In an effort to be more inclusive, CBS is committing 25% of its script development budget to projects that were created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
This enhancement within the company will be seen by the 2021-2022 broadcast season. In addition to the 25% commitment, CBS is enforcing that writer's rooms must be staffed with a minimum of 40% BIPOC representation, with hopes of increasing the percentage to 50% by the 2022-2023 season.
According to Variety, president and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group, George Cheeks, talks about the importance of CBS becoming more inclusive:
"While steady progress has been made in recent years both in front of and behind the camera, change needs to happen faster, especially with creators and leadership roles on the shows. As a network with ambitions to be a unifier and an agent of change at this important time, these new initiatives will help accelerate efforts to broaden our storytelling and make CBS programming even more diverse and inclusive."
This major move from the broadcast network comes in light of the increase of Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the killing of George Floyd. In June, CBS donated $5 million to The Bail Project, Community Coalition, Equal Justice Initiative and many more organizations working towards ending racism.
In addition to Floyd's death, CBS has had a record of employees commenting on the diversity issues within the company. Back in 2019, former CBS executive, Whitney Davis published a piece with Variety in explaining how CBS had a 'white problem'. To read the full piece click here.
With CBS recently committing money and time to inclusivity in the industry, we are excited to see the content that will represent every type of person.
