Minorty Report

By: N. Long

Producers of television programs on the Fox network, as well as its affiliates, were recently summoned to a meeting hosted by the network's parent company. During this meeting, it is reported that the producers were instructed to make a bigger effort in representing minorities and promoting diversity within their respective programs, or risk not being renewed for another season. The issue of diversity on television is not new. The debate regarding representation has been waged for years and continues on today. Not too long ago, the NAACP threatened to lead a boycott of a major network if African-Americans were not represented in greater numbers. Diversity, most would agree, is a good thing. As an Asian-American, it is difficult to find people who look like me on television. As an Asian-American male, it is nearly impossible. However, there are two sides to every argument, and networks pressuring producers may not be the best solution to an ongoing problem.

Statistics show that the percentage of minority characters on television programs is far less than the percentage of minorities living in the United States and watching American television. What is the reason for the discrepancy? When producers are asked this question, the answer is generally the same. Television is a business. A business in which one program employs hundreds of people at any given time. It is a producer's job to create a program that will be watched by enough people to justify the cost of making the next episode. Given the failure rate of not only new, but seasoned programs, this is a fine balancing act that must be performed by television producers. And unfortunately, the fact remains, that the majority of programs that have chosen to focus on minority characters fail. There are, of course, notable exceptions. "The Cosby Show," and more recently, "The George Lopez Show" and "Everybody Hates Chris." However, for every one of these successful minority based programs, there have been five failures. Does anybody remember "Luis" or "Greetings from Tucson?" Probably not, since they were cancelled after only three or four episodes. Why then, if the number of minorities living in the United States continues to grow, are there not more minority based programs on television?

A recent study conducted by the non-profit organization Children Now, reports that while Census 2000 data shows that 12.5% of the population in the United States is Hispanic, only 6.5% of characters appearing in primetime television are Latinos. Perhaps it is due to the fact that research from the Nielsen Media Company, a corporation dedicated to tracking television ratings, reports that most English-Speaking Latinos who watch television prefer "The Simpsons" and "Friends" to "The George Lopez Show." This may be due to the fact that one Latino based program cannot appeal to all Latinos, and many Latino's, even those who speak English, may prefer to watch Spanish language programming on Univision or Telemundo. Combined, the two largest Spanish language networks garner 4 million viewers a night. However, despite the failure of shows featuring minority-only casts, programs such as "Without a Trace," that feature two or three minority characters in a cast of six or seven, has been very popular among minority viewers.

"Without a Trace," a popular primetime crime drama, features one African-American and two Latino characters in its regular cast of six. This program has tremendous crossover appeal, and is able to entertain viewers of all races. The idea of placing one or two minority characters alongside three or four white characters seems to have worked in the recent past. Doing so as quieted, at least somewhat, the complaints from the NAACP, and has helped networks find new audiences. But what does this mean? Should networks forego producing programs with minority-only casts? Should producers of television programs be forced to integrate at least one minority into a shows cast? The answer to both questions, I would hope, is no. While programs featuring minority-only casts are rarely successful, over the years, there have been many popular and profitable exceptions. Furthermore, producers have a fine line to walk when creating a show they hope is artistic, yet remains popular amongst audiences. Many successful producers have found that the addition of one or two minority characters not only enriches the show artistically, but makes it more popular as well. "Without a Trace," "CSI: Miami," "American Idol," and "Survivor," have all featured minority cast members, are incredibly popular among minority viewers, and are four of the most watched and most profitable programs on television.

I like Fox's sentiments. Get more minority characters on primetime programs. However, I disagree with their methods. A producer's job is difficult. They must meet the demands of millions of viewers. Let's not force something else down their throats. Casting minorities in major roles has proven successful, and eventually, most producers will jump on the bandwagon. Many already have. If things continue as they are, the rest will follow. In the meantime, let's watch the programs we enjoy. If I'm right, most will already feature at least one major minority character.

http://www.xispas.com/archives/tv/tv.htm

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/02/DDGKUNSFUN1.DTL

http://diversity.monster.com/article/tv/