diversity at work
Fox television pushes for more minority, writers, performers and technicians
The NAACP has long criticized Hollywood for its abysmal record on developing entertainment that reflects the demographics of the United States. While it is true that some minorities do work on programs that air during prime time, they are mostly confined to supporting roles behind the scenes, rather than the highly visible producing, writing, and starring roles.
Of the almost 60 programs that air during prime time on the four major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX), just five shows have cast actors of color in leading roles. Only two prime time series, the Emmy winning "Ugly Betty" and sitcom staple "George Lopez" are actually about minority characters.
The lack of diversity in prime time programming is not new, and the NAACP has been reminding Hollywood of this flaw since the late 1990s. In 1999, former chairman of the NAACP Kweisi Mfume addressed the four major networks and called the lack of minority characters on their fall schedules a "virtual whitewash in programming." He pointed out that of the 26 comedies and dramas that premiered that fall, not a single one featured a minority in a leading role.
That same year Fox's hit drama "Ally McBeal" aired episodes that featured a romance between the white title character (Calista Flockheart) and a black doctor (Jesse L. Martin). Though Martin was featured in eleven episodes of the show that season, since then, only a few minorities have had mainstay roles in prime time shows on the big four networks.
While it is true that whites still make up a substantial majority in this country, diversity has experienced large increases in many US workplaces, and the number of interracial/multi ethnic couples and families are on the rise. Yet prime time television (with the exception of the CW network, which seems to maintain a somewhat healthy racial balance in prime time programming), seems to have lost a clear notion of what America looks like. Many of the programs in the prime time lineups take place in large and very diverse cities but have an all or mostly white cast.
Fox entertainment president Peter Liguori is looking to change this. Last month, he issued a warning to the more than 40 producers of current programs and upcoming pilots, informing them that if they did not increase their efforts to hire minority performers, writers, and technicians, they would run the risk of not getting picked up by the Fox network. Mr. Liguori and the Fox network feel that featuring more minority performers, writers and technicians is not only the correct and moral course of action to take, but it also is good for business. "For TV, and certainly for Fox, to be vibrant, relevant and authentic, we need to be reflective of the general population," he said.
It is a promising sign that Fox has taken the first step in making their prime time shows more reflective of the general population, but for now words are just that—words. We'll have to wait until the premieres of the Fox network's new prime time lineups to see if Liguori and the network hold true to their promise.
Of the almost 60 programs that air during prime time on the four major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX), just five shows have cast actors of color in leading roles. Only two prime time series, the Emmy winning "Ugly Betty" and sitcom staple "George Lopez" are actually about minority characters.
The lack of diversity in prime time programming is not new, and the NAACP has been reminding Hollywood of this flaw since the late 1990s. In 1999, former chairman of the NAACP Kweisi Mfume addressed the four major networks and called the lack of minority characters on their fall schedules a "virtual whitewash in programming." He pointed out that of the 26 comedies and dramas that premiered that fall, not a single one featured a minority in a leading role.
That same year Fox's hit drama "Ally McBeal" aired episodes that featured a romance between the white title character (Calista Flockheart) and a black doctor (Jesse L. Martin). Though Martin was featured in eleven episodes of the show that season, since then, only a few minorities have had mainstay roles in prime time shows on the big four networks.
While it is true that whites still make up a substantial majority in this country, diversity has experienced large increases in many US workplaces, and the number of interracial/multi ethnic couples and families are on the rise. Yet prime time television (with the exception of the CW network, which seems to maintain a somewhat healthy racial balance in prime time programming), seems to have lost a clear notion of what America looks like. Many of the programs in the prime time lineups take place in large and very diverse cities but have an all or mostly white cast.
Fox entertainment president Peter Liguori is looking to change this. Last month, he issued a warning to the more than 40 producers of current programs and upcoming pilots, informing them that if they did not increase their efforts to hire minority performers, writers, and technicians, they would run the risk of not getting picked up by the Fox network. Mr. Liguori and the Fox network feel that featuring more minority performers, writers and technicians is not only the correct and moral course of action to take, but it also is good for business. "For TV, and certainly for Fox, to be vibrant, relevant and authentic, we need to be reflective of the general population," he said.
It is a promising sign that Fox has taken the first step in making their prime time shows more reflective of the general population, but for now words are just that—words. We'll have to wait until the premieres of the Fox network's new prime time lineups to see if Liguori and the network hold true to their promise.
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