TV Viewing Differs By Race But Gap Narrowing

Mon., Feb. 8, 1999

Richard Huff New York Daily News

The racial divide between television viewers appears to be slowly narrowing, but there is still a sizable chasm between blacks and nonblacks regarding program tastes and viewing patterns, according to a new survey.

Overall, African-Americans on average watch more television than nonblacks, but there, too, the margin of difference is smaller than a year ago. According to the study by TN Media, a media buying firm, during the fourth quarter of 1998, black households watched 40 percent more TV than nonblack homes every week, 70.4 hours compared to 50.2 hours. (Whites make up 96 percent of nonblack TV households.) The year before, blacks watched 43 percent more TV a week than nonblacks. In 1994, that figure was 51 percent.

The difference in viewing habits between blacks and whites is most apparent in the contrasting show rankings for each group - though, again, the common ground has expanded during the last two years. During the fourth quarter - the first part of the current season - six shows - “ER,” “60 Minutes,” “Monday Night Football,” “Touched by an Angel,” “NYPD Blue” and the “CBS Sunday Movie” - ranked among the top 20 shows for both blacks and whites. In fall 1997, there were four shows that overlapped. In 1966, there was only one show, ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” that fell into both viewing top-20s.

Still, the popularity of shows in black and white homes is wildly different. In black homes, the WB’s “Steve Harvey Show” was the top-ranked series, but was just No. 127 with white viewers. No. 2, “The Jamie Foxx Show” on WB, was No. 120 in white homes. Conversely, in white homes, “ER” was No. 1, but No. 15 in black homes, and “Friends” was No. 2, but No. 88 with black viewers.

Some of the differences in these patterns are strongly linked to programming strategies at the various networks.

For example, when the UPN and WB began a few years ago, the new networks targeted urban audiences by offering several series with predominantly black casts, creating ready-made TV enclaves.

“That certainly is the case,” said Stacey Lynn, vice president of broadcast research at TN Media.

Overall, CBS was No. 1 with both black and white viewers. ABC was second with blacks and third with whites. Fox was third with blacks and fourth with whites. The WB was fourth with blacks and fifth with whites. And UPN was sixth with both groups.

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