Legendary New York radio DJ and media personality, Cherry Martinez announced today that she will provide free radio commercials for minority-owned businesses negatively affected by the novel coronavirus.
The advertisements will be featured on her 24/7 radio show, FMHipHop.com, the growing destination for hip-hop, trap and R&B news, culture, and music. The spots will also be syndicated on the show’s other streaming sites, TuneIn and Aha Radio, completely charge-free.
This philanthropy initiative comes at a crucial time for minority-owned businesses who, as a result of the virus, have been hit hard: In two recent surveys, only 12% of Black and Hispanic business owners reported that they received the funding they had requested and 45% of minority business owners reported that they expect to permanently shut down in the next six months.
“We know that many budding entrepreneurs and small businesses would benefit from any type of promotion during this pandemic-induced economic shutdown,” explains Martinez. “This is my community and I want to help as much as I can.”
To participate, minority business owners across the U.S. are instructed to follow @FMHipHop on Instagram, like & share their post about this initiative and tag 5 businesses. Once complete, business-owners can head to FMHipHop.com for specific details on how to submit their 30-second radio advertisement.
FMHipHop will air up to 50 small business commercials repeatedly on their 24/7 radio show throughout the summer.
