The Advertising Boost Initiative (ABI) was established in 2020 and supports New York City community and ethnic media outlets to access their share of city agency advertising budgets. By being a connector between the Mayor’s Office for Community and Ethnic media, advertising firms and publishers, ABI ensures that critical government information reaches diverse audiences in dozens of languages. The initiative provides training, consultative support, and advocacy for equitable advertising practices, offering a model for how local governments can reinvest budgets in local journalism.

In New York City, Executive Order 47 was signed by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2019.  The order and subsequent legislation passed in 2021, Local Law 83,  mandated that city government agencies allocate at least 50% of their advertising budgets to community and ethnic media.

ABI also tracks compliance with Local Law 83, and publishes regular reports that are meant to provide more transparency and government accountability.

At the national level, ABI partnered with a range of local, statewide, and national organizations to leverage our knowledge and expertise to support government advertising set-aside policy initiatives and ongoing implementation efforts across the country. We directly supported efforts to replicate or produce similar public investment policies in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Maryland.

Reports & Research

• NYC Policy Directs $72 Million to Community Media Over Five Years – Analysis of five years of NYC investments and ABI’s role in implementing legislation supporting community media.
• Community Blindspot – Study of NY State agency advertising practices, highlighting inequities and offering recommendations for transparency and equity.
• NY Ad Spending Initiative Boosts Community News Outlets – Review of Executive Order 47 (EO47), record city advertising spend, and lessons for sustaining community news.

Guidelines & Training

• ABI Guidelines – Step-by-step guidance to prepare for city ad campaigns.
• Media Kit Training – Recording and materials from ABI’s April 2020 webinar on media kit creation and advertiser outreach.

Contact & Support

• Program Director: Darlie Gervais — .

Timeline

• Jan 2020 — Launch of ABI
  CCM establishes the initiative to help community outlets access NYC advertising budgets.
• Apr 2020 — Media Kit Training
  Webinar with Ned Berke covering media kit essentials and advertiser outreach.
• Dec 2020 — Initiative Boosts Community News Outlets Report
  NYC places $9.9M in advertising with 300+ community outlets across 37 languages during the pandemic and elections.
• Jun 2021 — EO 47 Codified
  NYC Council passes Intro. 2313, creating the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media, formalizing support for community media.
• Feb 2022 — Record Advertising Spend
  CCM reports $15.6M allocated to community outlets in FY2021, a $5M increase from the previous year.
• Fall 2022 — Growth Mentorship Program
  Two-track mentorship program launched: digital analytics and media plan development, supporting revenue and audience growth.
• Sep 2023 — Community Blindspot Report
  Highlights inequities in NY State agency advertising practices and offers recommendations for equitable, transparent spending.
• 2025 — NYC Policy Directs $72 Million over five years to Community Media
  CCM analyzes five years of NYC investment, documenting $72M redirected to 200+ community outlets and offering a model for cities nationwide.