The colour of money
- Anjna Raheja says...It's time the enormous potential in targeting ethnic minority audiences weas regonised.
- 7.9% of the uk population is made up of people from ethnic minorities-and the advertising industry is not representative of this.
- The 2001 cenus shows that ethnic communitities have grown by over 50% since th last census in 1991,whereas the white community as seen a drop in numbers.
- Although little solid research exists on the black and asian communitites and their economic drivers,some key facts are avaliable:
- 72% f the south asian community live in pay TV homes compared with only 39% of the UK population as a whole, 74% have a mobile phone compared with 69%; 70% own a computer compared with 50%;5% have acess to the internet at homecompared with 47% and46% own a dvd player,compareed to 30%.
- In the past decade there had also seen an enormous growth in ethnic minority media.
The south-asian community alone had 18 dedicated tb channels,6 commerial radio stations and numerous subtitles tv programmes.
Home Service
- More than 70% of asian homes twice the average have sky digital or cable TV.
- The tv diet of more than two thirds of asian viewers is made up of Asian interesat channe;s featuring dramas set on the sbcontinenta and news from' back home'.
- It also found that asian and black women are soap addicts: 83% of black women and 71% of Asian women made a point of watching soaps compared with 56% of white women.
Subcontinetal drift
- British asian culture has won a place in out hearts-and about time too..
- It has been an amazing 10 years for british Asians. In particular , we have witnessed a drastic rise in the artistic output of second and third generation asians here. From a musical perspective there has been greater interest in British Asians expressing their identity,with artists such as Cornershop,Asian dub foundation,Fun-da-mental all having an impact on the maintstream.
- More recently the musical Bombay Dreams has been has been a success in the West0End,capitalising on British Asian talent as well as formidable experience experience of A.R Rahman and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Ethnic Minorty push by BBC
The BBC is launching a drive to improve its news coverage on ethnic minorities in an attempt to connectect with audiences that have prevously been negelected.
- Radio 5 Live is appointing a correspondent with a brief cover to cover the Afro-carriebean commmunitites in Britain,while a new digital radio network aimed at young black people is reruiting its own team of journalists.
- The BBC Asian Network which broadcasts in the midlands and north-west of England,lias its own news operation,and the sation is being expanded to cover the whole country on digital radio later this year.
How entertainment Changed
- The success of films like Bend it like Beckham and East is east alongside TV prime time hits the Kumars at no.42 and Babyfather proved that multicultrual enterainment is now firmly entreched in Uk's mainstream media.
- The poll sugests that 78% of people think that ethnic minrities are better represdented on tv now compared to 10 years ago.
- Its a belief thatt has crross community support.73% of black people and 67% of asians also say things have improved.
- 54% of black people and 57% of asians beleive it is harder for job- hunters from their community to get work in the media than it is for whites.
Black Actors win more TV roles
Broadcasters have reported a siginificant increase in people from ethnic minorities featured om tv soaps and dramas,a year after pledging to improve representation of Britains diverse culture.
Casulaty,Eastenders,Crossroads and the forthcoming soap night & day are reflecting culturaldiversity better than ever television executives claimed yesterday.
Screen Test
BBC
Staff from ethnic minorities-exculding cleaners and contracted services-up from 8% to 8.5%. Bteer portryal of Multicultralism in Mainstream TV such as Eastenders.
ITV
All producers must say how they will adress diversity in their programmes. More ethnic minority faces in programmes such as crossroads ,the vice,night & day and Othello.
Ch 4
Every programmes proposal jmust detail how it meets the channels multicultural objectives.Significant on screen representation on ch4 news,teachers and its a girl thing.
Ch 5
Will introduce an ethnic minority clause in its mission statement and pledges to improve the onscreen representation opn itswhite dominated news bulletins.
