[Alma]

Last night while watching an evening show,I counted 25 commercials in an hour-long show. In those 25 commercials, I counted only six black actors/actresses, and all of them were light-skinned. Does anyone notice this subtle messaging? When was the last time you noticed a predominantly black cast in a commercial?

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Name : Alma, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, City : Kempner, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : contract employee, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Angee]

I thought I was the only one to notice this. I've noticed this especially with children. Usually the parents are obviously black but the kids are obviously biracial. This kind of casting can be seen in television shows and even in print ads of 'black' magazines. I am not certain why so many light-skinned people are chosen for commercials, etc., but I am disappointed in the lack of variety in shows and ads.

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Name : Angee, Gender : F, Age : 24, City : Clarksville (Ft. Campbell, KY), State : TN Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[RG]

I see them every day on BET! (Black Entertainment Television)

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Name : RG, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Richmond, State : VA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Ken]

When was the last time? Why, during every televison show with a predominantly black cast, such as programs on the WB Network (Sister, Sister, Steve Harvey, etc). Unfortunately, television producers and programmers feel that only blacks can deal with seeing a majority of blacks in a television commercial, so they schedule them during shows with what they believe to be large black appeal. They assume that all of the other "major" networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) appeal to mostly white audiences (and since the majority, if not all, of the shows on those networks feature predominantly white casts, I guess they're right, so they run only commercials that are palatable (read white) to that audience. Never mind that I occasionally get a laugh or two out of Friends or Seinfeld or enjoy Law and Order or Homicide, and that there are more than a few other African Americans who enjoy them, too. A commercial featuring a predominantly black cast during those times would not be "in keeping with our target audience."

As for why the actors/actresses were light in skin tone, it goes back to what is acceptable to white America. The producers (and makers of whatever product they're selling) feel lighter-toned blacks are more acceptable to white Americans because they seem closer to their appearance and are less threatening. So you'll probably never see a dark-skinned, fuller-lipped, broader-nosed African American man or woman selling aspirin on prime time on the "major networks."

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Name : Ken, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 32, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : marketing, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[annonymous]

I'm brown-skinned. When I look at black models or actors in advertising I do not perceive the majority of them to be light-skinned. As a matter of fact, many are dark or have features that imply that their racial background is clearly African American. When I think of TV sitcoms, I think of Holly Robinson and the guy who plays her husband's brother, Reggie, or the character Sedrick from the Steve Hardy sitcom. I see all shades in these shows. The Winans, Malcolm Warner-Jamal and his co-star are brown or dark brown. Where are these light-skinned folks I'm missing? Admittedly, I do not watch a lot of TV, but I do look at the models used in department store ads and magazines. They are usually dark, beautiful shades of black. What I don't see is women like myself who are between Tanisha Campbell and Tyra Banks. I'm neither high yellow nor dark cholocate.

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Name : annonymous, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[Rob]

In a country that is majority white or other light-skinned ethnic groups, I don't see your point. Should there be 50/50 black commercials and white commercials? Isn't that taking away from other minorities, as well as whites?

By the way, there is a Pizza Hut commercial that is all black, and a large amount of Fox Network shows are primarily black. Where are the Asian sitcoms? Isn't it fair that they have their equal time?

I believe we should just look at a particular show and decide whether it is good or bad, not if it's black or white. Same with the advertisements. I'm still going to go to Pizza Hut...

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Name : Rob, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 28, City : Warren, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Architect, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[K-Briggs]

You can't blame them for wanting to keep their audiences safe and warm, right? However, on shows like Dawson's Creek and 90210, you see the same ads. Yet this is the same audience that moved Russel Simmons from a condo to mansion(s), and neither Tupac, Snoop or NWA are what you'd call All-American. Hip-Hop is to Gen X culture what Blues is to Rock. Whose dollar really built Motown? So are the networks responding, or dictating?

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Name : K-Briggs, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 34, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Musician, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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