsidiaries through high-level networking events, educational forums, bottom line savings, and political advocacy.  Owners can deepen their involvement by participating in the Multiunit Council or using your eligibility to be elected to the board of directors, as Mr. Roberts has done for several years now.

Visit AH&LA’s website to read more about becoming a member.

American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Multi-Owner Council meets once a year in conjunction with the America’s Lodging Investment Summit. The Council was formed to provide senior multi-unit hotel owners and operators the opportunity to discuss issues important to their companies and the industry. These meetings enable the association to learn and understand the issues that are most important to the Council members. The American Hotel & Lodging Association uses this conversation to help address needs in the rapidly changing hotel industry.

The host of this conference, ALIS (America’s Lodging Investment Summit), is committed to contributing a portion of the proceeds to educating future leaders of the industry. 2012 attendees will be supporting the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation.

The Council will meet January 23 – 25, 2012, at the JW Marriot at LA LIVE, Los Angeles. The meeting will also feature Marlene Colucci, the Executive Vice President of Public Policy. She will discuss the important issues facing the industry in the 2nd Session of the 112th Congress, as well as the upcoming presidential and congressional elections.

Steven C. Roberts’ considers this another important opportunity to play a valuable role in the rapidly growing hospitality industry. He will continue to serve as notable representation of the minority business ownership community as well as  the mid western hotel industry.

 

EEO BEST PRACTICES SUMMIT

Steven C. Roberts, CEO of the Roberts Broadcasting Company  announces:

Monica N. Johnson, Director of Compliance and Programming Operations
at The Roberts Broadcasting will be a featured panelist at the
Federal Communications Commission’s EEO BEST PRACTICES SUMMIT
Wednesday January 4th, 2012.

On January 4, 2012, the FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO) along with the Policy Division of the FCC’s Media Bureau, is hosting a summit discussing best practices and compliance issues with the FCC’s Equal Employment Opportunity rules.  As part of its effort to assist small, women- and minority-owned communications businesses, OCBO will be hosting a series of panels with representatives from a wide cross section of regulated entities.

The event will consist of two separate panels.  The first panel will feature FCC officials who are responsible for oversight of the Commission’s EEO program and practitioners who have counseled broadcasters and MVPDs on creating and maintaining FCC compliant EEO programs.  The second panel, will feature representatives from regulated entities who will present their perspectives on daily compliance issues that they face on an ongoing basis.

Among the panelists is Monica Nettles Johnson, Director of Compliance and Programming Operations at The Roberts  Companies-Broadcast Division. This division includes WRBU(TV), My46, Saint Louis, MO WZRB(TV), CW47, Columbia, SC WRBJ(TV), CW34, Jackson, MS WAZE(TV), Tri-State CW, Evansville, IN.

Mrs. Johnson, a 30 year broadcast veteran, will discuss realities, challenges and effects of hiring within current EEO regulations.

Many other small broadcaster and MVPD operators are invited to join the summit. “Each year approximately five percent of all licensees in the television and radio services will be randomly selected for an EEO audit. The summit will provide impacted regulatees, broadcasters and MVPDs, with insight from Commission staff as well as representatives from other regulated entities.” states Daniel Margolis, OCBA Attorney Advisor.  For more information contact Mr. Margolis by email at mdaniel.margolis@fcc.gov

The summit is free and open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the FCC Headquarters, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC

If you are unable to attend but interested in hearing the panels discussion or participating with questions during the event, check into the FCC.com where the event will stream live from 9am to 1pm eastern time.

Diversity Committee

Steve C. Roberts has been appointed to the
Federal Communications Advisory’s Diversity Committee.

Board of directors, member and St. Louis business leader, Steven C. Roberts, CEO of Roberts Companies & Roberts Broadcasting Companies,  has been appointed to serve on the FCC’s re-chartered Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity in the Digital Age (the Diversity Committee). This committee provides recommendations to the Commission regarding policies and practices that will further enhance diversity in the industries the FCC regulates. He was appointed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. A press release from the FCC stated: Mr. Roberts will be responsible for advising “the Diversity Committee as they continue to focus on lowering barriers to entry for historically disadvantaged men and women, exploring ways to ensure universal access to and adoption of broadband, ensuring the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse media sources, and creating an environment that enables employment of a diverse workforce in the media, telecommunications and related fields.”

Joining him are representatives Anton Guitano  from CBS,  Jessica Gonzales from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Chanelle Hardy from the National Urban League, and many others. The entire committee forms a highly respected list of honorable American broadcasting representatives from west to east coast. Mr. Roberts represents the only mid-western voice on the Diversity Committee.

Mr. Roberts will travel throughout the United States interviewing community business leaders and broadcasting executives, gathering data on the inadequacy of the diverse voices and employment in the broadcasting industry. Mr. Roberts will facilitate discussions in both fields? on the inaccessibility of minority and women owned business capital for growth of start-up entrepreneurial business people in the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. He has recommended significant change in federal law. Such as the “re-institution of federal tax credit incentives to promote growth for minorities in broadcasting ownership.”

Mr. Roberts argues that “The US Department of Treasury has to implement stronger requirements to force banking institutions to release a portion of their reserves to start-up  and entrepreneurial opportunities to minorities business enterprises and women business entrepreneurs.” His position on this committee with help him achieve this important goal.