The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/46670
the DIVERSITY SCENE Nov. 3, 2011 Two days after Chaz Bono's departure from ABC's popu- lar "Dancing With the Stars" triggered epic navel-lint picking by industry pundits — and incendiary-comment writing on "Dancing's" recap blogs — Nielsen proclaimed: "Audiences and advertisers are flocking to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender-inclu- sive programs." "The New Mainstream," Nielsen called it. In a report to reporters, Nielsen said that "LGBT-in- clusive" programs represent- ed 24 percent of broadcast prime-time scripted and reality shows last season. Those shows, Nielsen said, garnered 28 percent of broadcast prime-time TV viewing — and 22 percent of the ad dollars spent on broadcast prime-time TV. Overall, one in four scripted series and one in five reality shows were LGBT- inclusive, the number-crunch- ing company reported. Teen and millennial view- ers dedicated more than one-third of their prime-time scripted-TV viewing to series that depict at least one regular or recurring LGBT character, Nielsen said. Meanwhile, Nielsen reported that women 50 and older dedicated a "significant" amount of their reality-TV viewing time to programs that featured LGBT cast members, hosts, judges and/or competitors. But the company did not have an actual statistic to share, so we're left guessing that it has something to do with the popularity of "Dancing With the Stars" among older female viewers. Nielsen did not release the list of series in its report, and a company rep declined to do so when asked by us. But Nielsen: audiences, advertisers 'flocking' to LGBT-inclusive shows In this Oct. 17 photo, activist Chaz Bono, right, and his part- ner, Lacey Schwimmer, perform in the celeb- rity dance competi- tion series 'Dancing with the Stars,' in Los fice"; Fox's "Glee" and "House"; CW's "90210"; and CBS's "Big Brother 12." Shows that incorpo- rated LGBT characters skewed toward "Eastern Angeles. Associated Press and Pacific" viewers and were less watched by Midwestern- ers, Nielsen reported. That geographic difference was most pronounced among 18- to 24-year-olds in the Midwest, compared with 18- to 24-year-olds in other regions. LGBT-inclusive shows attract "dynamic audiences," said Nielsen, not bothering to define "dynamic." Nielsen generates reports primarily for advertisers looking for guidance as to where they should buy time to reach the population their product targets. Among viewers ages 25 to 49, LGBT-inclusive shows were most likely to reach college-educated white chicks, small white-collar households and budding families (those with three or fewer members). Motion pictures and depart- ment stores were the top ad- vertisers, devoting about 28 percent of their ad dollars. Nielsen's report came out days after the second annual Spirit Day. Oct. 20 was dubbed Spirit Day a year ago by a teenager, Brittany McMillan, to pay tribute to LGBT youths who have committed suicide after they reported being bullied. The Washington Post in its release, Nielsen did note some of the LGBT-inclu- sive programs. They included ABC's "Dancing," "Mod- ern Family" and "Grey's Anatomy"; NBC's "The Of- SCHUMANN SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2011 3PM ANDERSON CENTER Binghamton Philharmonic José-Luis Novo | conductor Shai Wosner | piano Ives The Unanswered Question Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Schumann Symphony No. 3 Rhenish 607-723-3931 BINGHAMTONPHILHARMONIC.ORG Nov. 3, 2011 O-Town Scene 21