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Is Black-and-White TV a Thing of the Past?
18 October 2007
Networks Establish Diversity Initiatives but Still Have a Way to Go
By Michelle Simonelli
So many television programs. so little diversity. From sitcoms to dramas, traditional networks to cable, television shows are so heavily Caucasian that African-American activists are demanding — and starting to get — acknowledgment of the need for change.
Ever since the NAACP called last year for more diversity at the major television networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox have begun to initiate subtle changes both onscreen and off.
The hope, they say, is to improve diversity not only in their programming, but in their organizations as well.
Last summer Kweisi Mfume, president and CEO of the NAACP, took aim at the four networks in a press conference, calling their fall program lineups “a virtual whitewash.” Of 26 new shows launched last fall, not one had a minority actor in a starring role.
The African-American community has also recognized the problem, giving sarcastic monikers to the networks such as Nothing But Caucasians (NBC), Why Bother? (WB), and Underpaid Negroes (UPN). Fox featured the NBC and UPN monikers on an episode of its program “MAD TV.”
Small Steps Toward Change - Agreements Reached Between NAACP and Networks
Mfume threatened a NAACP boycott of at least one of the networks if it did not take immediate steps to diversify its programming. Representatives of the organization met with each network individually in the fall, resulting in a set of agreements announced in January and February.
Though the central concern is still programming, immediate plans call for more behind-the-scenes jobs and a stepped-up recruitment initiative. NAACP spokesperson John C. White says the non-profit organization is optimistic that the end result will be diverse programming.
“The agreements focused on writers, producers, and directors, but we believe that it will ultimately result in more roles for minorities [on television],” he said. “We think that the agreements, while not perfect, were a good first step.”
NBC plans to fund an extra writing position for every show in its second season which a minority writer will fill. ABC promised to establish by July grants aimed at discovering and providing support for minority writers and directors. Among plans at Fox is one to add a minority trainee to the writing staff of both new and returning network programs. And CBS has tied executive compensation directly to efforts to diversify the workforce.
“It’s not a question of looking at the numbers [of minorities on TV shows],” says Kassie Canter of NBC. “We’re looking at the whole picture.”
Committment to Diversity - Networks Discuss Racial Makeup of Shows
The networks consider this broad-stroke approach to be the best way to enact long-term change. As Tom Tyrer of Fox put it: “You want to treat the disease rather than the symptoms.”
Tyrer said the only way the network programming will improve is by changing the entire process, not just individual elements. Creating a workforce that embraces diversity, he said, in turn will help generate more diverse programs.
Kevin Brockman, vice president of media and artist relations at ABC, agrees. “It’s something we are trying to do across the board,” he said.
While all four networks concede that they need to add more ethnically mixed programs to their lineups, each highlighted examples of existing programs as proof of their commitment.
Canter cited two NBC dramas, “Law & Order” and “Third Watch,” as evidence of the networks’ commitment to diversity. “Law and Order” centers around detectives and attorneys investigating and prosecuting crimes, while “Third Watch” follows a group of police officers, paramedics, and firefighters that work the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. Both shows feature ethnically mixed ensemble casts.
“We understand that there is more that we can do, but we feel that the network is doing a good job with its programming and showing minorities in positive roles,” Canter said.
Tyrer pointed to Fox’s upper-class legal comedy-drama “Ally McBeal,” and ensemble cast members Lisa Nicole Carson and Lucy Liu. The African-American Carson portrays a lawyer named Renee Radick who recently opened her own firm, while the Asian American Liu plays Ling “with a soft ‘L’” Woo, a lawyer at the Cage & Fish firm. Tyrer says the diverse ensemble is what gives the show its quirky feel and is a good part of the reason for its wide appeal.
Brockman of ABC said the same was true of his network’s successful law drama “The Practice.” Its ensemble cast includes black actors Lisa Gay Hamilton and Steve Harris. Hamilton stars as Rebecca Washington, a paralegal/office manager at Donnell, Young, Dole, & Frutt. Harris portrays Eugene Young, one of the firm’s partners. The network has also recently reached a development deal with another well-regarded black actor, former “Homicide” star, Andre Braugher.
But Brockman acknowledged that the most popular show on television, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” is a concern for the network. Since its debut last year, the show’s contestants have primarily been white males. “It is one of the least diverse, and that’s an interesting issue for us right now,” said Brockman, acknowledging that the network had not yet found a way to ensure a more mixed group of contestants.
Gil Schwartz, senior vice president of communications at CBS, said his network was proud of its No. 1 standing with African-American audiences for the fall. A study released in February by Manhattan-based media buyer TN Media found that CBS airs nine of the top 20 primetime programs watched in African-American households, including “Touched By An Angel.”
“We integrate African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics into our programs so that if they succeed they are diverse and appeal to a diverse audience,” he said. While some of the other major networks use a similar approach, networks like the WB and UPN still rely on casts made up entirely of minorities to attract the African-American viewer.
Schwartz believes that the mixed cast formula featured in popular programs on major networks works better than so-called “ghetto programming,” or shows based entirely on minority casts. He cited “Touched By An Angel” with Della Reese and “Martial Law” with Arsenio Hall and Sammo Hung as successful examples of the mixed cast format. In “Touched By An Angel” Reese portrays Tess, a tough angel who serves as an assignment supervisor to Roma Downey’s character, Monica. Hung stars on “Martial Law” as Sammo Law, a Los Angeles police officer, while Hall plays Terrell Parker, a former LAPD public relations officer who assists Law on his cases.
But the network does occasionally stray from its racially mixed casting formula. “City of Angels,” which premiered on CBS midseason, received a lot of media attention for being a drama with a primarily minority-based cast. Since the program premiered after the NAACP’s threatened boycott, the media considered it a leader in the new wave of diversity programming. However, Schwartz says there is no direct link between “City of Angels” and the NAACP initiative, since the program was in the works with creator Steven Bocho prior to the threatened boycott.
The Slippery Slope of Sucess - The Uncertain Future of Diversity Programming
Schwartz maintains that “City of Angels” has as good a shot at succeeding midseason as it would had it premiered in the fall. While the show has been reporting only average Nielsen ratings, its 8 p.m. Wednesday timeslot could make it a ratings winner. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show has netted a 23 percent improvement over what CBS was averaging with sitcoms at that hour.
While outsiders view “City of Angels” as a minority show, Schwartz said the casting pertains to the show’s premise, not to the overall need of the network to bring African-American actors into the fold. “The show is based in an inner city hospital, so it has to mirror that society,” Schwartz said. “[City of Angels] is the most bold and aggressive attempt to put a show of that nature on TV.”
Still, Ian Maitland, professor of film and television at New York University, says television’s diversity efforts are lagging, especially when compared to the film industry.
“I believe the thrust [for diversity in film] came from the Screen Actors Guild, who check each film they are contracted on to see if blacks are seen in a positive role, and that they are featured as much as possible,” Maitland said. “Television is far more worried about the ratings than the positive image.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, shows with largely African-American casts have had a difficult time succeeding with national audiences. The most recent one to achieve long-term success was NBC’s sitcom “The Cosby Show,” which followed the lives of the Huxtables, an affluent African-American family, for eight seasons.
Bill Cosby is currently featured in CBS’s comedy, “Cosby.” The fourth-year program follows the life of Hilton Lucas (Cosby), a former airline employee, as he interacts with family and friends. The show had decent ratings in its original Monday timeslot but has not fared well since moving to Fridays, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
UPN is another network that has also done well with African-Americans, coming in second behind CBS in African-American viewers in the TN Media study. The NAACP has said that it will also look to reach diversity agreements with UPN and the WB, according to The New York Daily News. But Paul McGuire, senior vice president of media relations at UPN, says the organization had not yet contacted the network.
McGuire says UPN continually tries to include minorities in its programs. He cited sitcoms like “Moesha” and its spinoff “The Parkers” as among those that appeal to African-American viewers. Both shows revolve around young, middleclass African-American women coming of age. The TN Media study found that both the WB and UPN sitcoms are between 15 and 18 times more popular among African-Americans than whites.
“Our network is always trying to reflect the nation [in its programming],” McGuire said. “I think it’s more about what these shows are about that is the biggest draw.”
The increased media attention to every development deal and diversity initiative does not bother the networks. While Brockman admits that “pretty much any deal gets covered these days,” he acknowledged that diversity issues should be getting extra media coverage because of the important role they play in network programming and organizational structure.
Schwartz agrees. “It’s an important issue. We are the mass media and we should be diverse. To the point that we’re not [diverse] it’s a problem,” he said.
Meanwhile the networks are beginning to develop their programming for next season. While it’s too early for network officials to know how their fall lineup will crystallize, all are confident that there will be no repeat of last year.
“We’re just as committed to scheduling diverse programming now as we were before,” Schwartz said. The NAACP will not be keeping a tally on the diversity of CBS’s fall shows, according to Schwartz, but it will continue to work with the network to meet expectations.
White says the NAACP will check on the networks’ progress by requesting information such as employment statistics and other records to which they have previously been granted access.
Canter says that while putting minority actors in lead roles is important for all of the networks, it is an ongoing process. Rather than having “token” minority characters onscreen simply to fill need, the networks are looking for quality. Canter says NBC wants the roles for its shows to be well developed and the characters to be good role models.
Tyrer believes the NAACP’s involvement has had a positive impact on all of the major networks. “When [the networks] put together their schedules last May we collectively looked around and said, ‘this shouldn’t have happened,’” Tyrer said.
The NAACP hopes its efforts will eventually result in a permanent change in programming whereby shows are all-inclusive and representative of the nation as a whole.
“Ideally the end result would be that American television reflects American society,” White said. “This would include all minorities, not just African-Americans.”
Source : Journalism at NYU
Keywords:diversity in the workplace diversity issues in the workforce Workplace Diversity
Sphere It
October 18th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Producers can make a difference but the responsibility of creating a truly diverse TV environment falls on a wide range of people. It’s the responsibility of Hollywood and all of its support team institutions. That includes the press. That includes advertising and that includes awards shows.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Net’s showrunners, producers and creators needed to step up efforts to hire diverse casts, writing staffs and crew. It’s the right moral thing to do and the right business thing to do. For TV to be vibrant, relevant and authentic, it needs to be reflective of the general population.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Today, the representation of many minority groups on American television remains small for the population and representation of all groups remains somewhat inaccurate or restricted but strides continue. While this season has been good to African-American and Latino actors, Asian-American and Arab-American actors are still rarely seen on screen and Native American actors have virtually no presence at all.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
I am pleased that broadcast television is finally starting to look like America. With success from shows such as Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy, it finally appears that diversity’s gone, well, almost mainstream.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
As more producers in both film and television discover the benefits of appealing to mass minority markets (in other words, the dollars that can be made) more and more roles will be extended to actors of minority descent. America’s been changing for awhile, and entertainment’s always a step or so behind, but they’re starting to catch up.