FOX and ABC proved themselves to be the most LGBT-inclusive broadcast networks in the past year, at a time when the overall number of gay and lesbian characters on television took a slight downward dip, according to a watchdog report released Friday by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

On the cable side, ABC Family claimed the top spot, just ahead of FX and Showtime. ABC Family’s position could be seen as one of the clearest demonstrations yet of the radical break the channel has made with its past as a network founded by Evangelical Christians. Fully 50 percent of ABC Family’s original programming included LGBT storylines or characters.

CBS found itself at the bottom of the broadcast rankings for the fifth year in a row, with only 14 percent of their original programming including gay impressions. USA, TNT, and TBS were all towards the bottom of the cable list.

But it was History that saw itself singled out by GLAAD for having zero LGBT storylines or impressions in its original programming last year.

“Despite the fact that GLAAD tracked 246 hours of original programming hours on History this year, we were unable to identify even one appearance by an openly gay LGBT person on either their scripted or unscripted shows,” the report states.

Each year, GLAAD issues a grade to the broadcast networks and major cable channels in one of four categories: Excellent, Good, Adequate, and Failing:

2012-2013 Programming Year

Excellent: None

Good: ABC, ABC Family, The CW, FOX, MTV, NBC, Showtime

Adequate: CBS, FX, HBO, TLC, TNT, USA

Failing: History, TBS

Overall, the number of LGBT scripted series characters on TV stood at 3.3 percent this year, down slightly from last year’s historic high of 4.4 percent.

ABC and FOX were the only networks to show increases this year and have the highest percentage of LGBT characters at 5.4% each. NBC was at the bottom of the broadcast list, with only 1 percent of its characters openly gay.

Of the 46 LGBT regular and recurring characters on broadcast networks, half are women and 28% are people of color.

Read More: GLAAD

Brief Take: GLAAD’s annual report is a useful tool for networks trying to position themselves as embracing diversity—and also attract advertisers looking for LGBT dollars.

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