As a representative of Nickelodeon, I believe the best way to diversify programming is to implement new programs to reach newer audiences as well as the current audience we serve. Out of the 29 programs we have airing on our channels less than a handful feature stories centered around BIPOC families. The only way to diversify is to have diversity in our programming! It is not enough to acknowledge diversity in short ads in-between shows featuring our cast and characters. It is not enough to reserve and play these ads only when it is Black History month or Hispanic Heritage month. Hispanic viewers are Hispanic all the time, Asian viewers are Asian all the time and our programming needs to reflect that.
Now this being said, sending the right message is just as important. As a Hispanic viewer myself, I am turned away when I see something like The Casagrande's. Yes it follows a Hispanic lead with a plethora of Hispanic characters making up the family. But the name of the show is just rooted in a racial stereotype that Hispanic families are huge and live in a cramped house shared by all of them. Just having a show about Hispanic people in this instance is not enough. To be inspirational these programs have to have meaning beyond what the color of the main characters skin is. If the main point is just that he is Hispanic then what are we learning from that show? The example of programing that we should aspire to create is that of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. This show featured a complete Hispanic cast but it was not the point of the show. The show was a prolonged ethical dilemma. A coming of age story of a boy torn between good and bad within his own family. A show where he had complete control over his decisions along with the consequences that followed. As a society we need more BIPOC heroes and stories like El Tigre. By including all backgrounds and creeds, we increase our brand identity and association. We cannot ignore race but we also cannot just push it to the forefront and flaunt it to the audiences and expect that to be enough.
Now this being said, sending the right message is just as important. As a Hispanic viewer myself, I am turned away when I see something like The Casagrande's. Yes it follows a Hispanic lead with a plethora of Hispanic characters making up the family. But the name of the show is just rooted in a racial stereotype that Hispanic families are huge and live in a cramped house shared by all of them. Just having a show about Hispanic people in this instance is not enough. To be inspirational these programs have to have meaning beyond what the color of the main characters skin is. If the main point is just that he is Hispanic then what are we learning from that show? The example of programing that we should aspire to create is that of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. This show featured a complete Hispanic cast but it was not the point of the show. The show was a prolonged ethical dilemma. A coming of age story of a boy torn between good and bad within his own family. A show where he had complete control over his decisions along with the consequences that followed. As a society we need more BIPOC heroes and stories like El Tigre. By including all backgrounds and creeds, we increase our brand identity and association. We cannot ignore race but we also cannot just push it to the forefront and flaunt it to the audiences and expect that to be enough.