Require HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to practice economic accountability
Require HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to practice economic accountability
The Issue
As both a creator and an educator, I have witnessed firsthand how minority platforms are often excluded from equitable corporate investment. It is disheartening to see the disparity in how resources and opportunities are allocated, favoring only a select few while those who actually power major networks are sidelined. This has personally impacted me and countless other minority creators who have not been given a fair shot despite driving ratings and content engagement.
It’s time for change. We are calling on HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to invest equitably in minority creators and to ensure fair distribution of resources. By offering these creators a rightful seat at the table, these companies can lead the industry towards genuine inclusion and equity.
These major networks reap immense benefits from the cultural and creative contributions made by minority creators, yet they fail to reflect this in their investment and decision-making processes. According to a recent study, minority content drives a significant percentage of viewership growth. Despite these contributions, minority creators continue to be underfunded and overlooked when it comes to opportunities for advancement.
What we are asking for is economic accountability that matches the diverse voices and ideas that fuel these networks. This includes transparent reporting on investment and clear strategies to ensure minority voices are heard and financially supported. It also means establishing measurable goals to track progress against these strategies.
By providing fair opportunities and resources, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can cultivate a more dynamic and representative media landscape. When we support the storytellers from diverse backgrounds, we enrich our cultural dialogues and offer viewers a wide array of perspectives.
Join us in demanding fairness and transparency from these media giants. Sign this petition to urge HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to step up and embrace the diversity that is core to their success. Every signature brings us closer to a more equitable future for minority creators everywhere.
An Open Letter to HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery: A Call for Economic Accountability
To: Rod Moore and the Leadership Teams at HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery
We are writing to you as faithful viewers, creators, and members of a community that has historically contributed significantly to the cultural and economic success of major media platforms. For decades, Black and minority audiences have poured their time, attention, and consumer power into networks like HGTV, helping to build them into the entertainment powerhouses they are today.
However, representation on screen is only half the battle. True equity requires economic accountability.
Despite our deep engagement and the undeniable market influence of minority communities, there remains a stark disparity in how production resources, prime-time opportunities, and long-term financial backing are distributed behind the scenes. We are calling on HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to implement immediate, measurable economic accountability that matches the diverse voices fueling your networks.
Specifically, we are demanding:
1. Transparent and regular public reporting on corporate investments, production budgets, and resource allocation dedicated to minority-led projects.
2. Clear, actionable corporate strategies designed to ensure that minority creators and production professionals are not just seen, but are equitably compensated and sustainably supported.
3. The establishment of independent, measurable benchmarks to track economic progress against these diversity and inclusion strategies year-over-year.
True diversity cannot exist without financial equity. By providing fair opportunities, equitable resources, and a level playing field, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can move beyond performative inclusion and help cultivate a truly dynamic, representative, and just media landscape. We look forward to seeing concrete, public-facing steps toward real economic accountability.
Consider the FACTS....
What we are asking for is economic accountability that matches the diverse voices and ideas that fuel these networks. This includes transparent reporting on investment and clear strategies to ensure minority voices are heard and financially supported. It also means establishing measurable goals to track progress against these strategies.
By providing fair opportunities and resources, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can cultivate a more dynamic and representative media landscape. When we support the storytellers from diverse backgrounds, we enrich our cultural landscape.
An Open Letter to HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery: A Call for Economic Accountability
To: Rod Moore and the Leadership Teams at HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery
We are writing to you as faithful viewers, creators, and members of a community that has historically contributed significantly to the cultural and economic success of major media platforms. For decades, Black and minority audiences have poured their time, attention, and consumer power into networks like HGTV, helping to build them into the entertainment powerhouses they are today.
The Data of Our Economic Power:
* Spending Power: Black consumers alone command an economic spending power that has crossed over $1.7 Trillion annually, driving massive revenue across retail, housing, and media markets.
* Media Consumption: Minority audiences consistently outpace overall market averages in weekly media consumption, video streaming, and linear television viewership, serving as the foundational baseline for network ratings.
* Advertising Influence: Brand advertisers invest billions with networks specifically to reach these highly engaged, trend-setting demographics, yet only a minuscule fraction of those media dollars are reinvested back into minority-owned production companies and creators.
Historical Media Disparities & Case Studies:
* Late Night Television (Johnny Carson vs. Arsenio Hall): Arsenio Hall completely revolutionized late-night TV, capturing the highly coveted youth and minority demographics that Johnny Carson's Tonight Show couldn't reach. Yet, despite proving the financial viability of that younger market, mainstream network backing and premium ad dollars remained overwhelmingly concentrated in traditional, white-hosted late-night formats.
* The Sitcom Blueprint (Living Single vs. Friends): Living Single premiered first, creating the exact blueprint of a tight-knit group of twenty-somethings navigating life and romance in the city. It became one of the highest-rated shows for Black and Latino households. However, when the network launched Friends using the exact same format a year later, Friends was given a massive promotional budget, corporate push, and prime-time backing that Living Single was consistently denied by the studio.
* The HGTV Powerhouse Shifts (Property Brothers vs. The Deon Brothers / Married to Real Estate vs. Home Town): Major, multi-million dollar promotional campaigns, prime time slots, and endless spin-offs are heavily funneled into flagship shows hosted by white creators like Property Brothers (Drew and Jonathan Scott) or Home Town (Ben and Erin Napier). Meanwhile, highly successful minority-led shows like Married to Real Estate (Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson) face disproportionately steeper climbs for sustained marketing budgets and corporate reinvestment, despite pulling in dedicated audiences and driving massive engagement.
However, representation on screen is only half the battle. True equity requires economic accountability. Despite our deep engagement and the undeniable market influence of minority communities, there remains a stark disparity in how production resources, prime-time opportunities, and long-term financial backing are distributed behind the scenes.
Specifically, we are demanding:
1. Transparent and regular public reporting on corporate investments, production budgets, and resource allocation dedicated to minority-led projects.
2. Clear, actionable corporate strategies designed to ensure that minority creators and production professionals are not just seen, but are equitably compensated and sustainably supported.
3. The establishment of independent, measurable benchmarks to track economic progress against these diversity and inclusion strategies year-over-year.
True diversity cannot exist without financial equity. By providing fair opportunities, equitable resources, and a level playing field, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can move beyond performative inclusion and help cultivate a truly dynamic, representative, and just media landscape. We look forward to seeing concrete, public-facing steps toward real economic accountability.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
44
The Issue
As both a creator and an educator, I have witnessed firsthand how minority platforms are often excluded from equitable corporate investment. It is disheartening to see the disparity in how resources and opportunities are allocated, favoring only a select few while those who actually power major networks are sidelined. This has personally impacted me and countless other minority creators who have not been given a fair shot despite driving ratings and content engagement.
It’s time for change. We are calling on HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to invest equitably in minority creators and to ensure fair distribution of resources. By offering these creators a rightful seat at the table, these companies can lead the industry towards genuine inclusion and equity.
These major networks reap immense benefits from the cultural and creative contributions made by minority creators, yet they fail to reflect this in their investment and decision-making processes. According to a recent study, minority content drives a significant percentage of viewership growth. Despite these contributions, minority creators continue to be underfunded and overlooked when it comes to opportunities for advancement.
What we are asking for is economic accountability that matches the diverse voices and ideas that fuel these networks. This includes transparent reporting on investment and clear strategies to ensure minority voices are heard and financially supported. It also means establishing measurable goals to track progress against these strategies.
By providing fair opportunities and resources, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can cultivate a more dynamic and representative media landscape. When we support the storytellers from diverse backgrounds, we enrich our cultural dialogues and offer viewers a wide array of perspectives.
Join us in demanding fairness and transparency from these media giants. Sign this petition to urge HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to step up and embrace the diversity that is core to their success. Every signature brings us closer to a more equitable future for minority creators everywhere.
An Open Letter to HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery: A Call for Economic Accountability
To: Rod Moore and the Leadership Teams at HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery
We are writing to you as faithful viewers, creators, and members of a community that has historically contributed significantly to the cultural and economic success of major media platforms. For decades, Black and minority audiences have poured their time, attention, and consumer power into networks like HGTV, helping to build them into the entertainment powerhouses they are today.
However, representation on screen is only half the battle. True equity requires economic accountability.
Despite our deep engagement and the undeniable market influence of minority communities, there remains a stark disparity in how production resources, prime-time opportunities, and long-term financial backing are distributed behind the scenes. We are calling on HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery to implement immediate, measurable economic accountability that matches the diverse voices fueling your networks.
Specifically, we are demanding:
1. Transparent and regular public reporting on corporate investments, production budgets, and resource allocation dedicated to minority-led projects.
2. Clear, actionable corporate strategies designed to ensure that minority creators and production professionals are not just seen, but are equitably compensated and sustainably supported.
3. The establishment of independent, measurable benchmarks to track economic progress against these diversity and inclusion strategies year-over-year.
True diversity cannot exist without financial equity. By providing fair opportunities, equitable resources, and a level playing field, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can move beyond performative inclusion and help cultivate a truly dynamic, representative, and just media landscape. We look forward to seeing concrete, public-facing steps toward real economic accountability.
Consider the FACTS....
What we are asking for is economic accountability that matches the diverse voices and ideas that fuel these networks. This includes transparent reporting on investment and clear strategies to ensure minority voices are heard and financially supported. It also means establishing measurable goals to track progress against these strategies.
By providing fair opportunities and resources, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can cultivate a more dynamic and representative media landscape. When we support the storytellers from diverse backgrounds, we enrich our cultural landscape.
An Open Letter to HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery: A Call for Economic Accountability
To: Rod Moore and the Leadership Teams at HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery
We are writing to you as faithful viewers, creators, and members of a community that has historically contributed significantly to the cultural and economic success of major media platforms. For decades, Black and minority audiences have poured their time, attention, and consumer power into networks like HGTV, helping to build them into the entertainment powerhouses they are today.
The Data of Our Economic Power:
* Spending Power: Black consumers alone command an economic spending power that has crossed over $1.7 Trillion annually, driving massive revenue across retail, housing, and media markets.
* Media Consumption: Minority audiences consistently outpace overall market averages in weekly media consumption, video streaming, and linear television viewership, serving as the foundational baseline for network ratings.
* Advertising Influence: Brand advertisers invest billions with networks specifically to reach these highly engaged, trend-setting demographics, yet only a minuscule fraction of those media dollars are reinvested back into minority-owned production companies and creators.
Historical Media Disparities & Case Studies:
* Late Night Television (Johnny Carson vs. Arsenio Hall): Arsenio Hall completely revolutionized late-night TV, capturing the highly coveted youth and minority demographics that Johnny Carson's Tonight Show couldn't reach. Yet, despite proving the financial viability of that younger market, mainstream network backing and premium ad dollars remained overwhelmingly concentrated in traditional, white-hosted late-night formats.
* The Sitcom Blueprint (Living Single vs. Friends): Living Single premiered first, creating the exact blueprint of a tight-knit group of twenty-somethings navigating life and romance in the city. It became one of the highest-rated shows for Black and Latino households. However, when the network launched Friends using the exact same format a year later, Friends was given a massive promotional budget, corporate push, and prime-time backing that Living Single was consistently denied by the studio.
* The HGTV Powerhouse Shifts (Property Brothers vs. The Deon Brothers / Married to Real Estate vs. Home Town): Major, multi-million dollar promotional campaigns, prime time slots, and endless spin-offs are heavily funneled into flagship shows hosted by white creators like Property Brothers (Drew and Jonathan Scott) or Home Town (Ben and Erin Napier). Meanwhile, highly successful minority-led shows like Married to Real Estate (Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson) face disproportionately steeper climbs for sustained marketing budgets and corporate reinvestment, despite pulling in dedicated audiences and driving massive engagement.
However, representation on screen is only half the battle. True equity requires economic accountability. Despite our deep engagement and the undeniable market influence of minority communities, there remains a stark disparity in how production resources, prime-time opportunities, and long-term financial backing are distributed behind the scenes.
Specifically, we are demanding:
1. Transparent and regular public reporting on corporate investments, production budgets, and resource allocation dedicated to minority-led projects.
2. Clear, actionable corporate strategies designed to ensure that minority creators and production professionals are not just seen, but are equitably compensated and sustainably supported.
3. The establishment of independent, measurable benchmarks to track economic progress against these diversity and inclusion strategies year-over-year.
True diversity cannot exist without financial equity. By providing fair opportunities, equitable resources, and a level playing field, HGTV and Warner Bros. Discovery can move beyond performative inclusion and help cultivate a truly dynamic, representative, and just media landscape. We look forward to seeing concrete, public-facing steps toward real economic accountability.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
44
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Petition created on June 17, 2026