Television and ethnic minorities - Simon Cottle

Television and Ethnic Minorities: Producers Perspectives critically examines the professional thinking and practices of television producers making ethnic minority programmes in a period of unprecedented change. The study elicits rare insights from BBC producers into the normally closed world of Britains public service broadcaster and discusses its multicultural programme-making environment. Critical commentary from both commercial and community-based independents helps illustrate the difficulties and dilemmas confronted by producers when seeking commissions from Britain major broadcasters. Also a study by Patrick Ismond of two cable TV operators
AsiaNet and Identity TV
narrowcasting to Asian and African-Caribbean audiences, documents how the hopes placed in new communication technologies for enhanced ethnic minority participation and representation are currently being undermined. Together, these three studies of public-service, independent and cable TV producers document the complex of forces surrounding programme makers and production and how these constrain and shape ethnic minority programmes and their representation. - - The study is indispensable reading for all students interested in the mass media, ethnicity and 'race', as well as those working in the media industries and 'race' related fields.