percent minority rep ntation
in a city where over a quarter of
its pie are BI k.
Blacks, and n ws for and
about them through corporate
media, suffer greatly. We have
no proportionate num rial repre­
sentation in newsrooms, nor have
the few of us who've been there
been active, or collective, agents
for change toward us.
For example, Randall
Pinkston i a po itive Black
image for u on national
television, but a man who realis­
tically say that in hi job as CBS
News White Hous Correspon­
dent, "I cover President Bush or
other' u that are White Ho
related. Very few of th . ues
that I cover relate at all to African
Americans."
Television, nor. new papers,
generally depict positive Black
community image .or ac­
complishments. But, a group of
1 Blacks who've formed 'the
ational Association Minority
Media Executive (NAMME)
maybe the gen radonof''movers
and shaken;" that we need to work
to make our issues newsworthy
and actively represented.
The NAMME organization
has accured enough internal cor­
porate clout to push for better ad-:
vancement of minority into
management of main tream
media, and they have enough per-
onal confidence in themselves to
assure that the rest interests of
African Americans are collec­
tively represented insid th
media circles.
BUSINESS/'FINANCE
Just behind ys Chemical w
Pul ar Data Sy terns Inc., systems­
integration and office-automation
concern based in Lanham, Maryland.
It reported ales of $53 million.
Also ppearing for th first tim ,in
the numb r 15 pot, was Black Enter­
tainment Television Holdings Inc.,
the Washington-based cable
television networ that earlier thi
year raised about $33 million in a
public offering. The company, which
is now listed on the New Yor Stoc
Exchange, reported ales las t year of
50.8 million.
BECAU E THE great majority of
• companies on the Black Enterprise
TH U T, which will appear in Ii t are private, their net-income
the June issue of the magazine, in- figures are not available. To quality
rece ion."
In the top po ition for th fourth
consecutive y w Mr. Le .,
company, TLC Beatrice Internation-
I Holdin , which i ludes the int r­
nationaJ operatio of the Be trice
Compani , which . Lewis pur­
ch ed fiv ye go. TLC Beatrice,
b ed in ew Yor ,reported al of
$1.54 billion I t year.
In cond place w the Johnson
Publi bing Comp ny, the magazin ,
broad ting and cosmetics concern
ba ed in Chicago. John on
Publi hing' le totaled $261.3
million. The company' magazin
inel ude Ebony, Jet and EM.
I THE UMB R three spot.
again this year was the Philadelphia
Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the
oft-drink bottling concern owned by
. the entrepreneur J. Bruce llewellyn.
Another company headed by Mr.
Llewellyn, Garden State Cable lV,
was ranked sixth on the list The com­
panies reported sales of $256 million
and $88 million respectively.
Corporate bond could
yield double-dlqlt re urn
NAMME ha almo t a
hundred people who hold. top­
level positions in America's
mainstream media. The group
recently honored one of its main
benefactors, Allen Neuharth, for
his work toward new room and
news industry diversity.
When he was Chairman of the
nation's larg t news chain and
the largest circulated daily paper,
the Gannett Company and USA
Today gained a distingui hed,
and unparalleled, record for
hiring, training, and promoting
minori ties.
While at the helm of Gannet'
companies and USA Today,
Neuharth set standards in affirm­
ative action programs, minority
grant-making and employee
progress and job responsibility,
along with corporate social
responsibility, that have yet to be
matched by other CEOs in Cor­
porate America.
NAMME is an organization
in a position to speak to corporate
leaden; for and about Bla k life in
America, it is headquartered at
1401 Concord Point Lan in R -
ton, VA 22094-1307.
William Reed is a 1989 Paul
Miller Washington Reporting
Fellow sponsored by Gannett's
Freedom Forum:
Wi th yields on savings accounts
and other fixed-income investments
at historic low levels, you can still
find double-digit returns by investing
in certain types of corporate bonds.
Bonds is ued by many major com­
panies offer investors yields of 10
percent or more. The catch is that
these companies have borrowed
heavily and they run a greater risk
that they may not be able pay back
the money borrowed.
Because of this risk, investors seek
a higher interest rate than normal.
Before you consider buying a high­
yield bond, do some homework.
You want to look at the financial
condition of the company and con-
. ider the risk. But the mo t con­
venient way to invest in these bonds
is to invest via a mutual fund.
This way you will limit your risk
and maximize your return.
Consul t your investment advisor
before making any decisions. ,
UVING WELL ON LES
Eating well doesn't mean you have
to spend a fortune.
With the average family spending
anywhere from 60 to 100 dollars
on food each week, finding ways to
- Buy items in the large economy
sizes, especially staples like flour,
sugar, rite and butter.
-:- Avoid buying snack foods
which can add 10 percent to your
weekly grocery bill.
- Eat vegetarian at least twice a
week. Not only is it cheaper, but it's
healthier too.
You might want to purchase a gour­
met vegetarian cookbook.
Also cook food ahead in quantity,
perhaps on the weekend, then divide
what you've cooked into one-meal
portions.
And finally, take your lunch to
work. This can save the $5 you spend
on a deli sandwich. You may not
want to do this every day, but taking
a bag lunch several times a week can
save as much as $15 to $20 a week.
lower your food bill can have an im­
pact on your budget.
Here are some tips:
Living on a budget doesn't mean
you can't eat well when dining out.,
For starters, clip those "two-for-one"
dining coupons. May restaurants,
especially new ones, offer two din­
ners for the price of one. Others offer
$5 or more off the cost of your meal.
Look in your Sunday paper for some
of the best coupon deals.
If coupons are not available, many
restaurants serve up large appetizer
portions, which cost half the price of
an entree. So instead of ordering an
entree, select two appetizers and fill
up for less.
To lower your bill if you have
children, find out which restaurants
have" all- you-can-eat" buffets or will
allow kids under a certain age to eat
free. Many restaurants have certain
days when these special conditions
may apply.
When was the last time you
balanced your checkbook?
The American economy generates
about 50 billion checks each year and
the number continues to grow. but
many consumers still have a problem
managing their checkbooks.
THE FEDERAL Reserve reports
that about 1 percent of all checks
written bounce. Merchants are be­
sieged with a high volume of bad
checks, especiaU y in an economic
downturn.
As a result, some companies no
longer accept checks.
Because the problem is so com­
mon, and since the police and other
enforcement agencies have more
serious crime to investigate, mer­
chants get little help until the prob­
lem becomes servere.
Consumers are not balancing their
checkbooks regularl y, and 14 percent
don't balance them at all. Not
balancing your checkbook can result
in bounced checks and being labeled
a bad credit risk.
Inkster to sponsor semina.
for business owners
INKSTER - City of Inkster Com­
muni ty Development Director
Clarence Oden recently announced
Inkster will co-sponsor, with the Na­
tional Bank of Detroit, a special semi­
nar teaching Inkster businesses
trategic management, planning and
finance techniques, Tuesday, May
19,1992, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the
Inkster Recreation Complex, located
at 2025 Middlebelt Road in Inkster.
City of Inkster Mayor Edward
Bivens, Jr., will conclude the seminar
with a review of the state of city-wide
business development/improvement
efforts now underway in Inkster,
There is a $20 per person registra­
tion foe for the May 19 eminar. To
register or to obtain further informa­
tion, contact the NBD-Inksterbranch
at 565-8800 or Inkster Community
COLLECTING ISN'T just for
kids anymore. If you're an investor,
it may be an opportunity to combine
a favorite sport with a money-making
opportuni ty.
Take collecting sports cards,
specifically baseball cards. It is a big .
business, estimated to be worth 5
billion dollars. At a recent auction, a
1952 Mickey Mantle card went for
almost $50,000.
The most important factors in
determining a card's value are the
condi tion and age of the card, in ad­
dition to who the player is. Investing
in baseball cards is very speculative.
Some collectors study a team's
prospects, looking for future stars.,
Send all
announcements to:
Michigan Citizen,
P.O. Box 03560.
Highland Park, MI
48203
Commun tlon8;
dey opment.
hnical
Supermark t
St I proce lng, metal
atamping d nbution
Source: En'."",..
HJ. Russell cl Company, the At­
lanta-based construcUon and food
services company, was ranked fourth
with sales of $143.5 million. And
Barden Communications Inc., the
Detroit-based communications and
real estate development company,
was fifth, with ales of $91.2 million.
The magazine also reported that
employment for the top Black­
owned companies increased 3.9 per-',·
cent between 1990 and 1991.
ces."
.. Jessle Jones honored
Chrysler's Minority Dealer As­
sociation (CMDA) donated
$150,000 in addition to a $100,000
gift from the Chrysler Corporation
Fund to the United Negro College
Fund (UNCF). The UNCF plans
to use the combined donations to
establish an endowed scholarship
in the memory of Jessie Jones, the
CMDA founder, who died in 1990.
Jones began the CMDA in
1981 as a networ and support
group for dealers of Chrysler
vehicles nationwide. The mem­
bership grew from its original
seven members to more than 84
dealers across the country. The
CMDA supports minority dealer­
ships and minority leadership
within the automotive industry.
"Jessie was an altruistic vision­
ary. He led us down a path no one
ever thought we'd get to," said Ed
Fi tzpa trick, president of-tb .
CMD A. "And he helped' in-
dividuals out of his own resour-
The Chrysler Fund's primary
focus has been education and
minority issues.
Since its. inception in 1953,
Chrysler Fund has given more than
$125 million to improve the com­
munities in which Chrysler does
business.
ShOp In YourCommunity,
� �
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