Baltimore, Maryland (September 24, 2014-Updated 9/24/2014) – Today, one of the oldest and most prestigious minority newspapers companies in the nation, the AFRO American Newspapers Company, has made a move to further increase its social media influence within the African-American market. The AFRO American Newspapers Company announced that it has retained Global Social Media News Service to assist in providing “real time” social media coverage of the 44th Annual Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Legislative Conference, Sept. 24-27, in Washington, D.C.
Global Social Media News Service, a Washington, D.C. based company, will provide a cadre of dedicated social media news reporters to supplement and assist the AFRO’s news team in covering the extensive number of legislative and social CBC events that take place during the four-day CBC conference period. Such coverage will span the CBC conference’s opening press briefing and conclude with the gala Phoenix Awards dinner that will feature remarks from President Barack Obama.
“We have begun to establish a significant presence within the realm of social media when it comes to African-American readers and followers,” said AFRO publisher, Jake Oliver. “In expanding our social media news services, we can provide our audience with an enhanced real time sense of the exciting and relevant activities taking place during the CBC conference. This puts our newspaper on the cutting edge of digital news gathering and dissemination; and way ahead of our competition.”
The AFRO currently has more than 345,000 “Likes” on Facebook, significantly more than any other African-American owned news publication in the nation.
“We are both excited and honored to work with the AFRO to provide social media coverage of such an iconic activity as the Congressional Black Caucus conference,” said Global Social Media News Service founder and CEO, Lon Walls. “The AFRO has already proven itself to be one of the most influential Black newspapers in the nation, so it’s only natural that they utilize social media to have an even greater impact on our community. We are happy to be part of this effort.”
Founded in 1892, the AFRO American newspapers is one of the oldest Black owned newspapers in America.