The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), a division of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), held the 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards Thursday, October 5, 2023 at the Marriott Washington Georgetown Hotel.
The NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards recognize exemplary achievement in advertising and marketing to the Black consumer market by utilizing Black-owned media.
Recipients of the NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards are selected based on their public service and their support of diversity and inclusion. The 2023 awards recognition included the presentation of the National Service Award, Marc Pritchard Corporate Impact Award, and the NABOB Lifetime Achievement Award. Over the past thirty-five years, the NABOB Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to a very limited number of illustrious honorees including: Hon. Parren Mitchell, Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Dr. Dorothy Height, Cathy Hughes, Hal Jackson, Quincy Jones, Jessye Norman, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Gen. Colin Powell, Berry Gordy, Leontyne Price, Patti LaBelle, Tom Joyner, and Muhammad Ali.
The 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards Highlights and Recognition included the following:
- Tarshena Armstrong, Director of Diversity Marketing & Development at General Motors delivered the keynote address
- General Motors received the esteemed Marc Pritchard Corporate Impact Award
- Dentsu Media Americas received the 2023 National Service Award
- Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) received the 2023 NABOB Lifetime Achievement Award
From trailblazing policy initiatives, to groundbreaking programming and advertising models, to historic investments to support and scale diverse-owned media and marketing companies, continue reading to learn the invaluable impact of the recognized organizations and recipients!
Click the videos below to relive the unforgettable moments! Watch the 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards keynote address and awards presentations. Also, read statements from the 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards recipients!
2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Awards Keynote Address:
Tarshena Armstrong, General Motors' Director of Diversity Marketing & Development, Outlines Five-Point Action Plan to Increase Investment to Impact with Diverse-Owned Media via Road to Equity Initiative
In continuation from the 2022 General Motors’ Armchair Conversation with NABOB President Jim Winston, Tarshena Armstrong, General Motors’ Director of Diversity Marketing & Development, returned to the NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Conference stage to detail GM’s on-going efforts to support and scale diverse-owned media and marketing companies.
General Motors Awarded 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Marc Pritchard Corporate Impact Award
General Motors received the esteemed Marc Pritchard Corporate Impact Award in recognition of the auto manufacturer’s innovative efforts to become the most inclusive company in the world via the $50 million GM Diverse Owned Media Incubator Fund. The fund is an investment allocated over the next 10 years to support and scale diverse-owned media and marketing companies. The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) is the first recipient of the General Motors Diverse Owned Media Incubator Fund.
As a result of funding, NABOB has created two original video and audio podcasts series, ‘How to Buy a Commercial Broadcast Station‘ hosted by NABOB President Jim Winston, and ‘Digital Sales Strategy for Commercial Broadcasters‘ hosted by Ashley Smith, NABOB Director of Marketing & Communications. The educational programming developed for NABOB members and industry serve as master classes showcasing the fundamental processes to acquire commercial broadcast stations and best practices to scale commercial digital sales departments. Each episode features leading industry subject matter experts.
General Motors also partnered with the NABOB Foundation at the 2022 & 2023 Media Sales Institute (MSI). The MSI is the nation’s leading talent development program for media sales professionals of diverse backgrounds. The program has been addressing the challenge of diversity and inclusion within media for over 20 years.
The MSI is an in-person, intense, ten-day sales training program for recent college graduates, career changers, and ex-military personnel who are interested in pursuing a career in media sales. The curriculum is designed to prepare talented individuals from diverse backgrounds for positions in radio, television, cable, print, digital, and interactive sales. At the conclusion of the program, media recruiters observe candidates perform real-world sales presentations for an opportunity to interview for an entry-level advertising sales position. The 2023 MSI resulted in the program’s largest candidate class in history!
"General Motors is grateful to NABOB and Marc Pritchard for receiving the 2023 Corporate Impact Award. I look forward to our continued success investing in community, technology, and consumers, and challenge other corporations to join us as we strive to build a diverse and impactful media ecosystem."
Dentsu Media Americas Awarded 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio National Service Award
Dentsu Media Americas received the 2023 NABOB & Power of Urban Radio National Service Award in recognition of the organization’s contributions to create equity within the Black-owned media ecosystem.
Ad agency Dentsu International and One Solution, the branded content division of Urban One, launched ‘More Than That with Gia Peppers’ out of a desire to not only respond to the inequities in the advertising supply chain, but also to provide an opportunity for Dentsu clients to leverage a new consumer engagement model — one that avoids the intrusiveness of traditional advertising by co-creating and supporting content people care about.
‘More Than That with Gia Peppers’ is a first-of-its-kind series with a 100 percent Black-owned supply chain. The series runs from February – June on radio and podcast platforms and is launching its evolution into TV with a four-part limited series. The show is produced and distributed solely by Black-owned businesses, including more than 100 Black-owned radio stations via the Spotset NABOB Radio Network, Urban One, American Urban Radio Networks, and Café Mocha Radio. Across three successful seasons of radio and its first season of TV, the show has invested over $14 Million dollars back into the Black community. Dentsu International received the 2022 Microsoft Advertising Global Social Impact Award for ‘More Than That with Gia Peppers’.
NABOB also recognized and applauded Dentsu’s commitment to 30-day payments to Black-owned media.
“We are honored to have been awarded NABOB’s Power of Urban Radio National Service Award for the work we are doing to create change and combat longstanding inequities. As an agency, we have placed enormous effort on prioritizing DE&I efforts not only within our teams, but on behalf of the advertising and media industry. We are actively committed to economic empowerment, shifting media dollars into diverse media partners and creating more valuable opportunities for our clients to do so.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. Honored with 2023 NABOB Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his many years of outstanding leadership in all aspects of American life.
Beginning as a youth coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Chavis became a national civil rights icon as part of the Wilmington Ten. After being falsely convicted of conspiracy and arson, Dr. Chavis overcame this injustice by writing two books, “An American Political Prisoner” and “Psalms from Prison”, while unjustly incarcerated.
Upon having the conviction overturned, Dr. Chavis came out, earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Duke University and Doctorate of Divinity from Howard University. He became the Executive Director of the United Church of Christ and CEO of the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice. Dr. Chavis went on to become the youngest person to be appointed Executive Director of the NAACP.
Dr. Chavis’ leadership extends far beyond traditional civil rights work. He helped organize the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which helps guide young hip-hop artists in their careers and lives. And he now serves as President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), an organization of more than 150 African-American newspapers in the United States and the Virgin Islands, with a combined readership that exceeds 15 million people.
"I thank the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) for presenting me with this prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. I accept this award not just for myself, but I accept on behalf of generations of family and fellow freedom fighters who have had the courage to speak out, stand up, and sacrifice for the cause of freedom, justice, equality, and equity."
