Network Revenues and African American Broadcast Television Programs Keith S. Brown Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC Roberto J. Cavazos School of Policy & Management Florida International University This article explores factors explaining program cast racial composition on television broadcast network programs. The roles of program type, cast composition, and viewer income on advertising revenue are examined. The analysis of the data yields several key findings. First, there is no bias against African Americans on the part of viewers or television networks when adjusting for viewer income and age. Second, African Americans have lower incomes and show a strong intensity of preference for programming featuring African American cast members. Therefore, despite the ab- sence of bias, the advertiser-supported broadcast market likely produces less than the socially optimal amount of African American programming. This article provides policy recommendations to increase viewer benefits. African American group rights and advocacy organizations have often criticized television networks, claiming that African Americans are underrepresented on casts of network prime time television programs. In June 1999, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoplep launched a campaign against the four net- works on the basis that Whites were primarily featured in the new fall lineup (Online NewsHour, 1999). The primary research question is this: Are African Americans underrepresented on broadcast television? JOURNAL OF MEDIA ECONOMICS, 15(4), 227–239 Copyright © 2002, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Requests for reprints should be sent to Keith S. Brown, Federal Communications Commission, Common Carrier Bureau, Industry Analysis Division, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554. E-mail: ksbrown@fcc.gov