New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has raised concerns over the Adams administration’s failure to comply with Local Law 83 of 2021 (LL83), Chapter 77 of the New York City Charter, which requires city agencies to allocate at least 50% of their advertising budgets to Ethnic and Community Media (ECM) outlets. In a letter foiled by LittleAfrica News to Jd Michaels, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media (MOECM), Lander criticized the office for failing to ensure compliance with the law and accused it of misrepresenting its spending data.
LL83 mandates that each city agency spend at least 50 percent of its advertising spend on ECM outlets. Agencies must direct these funds toward media outlets that serve diverse communities based on language, ethnicity, nationality, and other factors. MOECM was established to monitor and enforce compliance, provide training to agencies, and maintain a directory of eligible ECM outlets. However, Lander’s office found that the Adams administration had significantly reduced overall spending on ECM and failed to distribute advertising equitably among approved outlets.
According to Lander, the administration’s latest FY24 annual report on ECM spending, released more than 75 days late, shows a troubling pattern of decreased investment. “Since the law took effect, the City has decreased in-scope spending by 84%,” he stated. The report revealed that in Fiscal Year 2024, city agencies labeled only $14.2 million as “in-scope” advertising spending, a 67% drop from the previous year.
Lander also raised concerns over including large commercial outlets such as NY1 and 1010WINS in the city’s ECM spending calculations, arguing that their addition misrepresents the support given to smaller, community-focused media. “Muddying the definition and common understanding of ECM – and in so doing, disregarding the spirit of the law – MOECM is preventing New Yorkers from accessing and outlets from sharing critical information,” Lander emphasized.
The refusal to release the required advertising reports has sparked criticism from media outlets, many claiming that advertising contracts are not distributed equitably. While MOECM maintains a directory of eligible ECM vendors, reports indicate that only a few outlets consistently receive city advertising, while many others are excluded. Many ECM publishers fear retribution and retaliation from MOECM if they publicly speak out about the lack of advertising and late payments, only agreeing to speak off the record about Landers’ statement and letter to Jd Michaels.
Lander is now calling on MOECM to provide a detailed account of how changes to the directory affect media expenditures and release quarterly spending data to ensure greater transparency. He emphasized that proper investment in ECM outlets is essential to ensuring that all New Yorkers, mainly immigrant communities, receive vital public information in their preferred languages and trusted news sources.
The administration is failing to comply with legal requirements by refusing to release required reports on city advertising spending. The NYC Charter mandates transparency, yet the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media is withholding public information on where taxpayer-funded ads are going.
Under Local Law 83 (NYC Charter Chapter 47, Paragraph G), in addition to the annual report, the city must also release two additional reports.
During the calendar year beginning January 1, 2022 and at least once each year thereafter, prepare and submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report on the annual advertising for the preceding fiscal year of each mayoral agency, the department of education, the New York city health and hospitals corporation and the New York city housing authority, and with respect to each such entity, such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the total amount paid by each entity to media outlets for advertising and the total amount each entity paid to ethnic and community media outlets for advertising. With respect to mayoral agencies, such report shall include any waivers issued pursuant to section 3303. The department of education and mayoral agencies shall provide appropriate data to the office of ethnic and community media to complete such report. In developing such report, the department shall seek the cooperation and assistance of the New York city housing authority and the New York city health and hospitals corporation.
- Media Outlet Spending Report – E.g., See FY23 Media Outlet Report attached below. MOECM refuses to release the FY24 Media Outlet Report.
- Each media outlet’s name
- The total amount of city advertising dollars they received
- Agency Advertising Report – A detailed breakdown of:
- City agency name
- Advertising agency name
- Advertising campaign name
- Media outlets that received the campaign
- Dates when the campaign ran
- Total amount paid
These reports are legally required and were released in FY23. Yet, the administration has refused to release them, raising concerns about transparency, equity, fairness, and whether city funds are appropriately allocated.
The issue has prompted elected officials and mayoral candidates to call for greater accountability in the city’s advertising spending.
State Senator Zellnor Myrie emphasized the importance of ethnic and community media, stating, “I know from firsthand experience that community and ethnic media outlets are a lifeline for New Yorkers. The City has failed its legal and moral obligations to support these outlets who are the frontlines of fighting disinformation in our community. This is inexcusable, and I look forward to developing a corrective action plan in partnership with these outlets soon.”
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani echoed similar concerns, emphasizing, “Every New Yorker deserves access to the latest news in their community—that includes immigrants and non-English speakers. By failing to comply with Local Law 83, Eric Adams is threatening the financial stability of local papers and potentially leaving thousands of New Yorkers in the dark. We need a Mayor who follows the law and leads with the full diversity of our city in mind.”
State Senator Jessica Ramos criticized the administration’s lack of commitment to reaching diverse communities, stating, “[The] Mayor Adams Administration has not been serious in their efforts to reach New Yorkers in the outlets where they get their news and in the languages they speak. It has only added to the lack of faith between New Yorkers and their government. I know that local and community ethnic media is a critical piece of our media ecosystem. A Ramos Administration would refocus our efforts to be in compliance with LL83 so that New Yorkers hear directly from City Hall.”
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called for a fairer system, stating, “New York City’s ethnic and community media are vital sources of information for our diverse communities, yet they continue to be shortchanged. Comptroller Lander’s report makes clear that the administration is failing to equitably distribute ad dollars, depriving many New Yorkers of critical local news and information. City Hall must do better and create a fairer, more transparent process that ensures all communities receive the resources they deserve.”
A City Council spokesperson also addressed the issue, stressing the need for inclusive communication. “In the most diverse city in the world, it is critical that city agencies seek to provide key information to New Yorkers in multiple languages and reach them through the media outlets they trust and engage with. It’s disappointing to see this priority decrease under the Adams administration, whose budget actions have weakened city agencies’ ability to serve New Yorkers.”
The Center for Community Media (CCM) acknowledged the concerns raised in a letter noting that many ethnic and community media outlets have reported a decline in city advertising. “CCM is aware of the New York City Comptroller’s Office’s report regarding the management of the New York City agencies’ advertising funds in ethnic and community media, and we recognize the concerns it raises. Many of you have shared your challenges about city advertising decreasing with us.” CCM stated. “We are actively analyzing the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media’s Fiscal Year 2024 annual report and are preparing our report, which will be published soon. We will provide an assessment of the current state of NYC agencies’ advertising in community media through our analysis of the available data.”
In response, the Mayor’s press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, issued a statement asserting that LL83 is a goal, not a requirement, and emphasized that the city’s ECM compliance has increased annually. The statement clarified that the Adams administration allocated 51% of its advertising budget to ECM outlets in Fiscal Year 2024, refuting Lander’s claims about reduced funding. It also addressed the inclusion of NY1 and 1010WINS in ECM spending, explaining that they account for only about 2% of ECM compliance. Altus ended her statement emphasizing the administration’s effort to engage ECM by saying, “The Adams administration has also increased access for our ethnic and community media partners to the Mayor’s Office through weekly roundtables and interviews, as well as providing them with seats in City Hall’s Room 9, which was previously reserved for legacy media outlets. Mayor Adams remains focused — and undeterred — on providing equitable access to community papers that have long been ignored by politicians like Brad Lander.”
During interviews, ECM publishers expressed their appreciation to Mayor Adams for granting them access to Room 9. Yet, they expressed frustration that the severe shortage of advertising and delayed payments have left them without the funds and resources necessary to support assigning reporters to Room 9, attend the Mayor’s weekly media briefing, and cover City Council meetings. They feel this hinders their ability to inform their communities and deliver the important news coverage that Local Law 83 aimed for them to provide.
Comptroller Brad Lander Letter to Jd Michaels
2025 03 26_Comptroller Lander to MOECM re LL83 of 2021________________________________________________________________________________
FY23 Advertising Spend per Media Outlet Report. MOECM refuses to release the FY24 Advertising Spend per Media Outlet Report.
MOECM_FY23_SpendbyMediaOutlet
