Networks Lose Ground On Diversifying Prime Time Picture.

Despite their stated commitments for greater on-screen diversity, an annual study of television diversity shows that the broadcast networks have made minimal progress in presenting a more diverse prime time picture. In several key areas, networks lost ground, particularly in sitcoms and the 8 o’clock hour.

The report, Fall Colors 2001-2002, the third annual study released by Children Now, a child research and action organization, examined race, class, gender, sexual identity, disability and occupation of all characters in prime time programming. The report is also the first to examine diversity in game shows, real-life and reality programs and comes as the TV networks unveil their fall season line-ups this week in New York. The study found that prime time television is still dominated by able-bodied white male characters, despite pledges from networks since 1999 to present a more diverse prime time television landscape.

The study found this season’s situation comedies, the most popular genre among children, to be the least diverse of the last three seasons. In the 2001-02 season, only seven percent of sitcoms had mixed opening credits casts–down more than half from last season. This season also featured more programs with racially homogenous primary casts than last season (51 percent compared to 43 percent).

Children Are Watching
The 8 p.m-9 p.m. slot, when children are most likely to tune in, presented a largely homogeneous picture for children. More than half of the opening credits casts in the 8 o’clock hour (61 percent) were classified as either all white or all black. Only 16 percent of all programs in the 8 o’clock hour contained mixed (more than one character of a different race) opening credits casts, the report found.

“We are dismayed to find that, despite stated commitments, there have been no significant improvements in on-screen diversity,” said Patti Miller, director of Children Now’s Children and the Media program. “Research documents the importance of children seeing people like themselves on television. We urge the networks to meet the challenge of reflecting the real world on television.”

Female characters accounted for only 36 percent of all characters on prime time. The report found that women’s marital and parental status was more likely to be evident than men’s. Female characters were much more likely to be younger than their male counterparts. While there was a stark contrast between occupations held by men and women, there was a growing trend of more women being portrayed in science and technology occupations.

This season, the network’s most visible response to increased pressure for more diversity has been to place increasing numbers of people of color in secondary and tertiary roles. For example, in the 2001-02 season, while Latino representation increased to four percent of the entire prime time population, they represented only two percent of the opening credits casts, the same as last year. Conversely, Latinos make up approximately 12 percent of the national population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

When examining the portrayals of Latinos in the secondary roles where their numbers increased, the report found that nearly half held occupations as service workers, unskilled laborers and criminals. Further, the first two episodes of FOX’s America’s Most Wanted, which featured manhunt stories related to the September 11th attacks, accounted for nearly 40 percent of Middle Easterners portrayed in the prime time season, the report found.

While more than half of prime time parents were shown interacting with children, there were racial differences. Of the programs studied, family life was not a central focus of shows featuring Latino or Native American characters. The majority of Asian/Pacific Islander parents (80 percent) and white parents (58 percent) were shown interacting with their children, while 48 percent of African American parents and just 25 percent of Latino parents were shown interacting with their children. African American families almost exclusively served as the focus of situation comedies.

“Over a three-year period, the networks have established a pattern in which their shows have become more segregated instead of more diverse,” said Katharine E. Heintz-Knowles, Ph.D., who conducted the study. “Overall, there are more characters of color on television, but they are grouped together on a smaller number of shows, resulting in fewer shows with people of color in prominent roles.”

Other findings in the report showed that:

There was an increased visibility of gay and disabled characters; among these characters, white males played the majority of the roles.

Whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders were more often portrayed as professionals, while African American and Latino characters were most likely to be portrayed as law enforcement officers. The role of service worker, unskilled laborer or criminal only made the top-five occupation list for Latino and African American primary recurring characters.

Mixed opening credits casts were featured in five of the six reality programs (83 percent), one of the two variety programs and the sole wrestling program examined.

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