Generally, black people pair with black people, but black men are with white women far more than black women are with white men, yes, as much as many would like to brush over that.
Why is it an issue? Because it's the woman we're speaking about here. You know who was angry about that cheerios commercial? White men. More than anyone else, caucasian men seemed to take offense to a black male being with their women, and this is usually the case with women, regardless of race. While it's seen as cool to be with a woman of another race for men for the most part, like he just conquered the world and it's normally said to be natural for men to (want to) do this, it's not nearly as accepted on the woman's part.
And you don't need to use television to promote interracial dating, no, but doing so helps move it forward, undoubtedly, whether that's believed or not. The masses are influenced by what they see on the screen, because it's seen as acceptable, cool, fun, etc.