A Longtime Pledge
We’ve appreciated Howard Rosenberg’s support in the past of our efforts in the area of diversity programming, particularly last summer when he noted, “Pound for pound, Showtime’s slender lineup of prime-time series remains the boldest, most ethnically diverse in television.” So you can understand my surprise when he lumped Showtime into the broadcast networks’ “quasi-black ghetto” of African American programming (“A Bold Look at an Ugly Word on Lifetime’s ‘Any Day Now,’ ” Feb. 2).
Over the last several years, we’ve taken great care to ensure that our network is a home for critically acclaimed, African American-themed projects--and not just in the month of February, but year-round. We’re not herding projects in and out of a politically correct month, we’re continuing a longtime pledge to reflect a segment of society that is often ignored by others.
We would hope that we’re not associated with the broadcast networks’ “quasi-black ghetto” efforts. We left that neighborhood a long time ago.
JERRY OFFSAY
President, Programming
Showtime Networks Inc.
Los Angeles
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