UPN To Go More Multi-Ethnic?

UPN is continuing to court its African American viewers with its programme lineup. Trying to be seen as "young, hip and ethnically diverse" the network is experiencing good ratings on Mondays, their African American comedy night.

However entertainment president Dawn Ostroff in an interview with MediaWeek said they weren't just trying to attract African American viewers. "What we're going for is the trendsetter type of person — young, hip, contemporary viewers," she told the site. "I don't know if that has a racial meaning as much as it pinpoints a characteristic of this particular demographic."

However, deliberate or not, UPN is continuing increase its multi-ethnic feel. In a tempt to blend the programming nights — on a schedule that some analysts see as fragmented — UPN placed African American comedy Abby after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The results have not been very good, but Ostroff noted that 20% of Buffy's audience is African American and pointed out that both shows "feed into the universal theme of single, strong, independent women."

Ostroff hopes that the launch of Platinum (story) will serve as a solid lead out for show for Buffy when it starts in April. "You have a show about an African American family at its core, but when you go to the record company, it's a multiethnic environment," she told the MediaWeek. "People who buy rap and hip-hop are trendsetters. They're consumed with pop culture, which is very similar to Buffy's audience."

The full article can be found here at MediaWeek.

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