ABC wins top grade for diversity

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With shows like ABC's "Ugly Betty," Hispanics are making big strides in primetime, according to a report released Tuesday.

The success of "Betty" earned ABC an A-minus for the 2006-07 season, the highest grade for any network rated by the Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition.

The group's seventh annual diversity report card grades the broadcast networks for hiring minority talent in front and behind the camera and in the executive ranks, as well as "overall commitment to diversity initiatives."

NBC and CBS maintained their grades of B and B-plus, respectively, while Fox was the only network to go down, from a B to a B-minus, prompted mostly by Fox's policy not to disclose complete statistical information.

"The number of American Latinos both in front and back of camera has increased, but they are incremental numbers in proportion to the (Latino) population," said National Latino Media Council chair Esteban Torres.

Things look dimmer for American Indians and Asians.

"Behind the camera, American Indians remain invisible," said Mark Reed, spokesman for American Indians in Film and Television.

Added Karen K. Narasaki, chair of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, "We are deeply concerned about the lack of commitment to development deals with APA (Asian Pacific American) writers and talent."

The NAACP stopped participating in the annual report cards a few years ago.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter