The Paley Center for Media

2021 Black History Month Spotlight

Michelle Obama And She Could Be Next (2020) Making History: Black Women in Government and Politics on TV Tens of millions watched on TV when Kamala Harris broke through as the first woman of color to become Vice President of the United States, and her success sheds new light on the incredible legacy of Black women at all levels of American politics during the television age. More

2021 Black History Month Spotlight

Spotlight—The Negro Leagues In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced that the records of Negro Leagues players would become included in the game’s official statistical record. This turning point in the history of the Negro Leagues shed an important light on the achievements of generations of iconic players. As we continue to discover and appreciate their enduring accomplishments, the Paley Center salutes the ongoing efforts to preserve and celebrate the rich legacy of the Negro Leagues. More

2021 Black History Month Celebration: Drama

Drama As television and the struggle for Civil Rights were both coming of age in the 1950s, Black Americans could find few positive, affirming images on dramatic television. Although such pioneers as Ossie Davis, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and others could be seen in occasional roles, principally in anthology series presentations, there were no ongoing Black characters on network TV dramas. More

2021 Black History Month Celebration: Comedy

Comedy Some of the earliest examples of Black life in television comedy included adaptations of the hit radio shows Beulah and The Amos 'n Andy Show, both of which presented caricatures of their Black characters. For the next several decades, Black characters in TV comedy were mostly relegated to the background, but in 1968, Diahann Carroll broke new ground in the sitcom Julia. Playing a widowed nurse with a young son, she was the first Black woman to lead a sitcom in a non-domestic role. More

2021 Black History Month Celebration: Sports

Sports Black athletes have been inspirational figures, and symbols of our society, since the earliest days of television. Olympic champion Jesse Owens, heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis, and baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who integrated baseball as commercial TV was being launched, were among the most notable icons in the medium’s early days. More

2021 Black History Month Celebration: News, Talk, Docs

News, Talk, Docs In 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that, “We’re going to make them do it in the glaring light of television. ” From the Little Rock Nine walking to school to Selma to the Rodney King video to the tragic killings of Eric Garner, Walter Scott, George Floyd, and so many more, television brought the searing images of the struggle for racial justice into American homes for sixty years. More

Event

Bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Television

Virtual Paley Dialogue Bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Television Wednesday, June 16, 2021 9:30 to 10:15 am PT / 12:30 to 1:15 pm ET The Marvel Cinematic Universe has indisputably tread new ground from its inception, interweaving sprawling narratives with unique moments of engrossing character development. With the introduction of Disney+, it’s no surprise that Marvel Studios is moving into episodic television in a new way, where the possibilities for fresh storytelling are boundless. More

Event

ESPN and NHL: Brokering the Future of Sports Media

VIRTUAL PALEY DIALOGUE ESPN and NHL: Brokering the Future of Sports Media Thursday, October 7, 2021 10:00 to 10:45 am PT / 1:00 to 1:45 pm ET In March, The Walt Disney Company, ESPN, and the National Hockey League reached a groundbreaking, platform-rich deal, setting a new standard for how to connect with fans in an increasingly digital sports media landscape. Gary B. More

Search Results