Mfume Appears to Delay Boycott

On the eve of the NAACP board meeting this week, President and Chief Executive Kweisi Mfume has apparently dropped--at least for now--plans to call for a boycott of one of the major TV networks, a threat he issued as recently as August.

Several factors are affecting the reversal, sources said. A flurry of behind-the-scenes activity at the networks is taking place while Mfume and board members are in Los Angeles for the NAACP state conference. Additionally, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the aftermath have, according to one NAACP associate, “put [a lot of things] in the background.”

Still, associates of Mfume said any boycott initiative may be delayed but not derailed. Mfume is scheduled to meet with network executives this week, and no major announcements on TV are planned at the conference.

“Mr. Mfume says he will bring the topic up during the meetings. That’s all there is to say at this point,” said an NAACP spokesman.

In August, Mfume outlined what he saw as a disappointing lack of progress among the major television networks in following through on the initiatives they signed in 1999 to increase representation of minorities on series and in the executive ranks. Those initiatives were negotiated by a coalition of minority entertainment activists, chaired by Mfume. As the chairmanship of the coalition rotated to other members, Mfume has increasingly taken independent stands on the diversity issue, as he did in August, saying he would probably propose to the NAACP board of directors in October that ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox be singled out for a “massive, targeted and sustained economic boycott” that would include that network’s advertisers.

Although coalition members say there is no split with Mfume, others in the group are not as convinced that the dramatic action Mfume has pushed for is needed. Some say they are encouraged by recent meetings with network heads, especially those at ABC, which Mfume and others have repeatedly blasted for being particularly slow at addressing diversity issues.

The diversity chiefs at the major networks are compiling updated figures showing diversity in talent, writing and executive ranks to present to Mfume and a multiethnic coalition formed about two years ago. Those reports are due at the end of the month, and coalition leaders are expected to respond to the numbers in December.

Karen Narasaki of the Asian Pacific America Media Coalition, who is taking over the rotating chairmanship of the coalition, said: “I believe it would be premature to take any action at this point. Yes, many of us are frustrated and disappointed. But we’re seeking significant improvements by midseason. And the networks seem to be hearing what we’re saying.”

Alex Nogales, head of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said he was optimistic after discussions that several Latino groups had last week with ABC President Alex Wallau, who heads that network’s diversity efforts.

Said Nogales: “We’re on track. All the networks know that they have to be ahead of where they are by the end of the year. In terms of Latinos, I believe at this time they’re making very fast progress.”

More minorities have been added to the cast and guest slots of new dramas and comedies, said Anne-Marie Johnson, the national chairwoman of the equal employment opportunity branch of the Screen Actors Guild.

“I’m definitely seeing more people of color in prominent roles,” said Johnson, who is running for the first vice-president position of SAG. “Time will tell whether that continues to hold true.”

However, others in the creative community contend that the networks are still doing little to increase the number of minority writers on series and dramas.

“As far as minority writers, it’s been the same, if not worse,” said Sharon Johnson, head of the Black Writers Committee for the Writers Guild. “None of the networks are really that committed. Of course, you may see a few more people of color on series, but the producers hide behind the cast. Unless the networks lose something, they will not change.”

Javier Szermann, the Writers Guild’s head of the Latino Writers Committee, added: “It doesn’t look as if it’s improved. They could be doing much better.”

And Debbie Langford, senior vice president of Urban Entertainment, a producer of film and television projects, said she was concerned about what effect the tragedy of Sept. 11 would have on the diversity issue.

“It was a terrible, terrible tragedy which is sure to have an economic fallout for the networks,” said Langford, a former TV vice president for Warner Bros. Television. “At this point, there are not a lot of risks that are going to be taken. The diversity issue is dependent on the challenge of taking risks, and I don’t believe the networks will be willing to do that at this point. It’s going to be about the bottom line.”

However, Mitzi Wilson, Fox’s head of diversity, maintained that the commitment to diversity for her network is just as strong, if not stronger.

“We have been informed by [Fox Group Chairman and Chief Executive] Peter Chernin that diversity still has the highest priority,” said Wilson. “Our commitment remains strong.”

Narasaki acknowledged that the issue of diversity may have been affected by the aftermath of the bombings.

“It will be more challenging,” she said. “It makes it much more difficult to invest than I would like. But we are being told by the networks that there has not been a fallout in terms of interest. Alex Wallau of ABC told us specifically that diversity is still very much on his mind.”

If Mfume and the NAACP board do take up the diversity issue, it would be the first time since reports in August that Mfume had taped a prototype for a talk show in a deal involving the syndication division of NBC.

Mfume days later announced that he had asked producers not to market the show.