New Study of Gay/Lesbian TV viewership behavior and pretences released from GLCensus Partners - Syracuse University & OpusComm Group.
-Nearly 70% of lesbians watch "The L Word"
-Almost 50% of viewers pick "Ellen" as their favorite performer
-Over 95% find "Six Feet Under" as the most accurate gay portrayal
Syracuse, NY (PRWEB) February 8, 2005 -- Gay men are from Mars and lesbians are from Venus when it comes to picking their favorite TV. Men gravitate toward shows featuring guys: Queer as Folk and Will & Grace; women go for "chick" shows: The L Word and The Ellen Show.
While 32% of women say The L Word is their favorite show, .5% of men do. And Queer as Folk was the favorite of 26% of the men, but 10.2% of the women. Overall, 69.9% of women watch The L Word, compared to 22.4% of men, according to a new online study conducted Dec. 10-15 by GLCensus Partners, a research partnership between OpusComm Group and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
No matter what show they did pick, many of the 2,149 GLBT respondents are ambivalent about their image in the medium.
Case in point: Jack McFarland. The flamboyant, over-the-top character from Will & Grace was the No. 1 pick for both "most favorite" and "negative portrayal." The show was a top five favorite for both men and women, but with reservations.
"I enjoy Will & Grace despite the fact that it is one long series of gay jokes," said one respondent. "If Jack were a monogamous homebody like me, there would be no ratings and no show," said another. One respondent summed it up: "Although Jack on Will & Grace portrays the worst of the stereotype of gay men, he is still the funniest of all the gay TV characters. Though I despise the stereotype, I love his comedic talents. Go figure."
Those mixed emotions also are manifested in the fact that 47% of respondents couldnt pick their least favorite show that featured either a GLBT character or GLBT participant in a leading role.
"This leads me to believe that the GLBT respondents are partial to GLBT shows in general, but that they also are concerned with how they are being portrayed," said Jeff Garber, president of OpusComm Group. "Early on, they were just happy to be included. Now they want what they believe to be a fair representation."
Glennda Testone media director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) agrees. "It's clear that gay and lesbian viewers are expecting a more sophisticated approach to media images of our lives – and this research bears that out," said Testone. "We need to see more stories where our experiences with relationships, family and sexuality combine to create three-dimensional characters that reflect the everyday reality of who we are."
Respondents echoed that feeling: "It would be great to see gay characters in the leading roles on prime time channels ... Something where the relationship of the main characters is treated just like any other normal relationship." Also: "Television has come along way with its portrayal of gays and lesbians in our culture but still has a long way to go … we are still the ‘funny character on shows."
The level of consciousness is not the same across the board. Said one respondent: "I'm just so happy that mainstream TV is finally starting to depict real gay characters. I have struggled for years with feeling like I can't relate to characters, like I don't belong. This new trend has gotten me interested in TV again."
Full text version of release can be found on:
http://www.glcensus.org/press/2005-02-07.html
The GLCensus Partners is a partnership between the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and advertising and public relations firm OpusComm Group, Inc., which specializes in consultation of sensitivity issues and market plan development for all types of advertisers to target the GLBT community.
For further information and to review a full summary of the "Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census", contact Jeffrey Garber, president of OpusComm Group at jeff@opuscommgroup.com (315) 637-2018 or visit www.glcensus.org.
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Important Notice: All information is to be accredited to:
GLCensus Partners www.glcensus.org Study - A Syracuse University and OpusComm Group research partnership
The world leader in GLBT consumer research includes:
- The S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University www.syracuse.edu - One of the worlds leading academic and research institutions in the field of communications.
- OpusComm Group www.opuscommgroup.com - Innovative Advertising, Marketing, Communication, Research and Public Relations experts on the Gay/Lesbian market.
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