Since 1999, the networks have made some progress but we know more can be done

Kweisi Mfume, NAACP

"The time for talking is fast coming to an end," lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr said.

The coalition includes groups representing blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and American Indians.

'Wrong direction'

"One year after the signing of preliminary agreements, we are very much concerned that more progress has not been made," said Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

It's even worse than any of us thought

Alex Nogales

The coalition has released a report grading the networks' efforts, with ABC at the bottom of the class. NBC, Fox and CBS are also criticised.

"It seems ABC has actually gone in the wrong direction," said Esteban Torres, chairman of the coalition .

Network executives did not attend the news conference at the offices of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists but they have strongly contested the coalition's views.

CBS said its on-air representation of minorities in leading or recurring roles has nearly doubled between 1999 and 2001.

'Dialogue'

Josie Thomas, the network's senior vice president for diversity, said CBS prime-time dramas, comedies, news and reality programming in the Autumn are expected to include 53 people from minority backgrounds compared to 29 in the same period in 1999.

ABC has ethnically diverse lead characters that are portrayed as positive role models

ABC spokeswoman

"Clearly, there is much work to be done to better reflect our nation's many cultures, particularly that of Latinos," Thomas said.

"But in the 18 months since we began our dialogue with the coalition, our commitment to diversity is both quantifiable and significant."

ABC has said it is increasing ethnic representation in prime time slots by 39% for its next season and by 18% in its overall schedule.

'Role models'

"We are disappointed that the coalition has misrepresented ABC's record," said ABC spokeswoman Zenia Mucha.

She added: "ABC has ethnically diverse lead characters that are portrayed as positive role models, which we consider critical toward promoting true diversity."

The coalition said major broadcast networks had included more blacks in their shows but otherwise failed to live up to agreements to provide more ethnically diverse programming.

"It's even worse than any of us thought," said Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Boycott

The networks first started negotiations with civil rights groups after the NAACP threatened a TV boycott or legal action because of a perceived lack of minority actors in the 1999 schedule of new shows.

After Thursday's fresh report the NAACP has re-issued its threat of a boycott. "Since 1999, the networks have made some progress but we know more can be done," said Mr Mfume.

The NAACP has said it is considering "the possibility of a sustained economic boycott aimed at one of the four major networks".

According to a survey released earlier this month by the advocacy group Children Now, the number of black characters in network series increased from the 1999-2000 TV season to the 2000-01 from 13% to 17%.

Hispanic representation dropped from three percent to two percent while Asian-American characters increased from two percent to three percent.