Diversity in the Media     


As an outgrowth of the United Church of Christ’s historic commitment to civil rights, the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC, Inc.) was incorporated in 1959 to advocate on behalf of those who had been historically excluded from the media, especially people of color and women. OC, Inc., as it is commonly called, was the first voice to demand that those holding FCC licenses and authorizations act on behalf of the public interest and be held accountable as stewards of the public trust.

Through the years, OC, Inc. has sought to guarantee minimum hours of children’s programming; worked in neighborhoods to help individuals secure responsible, quality and community-based programming and fair rates from their cable providers; joined with others to ensure that utility companies promote qualified women and people of color; worked in neighborhoods to end electronic redlining and defended the importance of the Fairness Doctrine.

Today O.C., Inc. continues to work to promote diversity in the marketplace of ideas.   It supports efforts to establish low power FM radio and works to safeguard the right of all to affordable access to emerging technologies and the transmission of data.  O.C., Inc. addresses issues of media consolidation and establishes basic corporate character requirements for those information age stewards who transmit images and data in our ever-changing world.