ERIC SCHMIDT (CNN Photo/Paul Courson)

by Doug Gross

(CNN) -- Everybody in the world will be on the Internet within seven years. That's what Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said this weekend in public comments that inspired everything from excitement to incredulity.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil

(NNPA)—Are you a Zero-TV household? No, I don’t mean restricting the kids’ TV viewing to the weekends or until after they’ve completed homework. I mean—do you watch TV the traditional way or on any of the growing techy options available to us? So many of us are watching video content on our phones, computers, or tablets, that Nielsen designates this group of consumers: Zero-TV Households. This consumer segment is so significant; it will soon be included in our measured samples.
For those of us who are hard-core holdouts or just plain tech-challenged, don’t worry. Ninety-five percent of Americans still get entertainment and information the old-fashion way—via traditional TV. In fact, according to Nielsen’s latest Cross-Platform report, American TV viewing time was up in late 2012 over the same period the previous year, averaging more than 41 hours a week. That makes sense. There were a few notable, life-altering events towards the end of 2012 which kept our eyes on the continued coverage. Several states along the East Coast suffered the catastrophic Hurricane Sandy. The Newtown, Conn., tragedy touched all of our hearts, and the highly anticipated 2012 presidential election was also noteworthy. Since you and I have been together in this space for a while now, you know that the Black community tends to log more TV viewing hours a week than other demographic groups. The latest numbers show that African-Americans average 55 hours a week in front of the telly.

The new kids in town, the Zero-TV households, do own televisions—about 75 percent of those in this category have at least one in the house, but they prefer to watch, or consume content, on other devices. The data shows that 36 percent of viewers feel cost and 31 percent of viewers say a lack of interest are reasons for their preferred choice. Right now, about 5 percent or 5 million American households fall into this Zero-TV category. African-American consumers make up almost 10 percent of that number. Nielsen’s latest African-American consumer report looks at our alternate traditional TV viewing numbers more closely. We enjoy our multiple-screen options. Thirty-one percent of us watch video online. I have to admit it took me a minute to get there, but I’ve learned to appreciate the charms (and convenience) of other screens. (I know, I know. In some instances, size does make a difference and only a nice, large, flat screen will do). And, these are our favorite video sites:
•YouTube (48 percent)
•Other (31 percent)
•Netflix (10 percent)
•Hulu (8 percent))
•VEVO (3 percent)
•Yahoo! (1 percent)
Our technological world is spinning so rapidly, and the way we respond as consumers is having such a tremendous impact.
Another adjustment could ultimately be made in the way TV ratings are measured. As much as we love to watch TV, we also love to let our fingers do some of the talking, too. A new Nielsen/SocialGuide study shows that 32 million people in the U.S. tweeted about whatever they were watching in 2012. You know what I’m talking about. Some 68 percent of African-Americans own smartphones and we tweet on those phones 30 percent more than other groups. So, chances are, when you’re nearly hyper-ventilating over the antics of your favorite Real Housewife or blown away by a performance on your favorite talent competition show or the score during some championship sporting event, you’re talking about it with the rest of the world by tweeting. Fun, isn’t it? The data confirms what most of us already know—as consumers, we are master multi-taskers. At least several times a month, 80 percent of U.S. tablet and smartphone owners use those fancy gadgets to visit a social network while watching TV.
Research shows that the decision-makers in the TV industry would be smart to take notice of the numbers attached to all that tweeting that’s going on while live television is being watched, whether traditionally or through multi-screen viewing because tweeting affects the numbers. And, it’s interesting how the Twitter numbers correlate with ratings depends on the age group. For younger people, 18-34, an eight and a half percent increase in Twitter activity equals a percent ratings point increase. But, it takes a 14 percent increase in Twitter volume to see an extra ratings boost of a percent among 35-49-year-olds. (I can’t help but wonder where that leaves those of us who have outgrown that demo, but watch TV and tweet, too). Once again, our behavior, our choices as consumers have the power to influence industries. What you watch and how you watch it, matters. So, choose wisely.
(Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com)

PARTNERSHIP—Eric Hamilton, chief marketing officer of Around the Way, and Ron Busby, president of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., announcing the partnering on the new mobile app that finds local and national Black-owned businesses.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Supporters of African-American businesses across the country can now access real-time information to locate providers of goods and services, no matter where they are in America.
Through a groundbreaking partnership between the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) and Around The Way—developers of the smartphone application— consumers will be able to locate Black-owned businesses utilizing the GPS feature built into their phones.
“Among the initiatives we are working on is the compilation of a database of all the Black-owned businesses in the nation,“ said USBC President Ron Busby Sr. “This partnership with Around The Way is an important first step. Through the app, supporters of Black business can quickly access the location of businesses, no matter where they are in the country. We believe Around The Way provides an important tool in our quest to strengthen Black business.”
According to Janine Hausif, CEO of Around The Way, African-Americans—already demonstrated early-adopters of technology—are not only prolific consumers, but are value-conscious, brand loyal and extremely aware of their economic clout.
“We believe that Around The Way is the perfect blend of technology and convenience,” said Hausif. “The app capitalizes on the above-the-index embrace of smartphone technology by African-Americans with well over 50 percent of Black Americans using the devices to bridge the Digital Divide. Around The Way conveniently marries that usage pattern and growing consumer awareness. It makes perfect sense to join our efforts with U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. efforts to increase awareness of the importance of supporting African-American owned businesses.”    
The Around The Way app is currently available and free for both Android and iPhone users seeking to support their local Black businesses. Starting at $89 per year, business members of the USBC’s 110 affiliate chambers nationwide will receive premium listings, featuring their business locations highlighted on local maps with the USBC logo. The app uses the GPS technology imbedded in the phone to find the user, then lists all the Black-owned businesses within a 5-mile radius.
“We can’t imagine a more natural evolution, a better way to improve both the awareness of the number of Black-owned businesses and increase their bottom lines,” said Busby. “Janine Hausif and her team at Around The Way have created an excellent app for the Black community. America’s Black businesses and the consuming public will benefit tremendously— all by clicking an app on their phone!”
Business owners can find more information on the USBC website at www.usblackchamber.org and can download the app at www.aroundthewayapp.com. USBC members can sign-up for premium listings at www.usbc.aroundthewayapp.com.

CHARLENE CROWELL

(NNPA)—A broad coalition of state and national organizations is pushing to preserve a key federal program that has helped more than 1.1 million troubled homeowners and reduced mortgage payments by a median savings of $546 each month. The Home Affordable Modification Program, created in response to the nation’s housing crisis, is set to close shop Dec. 31. Housing and consumer advocates are urging the U.S. Treasury Department to reconsider ending the program.
A March 26 letter to Jacob J. Lew, U.S. Treasury Secretary, was signed by 14 national organizations, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Fair Housing Alliance, National Urban League and the Center for Responsible Lending. Another 22 state and local groups, including the California Reinvestment Coalition, Mississippi Center for Justice and New York’s Empire Justice Center, joined with their national colleagues to fight for more foreclosure assistance.
The letter states, “Research has shown that foreclosure and delinquency rates have disproportionately impacted African-American and Latino families, and median household wealth has dramatically declined. . . High foreclosure rates in communities of color have also impacted those homeowners neighboring foreclosed properties, and estimates show that these properties stand to lose $1 trillion in home equity as a result.”

Launched in 2009, HAMP initially sought to lower monthly mortgage payments to an affordable and sustainable level through a uniform loan modification process. HAMP funding was a part of the $29.9 billion authorized for the Making Home Affordable Program. Later in 2012, program options were expanded to focus on principal reduction modifications, expand relief for unemployed homeowners and ease other alternatives to foreclosures such as short sales.
To date, $12 billion has been obligated to pay incentives for HAMP homeowners already in the program. With the approaching expiration date, any unspent funds will ultimately be returned to Treasury’s general fund. Yet, many communities have yet to economically recovery.
For example, HAMP’s unemployment program offers a minimum of 12 months of temporary forbearance to allow these homeowners time to focus on securing new employment while still owning their homes. Depending upon homeowner circumstances, forbearance plans can be approved with some required payment or none at all. Thus far, more than 30,500 homeowners have accessed this program.
It is also relevant to note that African-American unemployment is higher than most. According to recent U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, Black unemployment at 14 percent is double that for White Americans.
The nation’s metro areas with the largest HAMP participation rates are Los Angeles-Long Beach, New-York-New Jersey, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Chicago-Northwest Indiana, and California’s Riverside-San Bernardino. California and Florida homeowners represented more than a third of all HAMP activity.
Additionally, the most recent HAMP program performance report shows that the program is working as it increasingly helps eligible borrowers by forgiving a portion of their mortgage debt. HAMP homeowners who received permanent mortgage modifications were granted a total of $9.2 billion in principal reductions. Additionally, 114,000 homeowners avoided foreclosures through short sales or deed-in-lieu.
Nationwide, the average non-HAMP mortgage modification reduced monthly payments by $389; while the average HAMP modification reduced the same monthly payments by $558. Similarly, non-HAMP servicers reduced interest rates in 73 percent of modifications made in the fourth quarter of 2012. Participating HAMP servicers reduced interest rates for 81 percent of borrows during this same period.
Of all HAMP trial modifications, 80 percent of the homeowners were at least 60 days delinquent at the trial start. The chief reason—for 68 percent of the troubled homeowners—was financial hardship because of reduced income or unemployment.
In 2012, CRL research found that among the 10.9 million homes that went into foreclosure between 2007 and 2011, more than half of the “spillover” cost to nearby homes have led to a $1 trillion loss in home equity for African-American and Latino families. High concentration of foreclosures in neighborhoods of color perpetuated disproportionate burdens in America’s continuing foreclosure crisis.
Coalition leaders agree: “Effective housing policies must recognize that neighborhoods with higher foreclosure rates and deeper foreclosure-related impacts will take more time to recover.”
(Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: charlene.crowell@ ­responsiblelending.org)