Big time on the small screen: although few African Americans have the authority to green-light TV projects, many are creating top-notch entertainment and gaining influence within the networks - The Business Of Entertainment

Black Enterprise, Dec, 2003 by George Alexander, Alan Hughes

Although few African Americans have the authority to greenlight TV projects, many are creating top-notch entertainment and gaining influence within the networks

A CAREER OF SCRIPTS, SHOW TAPINGS, AND WORKING WITH STARS WAS THE last thing Saladin K. Patherson through when he graduate from MIT.

"I was strong in math and science and was encourage Patterson, who earned his degree in 94 then headed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Tennessee, to get his Ph.D.

While at Vanderbilt, Patterson grew introspective and pondered a career far removed from the seiences. "I thought. "If I could do whatever I wanted, what would it be?" In a moment of truth, he realized television writing was his calling.

After his epiphany, Patterson immersed himself like a man prosessed, in the business of television. He poured over hooks on script writing and producing and dissected successful sitcoms of the early 90s, specifically Seinfeld Mad About You, to determine how a winning show is put together.

"I literally sat down and took notes." says Patterson, He then wrote spec scripts-samples writers use to pursue jobs and sent them out to contests and literary agents. Although he didn't get an agent rights away.... was into the prestigious Walt Disney/ABC fellowship program in l9, a select program for asp "ing I.eleviskm directors and screenwriters. dream. Patterson landed a job on ABC's Teen Angel.

These days. Patterson is co executive producer for The Bernie Mac Show FOX's Emmv award-winning sit sitcom. Although there remain relatively few African Americans behind the scenes producing and directing programming. Patterson and a handful of others are positioning themselves to make a significant impact in the $40 billion on network television industry.

Among them are Eunetta Boone, a 13-year television veteran and executive product. or show-runner for UPN's One on One, Larry Williams creater and one time executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, who now has a deal with NBC to develop new shows--the first African American to land such a deal with a major network: veteran TV producer

Yvette Lee Bowser, executive producer of the UPN sitcom Half & Half, Kriss Turner, executive producer of Whoopi; and Mara Brock Akil, creator and co-executive producer of UPN's Girlfriends.

There's no doubt African Americans are represented in front of the camera. And more shows starring black actors are likely to spring up as advocacy groups pressure networks into diversifying their executive ranks and as the number of successful shows created or produced by African Americans continues to rise. According to Prime Time in Black and White, a report published by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, black people account for 12% of the population, yet nearly 16% of the characters portrayed on TV are African American.

From new sitcoms like NBC's Whoopi, starring veteran actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg, to returning shows such as ABC's My Wife and Kids with Damon Wayans, there's no lack of Afrocentric programming.

Behind the camera, however, it's another story. A 2003 Directors Guild of America Report noted that for the 2002-2003 season, 13 of the top 40 prime time shows didn't hire minority directors. Out of the 860 total episodes studied, white males directed 82%. African American directors did make some progress, earning 5% of the total jobs, up from 3% in the 2001-2002 season. The Bernie Mac Show contributed to this increase, with 62% of its directing jobs going to minorities and women.

Ironically, African American-oriented networks are unlikely to impact these numbers. With few original programs, media outlets such as BET and TV One--a joint cable venture with Radio One (no. 8 on the BE Industrial/Service list with $335.7 million in revenues) and Comcast set to launch in January 2004--will acquire most of their programming from out, side sources. Johnathan Rodgers, TV One president and CEO, says his business model aims for 20% original programming. "We look to do nonfiction programs such as reality shows, game shows, documentaries, and biographies."

With relatively few African Americans behind the scenes, when a program created, directed, or produced by an African American manages to get picked up by a network, there's even more pressure for it to become a bit. "If Whoopi succeeds, it will open doors for more shows driven by African American lead actors. It will also open doors for black producers and female producers," says Wilmore. "It's hard to get jobs on mainstream shows. Whenever someone with star power like Whoopi or Damon Wayans succeeds, it gives other black writers a chance to make their names known to the networks."

Whoopi Executive Producer Turner agrees: "It has been a long time since NBC has had a show with a black lead, and NBC real estate is very hard to get. Once you get a piece, you want to make sure that you keep it, so it's very important that this show makes it. Like Cosby, if it's funny, people will come. If this show is a success, other networks are going to want to emulate it and take a chance on similar shows. If it doesn't work, they'll say, "Well we tried.'"