Speaking heatedly in the large auditorium, Eubanks said that the Black Press gets the “crumbs†when it comes to advertising dollars compared to White newspapers and that the chances of other Black-owned newspapers getting the company’s advertising are slim.

“I’m in Seattle, I’m right in your market and I can’t even get the time of day. So God knows how these other publishers who are outside your market are going to reach Microsoft,†said Eubanks.

Smith’s sentiments were reaffirmed by Ken Smikle, founder and president of Target Market News. Smikle later told publishers in a workshop called “The African-American Market” that a 21st Century advertising market is more digital, more numbers-oriented and far more technical.

However, some publishers rejected Smikle’s message, contending that after realizing that even when they had the data, advertising executives still do not give them the time of day.

“Data does not necessarily do the deal,†said James Washington, publisher of the Dallas Weekly. “Doing business with us is new; we have to show our value beyond readership and circulation.â€Â

But, Terry Artis of Limelight newspaper in St. Louis agrees that the Black Press must make some change in its advertising strategies: “They don’t want to hear ‘its good for the community’ anymore; they want a win-win situation.â€Â