Page - 112 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Leen d’Haenens | Whither Cultural Diversity on the Dutch TV Screen? 112 it is storytelling about the real issues of life. Soaps rely furthermore on a large cast, almost organically allowing the introduction of actors from a different ethnic origin. The producer of “Good Times Bad Times” first and foremost considers the series as fictitious, in contrast with real life and a meticulous representation of it. The maker of “On the Way to Tomorrow” on the contrary stages characters in the series that viewers identify themselves with. A fourth factor that may somewhat colour a television program is its production team, the crew. This statement was at first qualified as nonsense by all our informants. When thinking about it further, the informants could imagine the potential impact of a culturally mixed crew on the content, whether or not this is relevant for the series’ subject. All informants agree on the fact that too few people from another ethnic background are part of the profession. This seems to be changing currently but in this very moment it is still felt as problematic. Moreover, as the funds are shrinking, this is a rather bad period for hiring. Hence, the media logic or, in other words, the amount of time and money spent on a production, does play a major role on the ways in which diversity is visualized or not. The informants aim at catering to a large audience, which has its implications for the degree of prominence of ethnicity in the program. They all see a connection between the representation of a certain minority group and their viewing of the program. The maker of “Van Speijck” refers to reactions of Turkish viewers to the portrayal of Turks in the program. Also the Internet site of “On the Way to Tomorrow” makes it possible to maintain active contact with the BNN members and thus with the viewers of the series. This allows the producers to consult their audience and make (colour) adjustments in the series if needed, on the basis of appreciation given in relation to certain characters and issues dealt with. In contrast with the problematic hiring of crew members of colour, the scouting of actors with an ethnic minority background is experienced as a lot easier. There are enough good actors with an ethnic minority background, so it seems. The answer to the question whether actors have a true impact on the way in which ethnic diversity is visualized in the series varies. The maker of “Children No Objection” believes that actors do not impact on the portrayal of ethnic diversity. “They play a role that is written in the script, and in principle nothing is changed to it.” The other informants do believe the actors have an impact on their role as they serve as some sort of sounding board against which the makers can check their story lines. Actors also happen to co- decide about issues that are acceptable or not according to their culture. Of course each actor brings in a personal style, a personality, which determines the way the character looks.