CMN 3104: Reading #4
Jan 20th 2014
Women in TV and Radio News Robert A. Papper the percerntage of women in television news has been largely unchanged in more than a decade, but that’s just the big picture. The details reveal a slow evolution in terms of womens roles in TV news. Deregulation efforts began with Carter administration in the 1970s and continuing with the reforms of the Telecommunications Act in 1996 revolutionized radio and radio news, and everyone including women have been affected. Some history: Broadcasting was among the first fields to mandate equal employment opportunity—Equal Employment Oppurtunity (EEO) by 1988, Stone found that women made up 33% of the TV news workforce and 31% of the radio news workforce. “marketplace” regulation the idea was that rather then have the government impose rule about station operation, the marketplace itself –consumer demand would take care of that. Radio news staffing and the consequent oppurtunities for both genders has generally gone downhill ever since. Telecommunications Act of 1996 further deregulated radio it allwed for significant consolidation. Over time, as other fields opened up, women had more employment options than ever ebfore. Now the marketplace largely determines employment. Television News today In television News, the workforce has stabilized at just about 40% of women. The latest figures( 2010) put women news anchors at 56.8% and women reporters at 56.7%
Radio News Today: General trend is down. In 2010, the most recent year for which numbers are available, the radio workforce was just above 29%. Today, women are more than a quarter of the news directors in the 25 largest markets and over 20% of the news directors at the largest departments in the country. General managers: In 2010. The percentage of women general managers was 16.5%. The future: Thus, as the total audience for video news and information has grown, the audience size for any given news program has generally been shrinking. And as media choices expand, media advertising choices do as well. I think that we’re at a temporary plateau for women in TV news at 40% but that percentage will start to go up again, slowly, and edge up to as much as 45% by 2020.
CMN 3104: Reading #4
Jan 20th 2014
Planning to succeed: Role Models of Women Working in the Mediated Message industries The act of serving as a role model for others is often associated with the patriarchal idea that women are naturally giving, nurturing and mothering. Yet researchers in recent decades have found that workplace structures and routines complicate the issue for women who want to give and receive support and encouragement. By demonstrating competence in occupations traditionally dominated by men, highly successful women may undermine ongoing gender stereotypes and break through the glass ceiling by following role model’s examples. Women and ethnic minorities cannot find people like themselves in organizations, a dampening effect may make it hard to envision themselves as leaders. Women who work in online news environments, however suggest that less hierarchical structures afford them greater opportunities to serve as role models. Benefits and challenges of Role Modeling: Role models serve as “proxies”, guides, benchmarks by which one can compare/contrast ability to perform tasks for career growth. Strategically, protégés may discover a role model in the person who occupies the position in an organization to which they most immediately aspire. Indeed, role modeling can provide for career and psychosocial functions. Preparing protégés for advancement sponsorship, exposure, visibility, coaching, protection, challenging assignments) Psychosocial functions enhance protégés sense of competence and self image friendship, counseling, acceptance, confirmation Some suggest that women are more inspired by outstanding women role models, report better role modeling by other women and that role modeled women generally are at a midtolate career stage with many experiences to share.
CMN 3104: Reading #4
Jan 20th 2014
Regarding ethnic compositions in role model dyads, some people of colour prefer role models of similar backgrounds because they are inspired by an ingroup member or assume that tthey need to know someone like themselves to succeed. Renowned psychologist, Albert Bandura (1986) suggested that anyone could be a socialization agent when he or she motivates us to adopt a certain self image and lifestyle patterns. Often individuals of outstanding achievement such as entertainers and sports celebrities are considered role models who can affect young peoples career coices. Some cultural critic suggest that females are presented with a limited range of female role models from an early age evidenced by nearly no female action figures toys, and dolls that represent perfect looking models that seem to encourage only consumerism, mindlessness or obsession with men. Female role models can help encounter female socializations effects such as when girls are positively influenced by increasingly greater numbers of women politicians Real life Role models: The most frequently identified role models among women interviewed were people in their private spheres: mothers, fathers, sisters, grandmothers and cousins. Teachers and civic leaders also topped women’s role model lists. Community could be anything from their environment at work or the place they live, people that are giving, more conscious of their surroundings… taught me that there’s things bigger than myself and we’re not in this world for ourselves only. Women across ethic and cultural identities spoke of gratification in giving back= now serving as role models who mentor young women. In conclusion, it seems as though, women select different role models at various ages and career stages so that seeking and being a role model is a circuitous, lifelong process.