Daytime Viewership Isn't Divided by Race
By LEON WYNTER
THERE WERE a lot of good reasons why comedian Roseanne's new daytime talk show broadcast from the legendary Apollo Theater in New York's Harlem during November's ratings sweeps. Mostly, there was a pragmatic one: The struggling show sorely needs viewers, especially black viewers.
African-Americans supply a disproportionate number of the guests, studio audiences, hosts and viewers for daytime talk shows. Black households made up 24% of the average viewing audience for the top 17 syndicated talk shows during the fourth quarter of 1998, almost double their share of the general population.
Moreover, in marked contrast to racial divisions in prime-time viewership, 12 of the 15 daytime talk and court shows most popular with African-Americans are also in the top 15 for nonblack viewers.
Belma Johnson, a "Roseanne Show" segment producer, theorizes that in talk shows, class considerations overcome racial divisions.
"Black vernacular has always been the voice of the working class. "Rikki Lake,' though the host is white, has a black sensibility," he says. "It's not that race doesn't matter, but it's not all that matters anymore. Remember, we're talking about a class of people who don't go to therapy, and everyone needs catharsis." For example, Jerry Springer and Rikki Lake, both white, have the No. 1 and No. 3 shows, respectively, in black households, while Oprah Winfrey, who is black, has No. 4. Meanwhile, Oprah, a close second to Springer in total U.S. ratings, has far more nonblack household viewers than Springer. Blacks account for just 17% of Oprah's television audience. Only three other shows, "Live -- Regis & Kathie Lee," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and "Roseanne," have a smaller share.
Talk-show host Montel Williams, who is black, says the genre permits him to program his show without regard to race in most cases. Of the thousands of letters he receives weekly, he says, very few mention his race. His show is No. 4 with all households and No. 8 in black households.
Mr. Williams is encouraged by the recent growth in black-hosted shows, including one planned with Queen Latifah and another starring four black women, led by actress Robin Givens. But Mr. Williams complains that the blurring of racial lines has also made TV safe for propagating racial stereotypes. He says it's no accident that many of the guests on the popular shows project offensive stereotypes of loud, promiscuous black women and irresponsible black men.
Messrs. Williams and Johnson say the more salacious shows succeed, especially with black viewers, because they attract a younger audience that isn't as offended by the mix of sex, immorality, violence and race as older viewers. Mr. Johnson, formerly a producer with the failed "Vibe TV" late-night talk show, says "Vibe," which was aimed at young urban viewers, was ultimately killed by competition from Jerry Springer.
"There's a huge teen audience looking for energy and fun, not thinking about negative images. They're thinking, 'Hey, maybe somebody will fight,' " Mr. Johnson says.
Studio audiences that look middle-class and racially mixed make producers freer to put stereotypes on stage, says Mr. Johnson: "Black people see themselves in the studio audience, not the people on the stage. They laugh at the people on the stage, just as the white people do."