New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has sharply criticized the Adams administration for its handling of advertising funds meant to support ethnic and community media (ECM) outlets, accusing the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media (MOECM) of failing to comply with Local Law 83 (LL83) of 2021. The law mandates that at least 50% of the city’s in-scope media advertising budget be allocated to ECM outlets, which serve the city’s diverse neighborhoods and non-English-speaking populations
A new analysis from Lander’s office revealed that City Hall not only delayed its required Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) advertising report by over 75 days but also drastically reduced ad spending on ECM outlets by 84% since LL83 was enacted. The Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media (MOECM) initially reported spending 18% in FY22 and 40% in FY23, the total amount of advertising designated as “in scope” shrank dramatically from $89.6 million in FY22 to just $14.2 million in FY24—a 67% year-over-year decline.
Comptroller Lander criticized the administration for what he described as an erosion of trust and transparency. “Each neighborhood across the five boroughs is defined by its own identity and rich traditions, and community media outlets deliver critical information on a local level and in the language they speak,” Lander said in a statement. “By dramatically decreasing ad spends with ECM outlets and releasing their annual spending report more than 75 days late, City Hall undermines the trust these outlets have in City government and the City’s ability to reach all corners of our vast and diverse city.”
The data paints a troubling picture. While MOECM reported spending 51% of its FY24 in-scope ad budget on ECM outlets—technically meeting the LL83 threshold—Lander pointed out that the total pool of in-scope advertising had shrunk significantly, falling 67% from $42.8 million in FY23 to $14.2 million in FY24. This reduction, he argued, masks a lack of real commitment to the law’s intent. Additionally, the administration’s decision to add major English-language outlets like NY1 and 1010WINS to the ECM directory in April 2024 has inflated the reported figures, further diluting support for smaller, community-focused publishers.
In FY22 and FY23, ECM outlets received just 18% and 40% of in-scope ad budgets, respectively. Although FY23 showed improvement, the overall spending increase was a modest 2.7%, overshadowed by a 52% cut in the total in-scope budget over that period. Lander accused the administration of manipulating definitions to create “the appearance of additional investment” while slashing actual support.
Calling for greater accountability, Lander urged MOECM to explain how adding large media outlets to the ECM directory aligns with LL83’s goal of bolstering local and minority-owned publishers. He also demanded quarterly spending reports instead of annual ones to ensure transparency throughout the fiscal year.
“The lack of investment in ethnic and community media has potentially far-reaching ramifications for New Yorkers and the City’s goals to support Minority and Women-Owned Businesses,” Lander added, noting that equitable access to information was a key reason he championed LL83 as a City Council member before becoming comptroller.
In response to the report from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander regarding the allocation of advertising funds to ethnic and community media (ECM) outlets, Kayla Mamelak Altus, Press Secretary for Mayor Eric Adams, issued a sharp rebuttal.
“Comptroller Lander is once again showing he lacks a basic understanding of how the law works and how to do simple math, questioning his ability to even maintain the current job he has,” Altus stated. “While Local Law 83 does not require the city to allocate half of our advertising budget to ethnic and community media outlets, the Adams administration does exactly that. In fact, in Fiscal Year 2024, 51 percent of our advertising budget was spent on ethnic and community media—a percentage that has grown every year since we took office.”
Altus also emphasized the administration’s ongoing efforts to increase access for ethnic and community media partners to City Hall. “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,” she added. “Mayor Adams remains focused—and undeterred—on providing equitable access to community papers that have long been ignored by politicians like Brad Lander.”
(This article has been updated with a statement from the Office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams in response to Comptroller Brad Lander’s report regarding the allocation of advertising funds for ethnic and community media outlets.)
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Suresh Shahi
View More PostsSuresh Shahi is the editor of NepYork, the showcase of Nepalis in the USA. He has also been an editor of Khasokhas, the voice of the Nepali diaspora in the USA, since 2012. Currently, he hosts the podcast ‘Community Cornerstone.’ Previously, he served as a host, anchor, and news reporter for ABC TV Nepal.
