AFRICAN AMERICANS IN PRIME TIME BROADCAST TV AND BET by Amunoo Mohamed A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Fall 2013 Copyright 2013 Amunoo Mohamed All Rights Reserved AFRICAN AMERICANS IN PRIME TIME BROADCAST TV AND BET by Amunoo Mohamed Approved: ______________________________________________________________ Nancy Signorielli, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: ______________________________________________________________ Elizabeth M. Perse, Ph.D. Chairperson of the Department of Communication Approved: ______________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: ______________________________________________________________ James G. Richards, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Nancy Signorielli, for her endless support in my areas of interest, her continuously motivating comments and suggestions for improvement, and her passion for the areas in which I also grew interested in: cultivation analysis, children and adolescents, television representations..etc. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for all that you have helped me with. Thank you kindly for supporting me in pursuing a project of my interest. To my committee, Dr. Barbara Ley and Dr. James Angelini, thank you for your encouraging and insightful recommendations and most of all for your patience. I truly appreciate your unique perspectives and contributions. To my cohort (Lauren, Amanda, Dacey, Chrissy, Meredith, Stephen and Katie) thank you much for being such awesome contributions to my graduate/Delaware experience. May you all find happiness wherever life takes you. Finally, a very special thank you to my family and friends who were and always will be my “ride or dies.” To my amazingly worrisome mother (Remmy), my sisters (Farida, Fatuma, Meeme & Amal) and my two brothers (Junior & Mike), thank you kindly for all of your support and positivity even when you were all unsure why it was taking me so long to, “just write a paper.” To my best friends Scotty and Helen, for continuing to believe in me in the times I was unsatisfied with my progress, you are both truly heaven sent. I appreciate all the motivation, love and appreciation you have all contributed to my work. And to my nieces (Nawal, Saida & iii Shakira) and nephew (Adam) whom I will always and forever love dearly…this one’s for you kiddos. Bless. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vi ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 2 METHODS ................................................................................................................ 37 3 RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 43 Part I: Quantitative ................................................................................................ 43 Part II: Qualitative ................................................................................................. 70 4 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................ 88 REFERENCES............................................................................................................... 107 Appendix A PROGRAM RECORDING INSTRUMENT ............................................................. 113 B CHARACTER RECORDING INSTRUMENT ......................................................... 127 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Comparison of Representations in Genres by Race on Broadcast Networks (2012) ............................................................................................................. 45 Table 2. Comparison of Representations in Genres by Race on BET (2012).................... 46 Table 3. Comparison of Characters on Prime Time (2012) with the U.S. Population (2011 Estimates).............................................................................................. 48 Table 4. Comparison of Racial Distribution of characters on BET (2012) with Racia Distribution of U.S. Population (2011) ............................................................. 49 Table 5. Comparison of the Sex of Characters in Prime Time and BET with the U.S. Population (2011 Estimates) ............................................................................ 50 Table 6. Working Status of Black Characters on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) Compared to Black’s Working Status in the U.S. ................................... 51 Table 7. Occupation Distribution of Black Characters on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) Compared to Black’s Occupation Distribution in the United States (2013) ................................................................................................... 53 Table 8. Black Character’s Occupations on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012)..... 54 Table 9. Black Character’s Level of Occupation Prestige on Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ..................................................................................................... 55 Table 10. Racial Composition of Characters by Marital Status on the Broadcast Networks (2012).............................................................................................. 56 Table 11. Black Character’s Marital Status on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ... 57 Table 12. Racial Composition of Marital Status by Work on the Broadcast Networks (2012) ............................................................................................................. 59 Table 13. Black Character’s Marital Status by Work on the BET (2012) ........................... 60 vi Table 14. Black Characters Provocatively Clothed on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ............................................................................................................. 62 Table 15. Black Character’s Sexual Involvement on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ............................................................................................................. 64 Table 16. Black Character’s by Racially Defined Cast on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ..................................................................................................... 65 Table 17. Chronological Age of Black Characters by Sex on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ............................................................................................... 67 Table 18. Black Character’s Social Age by Sex on the Broadcast Networks and BET (2012) ............................................................................................................. 68 vii ABSTRACT This study examined whether there were more empowering images of African Americans on a channel geared towards the Black audience (BET) or the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW). The study was based on a content analysis of a one week sample of programs televised on broadcast network channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW) and on the cable channel BET (Black Entertainment Television) in the fall of 2012 (late September/ early October). A textual analysis was used as a complementary method to understand how African Americans are depicted on BET and whether these messages reflect the cultural perspective. This group is of interest because African Americans have been found misrepresented and underrepresented in past television representations thus influencing perception about the group to adults, children and adolescents of color. Cultivation theory and social cognitive theory serve as the foundation for this study. The content analysis found more differences than similarities in the way that African Americans are portrayed in broadcast network programs as compared to BET. The qualitative (textual) analysis identified three themes in movies on BET which helped further distinguish differences between the portrayals of African Americans on BET as compared to broadcast network programs. With these results and cultivation theory and social cognitive theory in mind, viewers of color and others can develop empowering and non-empowering perceptions about African Americans. This study adds to research on the representation of people of color. viii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem One of the major topics in mass communication research is how people of color such as African Americans are presented on television. To date, most of the research has examined the portrayals of people of color on prime-time dramatic programs (Signorielli & Bacue, 1999; Mastro & Greenberg, 2000; Mastro & Behm-Morawitz, 2005; Signorielli, 2009), typically focusing on the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, WB, and CW). Many scholars have also focused on images of people of color particularly African Americans (Poindexter & Stroman, 1981; Greenberg & Atkin, 1982; Signorielli & Bacue, 1999; Mastro & Greenberg, 2000; Harwood & Anderson, 2002; Greenberg, Mastro & Brand, 2002; Signorielli 2009a & 2009b). Some of these studies have found