Portrayals of Latinos on TV Regressing : Media: Study finds the group’s representation in prime-time shows is 1%, compared to 3% in the ‘50s. And many of the roles are negative.

Despite the nation’s growing Latino population, portrayals of Latinos in prime-time television entertainment shows have regressed--declining to only 1% of all characters between 1955 and 1992, according to a study.

“Hollywood has cracked open the door to black concerns while letting Hispanics serve as window dressing,” says the report by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, an independent media research firm in Washington.

The National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy organization that commissioned the study, has scheduled a news conference today in Washington to discuss the findings.

The report, “Distorted Reality: Hispanic Characters in TV Entertainment,” says that the number of Latinos in prime-time network shows dropped from 3% in 1955 to 1% in the 1992-93 season. Latinos make up an estimated 10% of the nation’s population.

At the same time, the study says, black representation in TV shows rose from 0.5% to 17%. Blacks comprise about 12% of the population.

Raul Yzaguirre, president of the National Council of La Raza, said his organization’s release of the report is not intended to cause a breach between Latinos and blacks. He said Latinos can draw a lesson from the fact that “the black community has made (media representation) an issue, a priority, has been vocal about it and gotten results.”

The report charged that TV’s portrayals of Latinos “have not improved markedly since the days of Jose Jimenez and Frito Bandito. . . . While Latinos have been slowly climbing into professional ranks . . . out of 63 Hispanic characters in the 1992 sample, only one was a business manager or executive.”

“Latinos also continued to portray criminals more frequently than other groups. Hispanic characters were four times more likely to commit a crime than were either whites or blacks (16% vs. 4% apiece).”

The study says that reality-based programs, such as “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted,” “cast an even more negative image of Latinos. . . . A stunning 45% of Latinos portrayed in these shows committed crimes, compared to 10% of whites who were shown.

“This was the only program format in which blacks fared even worse than Hispanics. Half of all black characters featured in these shows committed a crime.”

In a “report card” for the 1992-93 network season, La Raza gave both Fox and ABC an F. The graded factors included the percentage of Latino characters and those portrayed in a “negative/criminal role.” CBS did best with only a C-, and NBC rated a D.

Among the best recent shows, according to the study, was the canceled “L.A. Law” because of the character of litigator Daniel Morales, played by A Martinez.

Other recent series given approval by La Raza included “The John Larroquette Show,” “NYPD Blue,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Hotel Malibu” and “Nurses.”

Those that got thumbs down included “Cops,” “America’s Most Wanted,” “seaQuest DSV” and the syndicated series “The Untouchables,” “Baywatch” and “Acapulco H.E.A.T.”

The study cited such positive past shows with Latinos as “Chico and the Man,” with the late Freddie Prinze, and “The Man and the City,” with Anthony Quinn as a Southwest mayor. But overall, the study said, “the cultural diversity within the Latino community is almost completely absent from prime time.”

TV’s Ethnic Portrayals

The percentage of Latinos in prime-time entertainment shows actually has dropped in the last 30 years, a study found. 1955-64 Whites: 95% Blacks: 3% Latinos: .5% 1992* Whites: 75% Blacks: 17% Latinos: 1% * Excluding reality-based syndicated series

Source: Study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, released by National Council of La Raza