Television and Media Essay - African Americans and TV Shows

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It is estimated that African Americans spend about four to five hours more than the general public on watching television a week. Yet still with these findings, there are only 18 shows that feature an African-American cast or lead character out of the 115 that air on the six major broadcast networks. Even with this imbalanced ratio, there are reasons why there are so few programs featuring leading African Americans, despite the great amount of blacks that are consistent television viewers (Hall 12).

It is thought that television producers are just trying to play it safe by sticking to what they know and what they are used to doing. It has been hard for networks to duplicate shows that have satisfied the viewers, such as "The Cosby's", "The Jefferson's", and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," Creating this kind of "crossover" audience is essential in a show's success(Hall 12).

A more recent show that has been able to gain this success is "The Hughley's". It is said to be "probably one of the best things that's happened this year" according to WB Entertainment President Garth Ancier. This show is said to have "wide spread appeal", and it also helps that it follows right after "Home Improvement"(Hall 12). Although following such a well known show helps out with the viewers, the show is getting more and more popular, and will hopefully cause a change in the way networks associate black television with failure.

Even though there is at least one African American in almost every drama ensemble, you don't see any dramas with a full cast of African Americans (Hall 12). It is assumed that if one were to be put on the air, it wouldn't do well because it is something that hasn't been done before. African Americans are automatically associated with being comedians. All of the shows featuring a mostly black cast are comedy shows. This is a reason why networks would stay away from creating a drama with a full cast of African Americans.

"The industry has not accepted that people are different", says Louis Carr, executive producer of Black Entertainment Television (BET)(Hall 12). BET has done a lot for African Americans on Television. Not only does it show music videos, but it has an award show where it celebrates and appreciates African American stars.

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