As this critical new medium emerged in America ca. 1950s, the NAACP and other civil rights organizations moved cautiously to monitor it. They demanded that television abandon negative and depict positive racial and ethnic images. Would the networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC Radio) agree? Abandon the racist imagery in journalism, radio, and film that mirrored the previous half-century of segregation? Employ people of color in nonmenial positions? Foster desegregation of American culture and society?

Yet the past was prologue. Radio, in spite of the Federal Radio Education Project's specials exploring cultural pluralism in the 1930s–40s, frequently degraded African Americans. To secure employment in radio and film, blacks had to play Coon, Uncle Tom, Aunt Jemima, shuffle, and dance roles. Television followed suit. Here blacks usually appeared as guests, not as regulars, and in musical roles. A typical role was the black butler or maid like Rochester on the Jack Benny Show, Louise on The Danny Thomas Show, and Willie on the Trouble With Father. Black caricatures abounded in The Little Rascals, featuring Sunshine Sammy and Buckwheat. The same was true of CBS's nationally popular comedy: The Amos ‘n Andy Show, showcasing figures such as the Kingfish and his wife Sapphire.

African American protest leveraged reform. NAACP complaints against Amos ‘n Andy began with its debut (1951) and persisted; the network agreed to cancel it in 1966, a year after I Spy premiered on NBC. Co-starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, I Spy showed until 1968. Winning two Emmy Awards for best actor, Cosby launched the career that made him so influential in reforming TV's portrayal of black characters. However, 1970s– 80s “black humor” shows, including Good Times and Give Me a Break, continued stereotyped black images. CBS did not cancel The Little Rascals but, despite protests of rights and education groups, spent “money to re-edit the series.” Meanwhile, The Cosby Show (1984–92), portraying a middle-class black family, was highly rated and respected, proving that TV could abandon racial stereotypes and retain a cross-racial audience (30 million weekly). Founded in 1980, Black Entertainment Television (BET) provides multidimensional portrayals of blacks. Many media experts consider depictions of nonwhites crucial to achieving equality in America.