RI PBS Promises Diversity, But ‘Lively Experiment’ Has Only Had One Minority Guest in Past 6 Months
Monday, January 28, 2019
The publicly funded Rhode Island Public Broadcasting Service (RI PBS) public affairs show “A Lively Experiment” says “We dig deep into the local issues that affect Rhode Islanders the most and try to garner insight from economists, political scientists, pundits and elected and appointed officials.”
But, in fact, the show has had only one minority to serve on the show’s the panel over the past six months. The show includes a host and three or four panelists rotating each week.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe one panelist who is a person of color was Dr. Pablo Rodriguez. The show has had no African-Americans, Asian-Americans, or Latina women.
Over the past six months, there has been the opportunity for more than 100 panelists. Rhode Island's population is now more than 20 percent minority.
According to RI PBS' mission, “With the support of our members and sponsors, we serve the needs of all generations within Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. We spark imagination, explore our history and reflect the values of our diverse community. Guided by civic engagement, we provide unique, high-quality local, national and international programming, and digital content that educates, inspires and entertains."
Recent Controversy
The show is hosted by Jim Hummel, who has come under fire for wearing blackface when he was a reporter for the Providence Journal, which has been criticized by a number of civil rights activists in Rhode Island.
Repeatedly, Hummel has refused to apologize for the incident.
Recently, Jim Vincent, President of the NAACP Providence Branch, said he was disappointed that Hummel had not offered an apology.
“The use of Blackface is highly offensive and should never be used under any circumstance. I remember the 1980s well and do not know anyone who was beyond high school, even at that time, who would have done Blackface,” said Vincent on Friday. “With that said and given how offensive Blackface is, I am surprised and a bit disappointed that Jim Hummel, himself, did not offer at least an apology when his picture surfaced.”
Former State Representative — and former Deputy Secretary of State — Ray Rickman, who now runs the nonprofit Stages of Freedom, had said “every black person on the planet is offended by blackface.”
Hummel is primarily responsible for scheduling the panel's participants along with Director of Production Kim Keough.
The show which bills itself as “For 30 years, A Lively Experiment has provided insight and analysis of the week's political events both locally and nationally. We ask the hard questions and try to shake them out in a spirited debate with local newsmakers, opinion leaders and influencers…Host Jim Hummel keeps the fast-paced program moving along as he directs thought-provoking questions to the panelists each and every week,” writes PBS.
Executives at RI PBS refused to respond to questions on the issue.
The void of minority participants is inconsistent with the other public affairs shows in the market. WJAR-10’s “10 News Conference” has had multiple minority guests including Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and others. WJAR is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting has come under fire for promoting a conservative agenda within their local news segments.
WPRI conducts a weekly political public affairs show titled “12 Newsmakers” and it too has hosted more than a dozen interview guests who are minorities in the past six months, including Democratic Party executive Kevin Olasanoye and Rhode Island's Director of Veterans Affairs Kasim Yarn who are both African-American and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and RIC President Frank Sánchez who are both Latino.
GoLocal LIVE, the daily interview show on GoLocal has hosted more nearly 50 guests who are minorities during the past six months, including weekly video editorialist Rickman, Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, and Providence City Council President Sabina Matos.
Missing the Market
The lack of diversity would seem bad for business for the local public television station.
A recent Federal Communication Commission (FCC) report found that for local news, “African-Americans rely more on TV news than other ethnic groups. 28 Some 85 percent turn to local TV news, for instance, compared to 78 percent national average."
Some news networks like Fox News prosper with few minority viewers. Newsweek reported in August of 2018, “Over the last eight months, Fox’s viewership has been 94 percent white with Hispanics serving as the next-highest racial demographic to watch at three percent, according to a CNN report citing data from Nielsen. 'Composition of the Fox News audience, 2018-to-date, total day: 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% Black,' said CNN’s Brian Stelter.”
But, when GoLocal asked the chairman of the board of RI PBS Jim Leach if the long-time show's composition of "top leaders and influencers in Rhode Island" was consistent with the mission of the station to reflect diversity, Leach refused comment.
And RI PBS is a signature to PBS’s national Code of Integrity which asserts, “Pursue fairness and responsiveness in content and services, with particular attention to reflecting diversity of demography, culture, and beliefs.”
The station is required to have a community advisory board, "As a condition for receiving funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as defined in Section 396(k)(8) of the Communications Act, the Foundation is required to have a community advisory board." The RI advisory board does include a number of individuals who are minorities.
Related Articles
- Photo Emerges of Projo’s Investigative Reporter Hummel in Blackface
- Every Black Person on Planet is Offended by Blackface: Rickman on LIVE
- Secretary of State Resigns Over Blackface in Florida — Taxpayer-Funded RI PBS Defends Hummel
