Prime-time TV lacks racial diversity
By Harold Lee
June 29, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Though prime-time television is widely viewed by most
demographic groups in the United States, it does not
necessarily reflect national racial demographics, according to a
recent UCLA study released this past week.
The study, “Prime Time in Black and White: Not Much is New
for 2002″, conducted by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for
African American Studies, documented various factors such as the
number of minority characters and amount of screen time among
different races in prime-time sitcoms and dramas among major
networks: CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, and the WB.Â
Among other things, the study conductors concluded that
prime-time race disparities resulted from marketing strategies.
“The industry continues to be driven by business logics
that divide the nation into market segments based on race, where
the large but declining white segment reigns supreme,” said
Darnell Hunt, director of the center and head of the study, in a
press release. Â
Representatives from major networks NBC, Fox, UPN and the WB
were unavailable for comment, and representatives from CBS declined
to comment.
Researchers found several disparities between racial
representation on television and minority percentages in the real
world.
“Despite our nation’s growing diversity, white
characters continue to dominate prime time, not only with the
number of characters but also with the amount of time they appear
on the television screen,” Hunt said.
The study noted that the largest discrepancy was between the
Latino character representation and this group’s percentage
as part of national population.
Three percent of the characters in the sample of programs were
Latino, though Latinos comprise about 13 percent of the United
States population.Â
Some networks stand out with overrepresentation of certain
groups. For instance, 31 percent of characters on UPN were blacks,
though they make up 12 percent of the U.S. population.Â
The study also noted that the percentage of male characters was
greater than the percentage of female characters across all groups.
However, the study found exception with the Asian American
demographic.Â
Though prime-time television provides entertainment programming,
Hunt said it still has other effects on society.
“Prime-time television is about much more than just the
business of entertainment,” Hunt said.
“It is one of the primary cultural vehicles through which
we imagine the type of society we would like to have, that we
believe may be possible,” he added.
Some faculty believes that underrepresentation in television can
have adverse effects on minorities.Â
“People who are underrepresented get used to seeing
themselves as marginalized,” said Anthea Raymond Beckler, who
will be teaching a communication studies course in the fall.
“As many theorists have noted, (being marginalized)
affects their self-esteem and their notions of what they can
achieve,” she added.
However, overrepresented groups can also be negatively
influenced, Raymond Beckler added.
“People who are overrepresented get the wrong idea about
who’s part of and important in our
society,” she said.
The need that networks have shown for people with a certain
“look” has made it difficult for some students who
audition for television roles.
“There have been a lot of times where I’ve been to
auditions and was told that I don’t look “˜Asian’
enough or I don’t look “˜Latina’ enough,”
said Francine Maigue, a fourth-year world arts and culture student,
referring to her mixed heritage. “It’s like
they’re looking for the token look to fulfill whatever
stereotypical ethnicity they’re putting out there.”
Though some television programs are tailored to specific
minorities to fill certain market niches, some see the positive
side to these programs.
“I don’t think you should just have shows that are
catered to minorities,” said Rodney Scott, a recently
graduated theater student. “But I believe that’s the
best opportunity for minorities to act.”
“I give (show creators) credit for creating this display
of a certain racial background that we didn’t necessarily see
decades ago,” Maigue said.
