The New York City Council will hold its first-ever oversight hearing on the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media (MOECM) and government spending on advertisements on Wednesday, October 28th, at 10 am.
The hearing will take place at 250 Broadway, 8th Floor, Hearing Room 1, before the Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation.
Titled “Oversight – Mayor’s Office of Ethnic & Community Media and Government Spending on Advertisements,” the hearing will give ethnic and community media outlets an opportunity to raise concerns about disappearing city advertising and the impact on their businesses.
The hearing follows months of outreach by the New York Coalition of Ethnic and Community Media (NYCECM) to Council Speaker Julie Menin’s office and other elected officials seeking answers about the city’s advertising practices.
For the first nine months of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media (MOECM) had no leadership or staff available to address the publisher’s concerns.
A designated leader was not in place until October 5th, leaving outlets without a point of contact to explain the disappearance of city advertising or clarify how advertising decisions were being made.
The MOECM website remains unupdated, still listing staff from the previous administration.
Meanwhile, many ethnic and community media outlets reported a 100% drop in city advertising since Mamdani took office.
Repeated inquiries to City Hall and contracted advertising agencies reportedly produced no clear answers about the decline or who was responsible for allocating campaigns.
With no functioning leadership at MOECM and no meaningful response from City Hall, NYCECM publishers reached out to Speaker Menin’s office, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, local City Council members and state representatives to seek assistance.
The hearing finally gives ethnic and community media outlets an opportunity to bring their questions and concerns directly before the City Council and explain what they describe as the devastating impact of the administration’s advertising practices.
Many are small businesses, including immigrant-owned publications that depend on advertising revenue to sustain operations, pay staff and continue serving their communities.
A central concern is the lack of transparency over who decides which outlets receive advertising for individual city campaigns. NYCECM says neither city agencies nor the advertising firms contracted to handle campaigns have clearly explained whether those decisions are made by city departments or the advertising agencies themselves.
NYCECM wants the Council to investigate the decision-making process and establish accountability for the distribution of taxpayer-funded advertising.
Questions have also been raised about reports that social media influencers connected to the administration have received city-funded advertising opportunities through contracted agencies.
NYCECM is seeking transparency about how influencers are selected, vetted and compensated, and whether they face the same standards expected of established ethnic and community media outlets.
Local Law 83 of 2021 established MOECM and expanded the city’s requirements for advertising in ethnic and community media.
NYCECM wants council members to examine the city’s compliance with the law, whether its requirements are being applied fairly, and additional reporting requirements including quarterly reports on city agencies advertising with ethnic and community as well as influencers.
Ethnic and community media play an important role in informing New Yorkers about public health initiatives, education opportunities, housing assistance, elections, emergency announcements and other city services.
Through trusted news websites, newspapers, and radio shows, these outlets help government agencies reach residents who might otherwise miss important information.
The hearing will give council members an opportunity to question city officials about advertising spending, MOECM’s operations and the process used to select media outlets for publicly funded campaigns.
The accountability and transparency recommendations resulting from the hearing could have significant implications for the future of ethnic and community media in New York City who provide local news and information tailored to their respective immigrant, cultural and language communities.