• Variety, Friday, December 19, 2008 10 AM

As the first African-American president is about to take office, a new NCAAP report is zeroing in on the shortage of minority faces on network prime-time television.

Study authors fear that networks are backsliding on progress made earlier this decade and that the economic downturn will only make it worse. The study showed that the number of minorities in regular or recurring roles on scripted series decreased on CBS, Fox and NBC in the 2006-07 season. Only ABC showed gains.

Although there has been slight progress for blacks and Hispanics, there has been essentially no progress for Asian-Americans and Native Americans, says the report. The only bright spot is reality TV, which tends to be more diverse in its casting. Worth noting: the report does not cover the past TV season and the current one, during which Obama rose to prominence.

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