December 2008

It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama. But after years of ensemble dramas sprinkled with nonwhite supporting actors, the excitement surrounding the election of Barack Obama could help to open doors for more minorities in leading dramatic roles, executives from television production studios said. The evidence seems to indicate that race neutrality has not produced a surge of black lead performers, at least in network dramas. While comedies with black characters have been something of a network staple — from the much vilified "Amos 'n Andy" in the early days of television, through shows like "Sanford and Son" with Redd Foxx, "The Jeffersons," and Martin Lawrence's sitcom "Martin" — historically, blacks in lead television drama roles have been rare. Tim Reid, who was the star and an executive producer of the Emmy-winning comedy series "Frank's Place" for CBS in the 1987-88 season — and who recently wrote, with the white comic Tom Dreesen, "Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White" about their days as a stand-up team — has been outspoken about the continued limited opportunities for minorities in television. "If the president-elect should have any positive influence over the so-called liberal base of Hollywood, it will be by focusing their attention on the reality of the kind of multicultural world we actually live in," Mr. Reid said in an e-mail message. "This doesn't just mean putting another person of color in front of the camera, but giving them an equal opportunity in having a say-so in what is created for the camera." "In my opinion," he continued, "we're far more likely to have a black president in my lifetime ... oh, yeah ... I can stop saying that now."

Almost all of the country's television stations with network affiliations have a face, or a pair of faces, that represent their news operations better than any logo or commercial can. Many years after signing off, the larger-than-life characters are still fixtures of newscast lore. But across the country, longtime local TV anchors are a dying breed. Facing an economic slump and a severe advertising downturn, many stations have cut costs drastically in the last year, and veteran anchors, with their expensive contracts, seem to be shouldering a disproportionate share of the cutbacks. When station managers are forced to make cuts, hefty anchor salaries are a tempting target. When the anchors depart, they take decades of experience and insight with them. "Basically, you replace someone who knows City Hall with someone who can't find it," said John Beard, who lost his job at KTTV last December after 26 years as a news anchor in Los Angeles. While some anchors in top markets can still command million-dollar salaries the positions are becoming more vulnerable to the market forces that are roiling local TV, analysts say.

Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits. Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver. The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make driving dangerous.

This month, a satellite resembling a shiny spinning drum and orbiting 21,156 miles above Earth celebrated its 41st birthday, astounding engineers and scientists, some of them the children of those who built it. For years, the satellite has served as an emergency communications link for rescue operations, including the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and the 1980 Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption. It was supposed to live for only three years when it was launched in 1967. But the spacecraft, known as ATS 3, isn't alone. Many satellites are operating well past their life expectancy, so much so that manufacturers are hurting from lack of demand for new, replacement satellites. And those who are buying are asking for guarantees that the new satellites, which can cost as much as $300 million each, will last two to three times as long as the early birds.