Photo: abcnews.go.com
If reality was like the Sunday TV talk shows, then the United States would be old, white, male and rich. And almost everyone would be a politician.
Except that most of us are not politicians. A growing number of Americans are not white, either, based on recent U.S. Census figures. And about half of our country’s population is male, but half is obviously not.
Members of Congress are always the stars of these shows. Regular Americans who are not politicians, particularly Latinos and other people of color, are rarities in the rarefied world of Sunday TV talk shows.
I do get it. Most of these shows originate from Washington, D.C. That’s where the politicians are. And, of course, they are the decision-makers.
Problem is the people who are affected by those positions are rarely guests. People like you and me. People who often vote. People who often buy stuff. But if people of color do not see something of themselves in what they are watching, they may change the station.
Sunday TV talk shows and ratings
This trend is showing up in the ratings for these shows. According to TV Newser’s report on the Nov. 10, 2013 Sunday TV talk show ratings, “Compared to the same week last year— which was the first Sunday after the 2012 election— only CBS and Univision’s “Al Punto” are showing growth: CBS is up +4% in the demo and down -5% in total viewers while Univision is up +5% in total viewers and down -23% in the demo.”
Ah yes, “Al Punto.” Univision’s “Al Punto.”
Who were among the guests on Univisio’s “Al Punto” on November 13?
Well, there were definitely politicians on that day, to be sure. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Representative David Valadao (R-CA). They included: Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Angelica Salas, Executive Director of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and Dr. Roberto Trujillo, President of the Pan-American Society of Neuro-Virology.
Why can’t the English-language networks…
To read full article: ://voxxi.com/2013/12/08/sunday-tv-talk-shows-latinos/