Progress made in the inclusion of minorities in network primetime programming seems to have stalled, according to the NAACP, and the merger of UPN and WB into CW hasn’t helped. The two fledgling networks once provided an entry point for stars such as Will Smith, but the reduction from one to two such networks, and the presence of white-oriented programs on CW have bottlenecked progress. The fact that NAACP sees very little minority presence in the Hollywood management ranks is thought to be a cause.
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous told the Associated Press that it is important culturally for minorities to be part of the media scene. He noted that there was a Black president on Fox’s “24” before America got around to electing a Black to the genuine White House.
NAACP has had an agreement with the networks to improve diversity within all components of the Hollywood community since 2000, and thinks it may now be time to give it a new look.
