American Television: Where's the diversity?
 

When will american television have more diversty? Seriously they're not trying hard enough. About 95% of tv shows are still comprised of all white casts while characters of other ethnic groups are still typecasted. Why no interracial couples or families on sitcoms? It's either white or black, no asian, hispanic, middle eastern, etc.., or mix of groups. Same goes for the news. White people mostly leading anchors, hosts, etc.. while other groups have secondary roles, or cover only new stories relating to their groups. Do white people even care? How much longer do you think it will take for true diversity on tv?

Well as far as the sitcoms go I think people are trying. Because of Sandra Bullock I believe we have <i>The George Lopez Show</i> and we have a few black comedies as well like the Hugleys and we used to have an asian one called <i>American Girl</i> or something like that no less. They're even putting out homosexual shows as well. So television is starting to show a little diversity among the 4859621 reality based TV shows they choose to give the most airplay to instead. But yeah I feel ya.

Asta!!

Haven't you watched Whoopi Goldbergs new show?


Wait, might be a bad example there...

If there was a problem with newscast stations refusing to hire people of other ethnic groups for their newscasters I think we might hear about it when those people spoke up about the discrimination. If primarily white people apply I think it's rediculous to penalize companies for not having certain ethnic groups on their staff. You just simply find fewer ethnic groups in certain professions sometimes. I don't know if it's because they have felt intimidated or what. I know when I worked in the offices of a large factory there were primarily white people (though not completey) in the offices and mostly ethnic groups in the factory. We have a large Hmong population and that is where many of the factory employees came from. It is kind of difficult to hire a person for a factory job to talk on the phone and read papers written in English if they cannot even speak more than 10 English words. Its a matter of qualification and who wants to apply.

All American Girl was cancelled for the Drew Carrey show because they characters didn't act "asian enough". The reality based shows are still lead by white people.

Actually people have spoken out about newscast but it's not publically known.

Why is it always white people in the offices? What about the qualified non white people? Why aren't they hired as much?

I work in a large corporate office. There is a diversity initiative here. There are lots of diverse people from top to bottom within the organization. Same with a number of other organizations that I have worked in during the past decade.

On camera talent on MTV is now extremely diverse.

As far as TV news anchors. The 2 big metropolitans LA and NY have many diverse anchors and news reporters. I cannot speak for the smaller regions.

Connie Chung was tapped at one time to do the Evening News, and research showed she wasn't competitive. Soledad O'Brien has been jumping from group to group.

There is a market for a portion of it. It's just not the diversity bar that you have put up. IMHO American TV was much more diverse as far as sitcoms in the 70's with GoodTimes, Jeffersons, Chico and the Man, because you didn't have the spread of markets on cable like MTV, BET, Bravo, Lifetime, etc.

Your office may be diverse but the shows aren't. I don't see how having a shows comprised of either all white people or black people is diverse.

It's changing slowly. Be patient. When the execs are more diverse, the shows will be more diverse. It'll take a generation. Keep in mind that broadcast networks are still practicing ye olde "mass" marketing (to a largely white audience) while many cable channels are doing "niche" marketing - targeting a particular demographic group. This leads to the ghetto-ization of tv, but also to a more diverse overall matrix of shows.

Meantime watch the documentary "Color Adjustment" by Marlon Riggs. Really good discussion of the integration of television and what constitutes a "positive" image of people of color.

Yea I know. Just counting the days before the rich white men die off..

Lurkette hits it right on the head. It's going to take time. Look at the OTHER shows besides the ones that are "hit sitcoms" like Friends, Frasier, King of Queens, and you'll see a rich diverse group, CSI, NYPD Blue, West Wing, 24.

Riddle me this... if you are doing a show about a black family or white family, how do you interject other races without them being stereotypical roles such as bus boys, delivery guys, laborers?

And they won't.. someone has the seed money and controls the airwaves themselves... the diversity is the content, still the "man" will hold the transmission lines. That's why the bill with the FCC and media ownership is really a big big deal.

I do get what you are saying I was looking at the billboard advert for COUPLING and my wife and I commented on the lack of color.

I don't have a tv these days, so I can't comment much.

I once worked with a Hmong girl that was really hot, though. I'm pretty sure she wanted me, but then I left the States to go to Canada and get married. :p Dumb.

hmm.. King of Queens.

Isn't Doug's best friend Deacon black ? They both work as IPS deliveryman.

The show portrays them interacting all the time, but of course some of the jokes are sterotypical. That is just what makes things funny sometimes.

I'm not certain that only white people are at fault for continuing use of sterotypes either. Anyone watch the comedy of Dat Phan on Last Comic Standing ? - just a thought.

Entertainment is my #1 priority when watching a TV show (however rare that is). I rarely look @ the racial composition of the cast on a TV show.

He's HORRIBLE!

it's as richly diverse as The Cosby Show or it's spin off Different World /sarcasm, one token black man does not a diverse show make.

Show them as normal people with normal everyday jobs.

Wouldn't be great to have to an interracial Dharma and Greg or multiracial Friends or Sex in the City?

The white man invented television. They control the content. It's going to take another group of people to be oppressed before they seriously change. Most of other groups of people have accepted the current state of television or went and created their own stations which really isn't helping much since they concentrate on content for their own peoples.

so then for that matter.. BET, Univision, Telemundo should be doing the same as far as making it more diverse.

But I do not think we will see it as such. The niches are entrenched and now have the $$$ to develop shows based on the demographics that watch the said channel.

I mean if on NBC I press the SAP button and hear it in spanish, then it's only fair that when I go to Telemundo, I press SAP and get it in english.

Going from zero to cultural melting pot in under 5 seconds doesn't make for financially viable entertainment companies.

They have to cater to their primary market and to their advertising customers.

Attempts to diversify shows are usually incompetent. Look at UPN and WB - HORRIBLE yet diversified shows.

Sometimes I think these shows are created for the sake of diversity and not necessarily entertainment.

Will & Grace is an example of a show with diversity that has succeeded, however, so it can be done. It's all in the hands of the writers, though.

It never actually occured to me that TV shows in general were undiversified. Now that I do, why does it matter?

Because today's american isn't just white bread...

I don't watch much TV at the moment and 90% of the shows I have watched in the last year or so have been action/suspense shows like 24 or Alias. I don't know if diversity is the same issue there. I mean, the black President Palmer character in 24 had too big a role to possibly be called token; SPOILER especially when it was revealed that the attempts on his life WEREN'T racially motivated./SPOILER

The reason it's more difficult in sitcoms is because modern sitcoms are hugely based on observational humor and race (whether we want it to or not) will be a factor in observational humor because humans are still flawed barbarians. Couple this with the fact that network execs will lean towards safe and obvious - therefore, "she's canned because she's not Asian enough".:rolleyes:

As for news hosts, I suppose CNN International/Asia Pacific could be worse. I mean you get a Syrian/American/French hottie, a preppie looking Australian Aboriginal and a strange British dude with a chainsaw voice. Who could ask for more?:D

Asking the question strikes me that it is like asking about anything else in the mass media.

Mass media products are very much like candy bars.

It's generally irrelevant to ask where the richness or depth of experience is in a trivial confection made to be ingested on the spur of the moment at the merest shallow pang of desire and with no requirement of containing anything of sustaining value.

Was just wanting a show

black guy dating black girl
white guy dating white girl

now i was thinking so the black and white can be friends but not lovers?

I think this is getting blown way out of proportion. When I watch television, I don't ever pay attention to the racial composition of the cast. Seriously, I just don't give a damn what color they are. As long as they are entertaining or informative, I'm watching.

Diversity for the sake of diversity is no better than enforced segregation. Having that token black guy in the show does not make racial relations any less tense, and, if I was black, would not make me feel any more appreciated.

Forced, false diversity is not the answer.

What's kinda dumb is that the majority of sitcoms these days have white or black characters. And when a producer wants diversity they just add a random black character! I know hispanics are being represented more, but whatabout the asians etc?

Well these people still see things as black and white plus they have piss poor writers.


Are you white by any chance? Try putting yourself in other non white shoes for a chance and think about it some more.

Who says it has to be forced? It should be common as there are white people on tv. Having the token black guy on an all white show is not diversity. Having different types of people on the show is.

Every watch PBS? Seseme Street? Hardly irrelevant for kids and adults alike.

quote:
"Every (sic) watch PBS? Seseme (sic) Street? Hardly irrelevant for kids and adults alike."

Jesus Pimp,
PBS is not mass media.
It is public broadcasting.
Part of its budget is government funded and the rest is funded by members. Obviously, it has a "diversity" agenda - among other social agendas.

Yes, I'm white. And I did, when I was writing the post. In fact, I just did it again. And my opinion did not change. Unless you want me to put myself into the shoes of a RACIST, I just won't care what color the cast is.

Given the "imaginative" nature of network executives, it WILL be forced. (I don't mean "forced" as in "forcefully imposed", I mean it as in "seems like its there just so nobody could point the finger") Having different types of people is good if the show is made about that and is quality material.

Forcing incoming shows to change their cast or leave, and choosing one show over another, because one show is "black", even though the other may get more viewers, is an unsound business practice, and related to the whole affirmative action thing. IMHO things like this only make the gap wider.

You're kidding right? PBS is as much mass media as MSNBC. Besides educational programming they have world news and what not.

Jesus Pimp,

My wife works closely with PBS and it is not a mass media market. Not even close. They have no outlets for recieving advertising, affiliate sales, ad sales, or even product placement. Sponsors, grants, and government subsidies are all that they are allowed by their charter. This is why every quarter (it seems like every weekend) there seems to be a beg-a-thon where they are asking for members to donate money.

I was fortunate enough to work on the Scholastic Entertainment Inc. development and research group for a few months. Funding is a major bitch. The development of shows for PBS is nothing like developing a show for MTV or CBS. On the major networks, the show is given some money, it's then produced and then aired if it sucks it's cancelled and no more episodes are produced. On PBS, the show is produced and then shopped around to PBS. PBS will not pick it up if there aren't already X amount of shows already in the can. In order for the shows to develop they do license and brand characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur, Teletubbies, etc. because that is where the developing company can recover some of the costs of creating the show.

Scholastic is currently producing a show called Maya Miguel, a spanish oriented show. It's being produced by white folks with some spanish consultants, but so far what I've seen. It's white stereotype filtered and not very well done. So while it is being produced and going to get aired. It is still not going to be a good show.

Oh ok thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know mass media included having advertising.

just a thought JP, you were wondering about a career not too long ago... maybe that's your calling... helping change the diversity in television...

the diversity on television thing is going to take a while. typecasting, stereotypes and other stuff add to this. and of course, there is the fact that minorities are in the minority. Adding a few random characters from minorities does nothing.

wheres the diversity? what, you dont get upn?