Glee and 90210 helped CW
and Fox earn top marks on GLAAD's fourth annual report on
gay-inclusive television, while MTV earned the group's first
“excellent” rating.
MTV is the first network in the history
of the Network Responsibility Index (NRI) to earn an “excellent”
rating from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD).
“From their inception, MTV programs
like 'The Real World' and 'America's Best Dance Crew' have offered
richly diverse portrayals of gay and transgender people that help
Americans better understand and accept our community,” Jarrett
Barrios, president of GLAAD, said.
According to the report, 42 percent of
MTV's original primetime schedule is LGBT inclusive.
With the help of its teen dramas, 90210
and Melrose Place,
upstart the CW overtook ABC as the top network broadcaster.
ABC,which had held steady at number one for three years, tumbled to
third, and Fox settled into the second spot.
GLAAD gave Glee and American
Idol much of the credit for
helping Fox move up a notch from last year.
NBC and CBS, however, refused to budge
from last year's fourth and fifth place finishes, and received a
grade of “failing” from GLAAD.
Still, all five networks showed some
improvement over last year. For example, ABC added 2 points, but top
finishers the CW and Fox gained a whopping 15 and 19 points,
respectively, to claim the top slots.