Racial Diversity in the Television Industry: A Psychological Framework to Consider for Intervention

Abstract

A growing body of dedicated research has shown that racial and ethnic diversity in the television industry is profitable and beneficial to television companies. However, there is still a lack of racial diversity both in television programming and behind the scenes. This research aims to both diagnose the reasons for this disconnect and to identify promising sites of intervention to mitigate this problem. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with television industry veterans, structural, behavioral, and social factors precluding racial diversity were identified. Results revealed that the timing and level of involvement of different departments is suboptimal for taking action to racial diversity. Moreover, executives tend to have limited experience with multicultural trends; therefore, they are less inclined to make novel decisions that could increase minority representation in programming. Finally, the high importance of professional connections can serve to perpetuate the current racial homogeneity of the industry. This research creates a comprehensive framework of these factors to consider when designing interventions to increase racial minority representation in programming and behind the scenes.