Newspaper Page Text
6A
JANUARY 6, 2000
NBC television adopts goals and timetables
to increase opportunities for people of color
®Far-reaching agree
ment is unprecedented
in the broadcast
arena. It involves
sverything from cast
ing to dealing with
minority vendors.
NEW YORK
NAACP president and CEO
{weis: Mfume and NBC president
job Wright recently announced
in agreement to adopt goals and
imetables to increase opportuni
ies for people of color at the televi
ion network.
The far reaching agreement in
ludes initiatives that would also
nake a steady progression toward
he full inclusion of people of color
n employment, casting and image
wrtrayal, content creation and
levelopment, program production,
listribution, promotion, financing
nd professional services.
Mfume said: “The NAACP has
vorked extremely hard with our
oalition partners over the last six
nonths to create opportunities for
jualified men and women of color.
‘heir ability now to significantly
mpact executive, production and
alent ranks of network television
s greatly enhanced. The agree
nent that we are announcing to
lay 18 unprecedented and clearly
nakes those opportunities a real
ty. Bob Wright, Scott Sassa and
he people of NBC are to be com
nended for their efforts to make
heir network an industry model.
Jut of an air of confrontation has
10w come real progress.”
Wright stated: “NBC is commit
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AUG'JSTAFOCUS
ted to making sure that equal op
portunities exist for everyone in
cluding African Americans, Latino
Native Americans — both in front
of and behind the camera. We
have always felt that it is in our
best interest — from a human and
abusiness perspective — to place a
high priority on diversity. We be
lieve, however, there are areas
where we need to do better Work
ing with the NAACP and a coali
tion of other minority organiza
tions, we have come up with a
series of aggressive initiatives to
widen the pipeline of diverse tal
ent and raise awareness in our
community on these ilssues.”
Effectiveimmediately, NBC agrees
to use its best effortsto increase deals
with other minority-owned produc
tion companies and will conduct se
nior level reviews designed to ensure
that such deals are fully commensu
rate with current marketplace com
pensation levels.
Moreover, NBC will recruit a
minority sourcing executive who
will be assigned the responsibility
to increase the amount of products
and services bought from minority
vendors. The network plans to
increase the number of minonity
lawyers in its in-house department
and continue to retain diverse out
side lawyers.
NBC initiatives also include the
following:
SEstablishment of a policy to
seek out and hire qualified people
of color as directors for the 2000-01
season.
@Encourage producers to recruit
and consider minority writers to fill
Writers Guild Association legislated
freelance writing assignments.
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Business
’ ‘
-
2 ‘ 1
Kweisi Mfume announces
unprecedented agreement.
File photo by Charles Jones
BNBC willfund an additional writ
ing position on the staff of every
second-vear show to help achieve
diversity — regardless of whether a
series is produced by NBC Studiosor
one of the company’s outside pro
gram suppliers
Blnform all executive producers
of shows that NBC seeks to have
diverse writig staffs on all shows,
and beginning with the 2000-2001
television season, NBC will fund
an additional writing position on
the staff of every second-year show
to help achieve diversity
®Expand an associate program
to include 25 vear-long training
assignments within the news, en
tertainment, sports and stations
divisions
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@The network advertising and
promotion department will iden
tify opportunities to increase pur
chases in minority-owned media,
consistent with the audience and
promotion goals of NBC.
w the pool of minority job
applicants by: Providing six NBC
Minority Fellowship scholarships
for graduate studies; supporting
18 positions for students enrolled
in the Emma L. Bowen Founda
tion for Minority Interests in Me
dia; enhance NBC's relationships
with local universities to bring di
verse candidates into NBC intern
ship programs, and ensuring that
a substantial number of the NBC
pages each year are minorities.
@Setting a goal of increasing the
amount of products and/or services
purchased from minority-owned
businesses by 100 percent within
the next 18 months.
®]ssuing instructions tonetwork
creative executives, production stu
dios and executive producers that
NBC does not and will not partici
patein the practice of racially iden
tifving writing samples for net
work television series.
Mfume, Wnight and Scott Sassa,
NBC West Coast president, will
also host an intensive, all-day semi
nar in February for current and
prospective producers, series pro
ducers, studio heads and agency
heads to emphasize NBC's com
mitment to diversity in all areas
and to exchange ideas for achiev
ing that diversity in writing, cast
ing and directing.
Read all about the news,
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