27 Feb Political Woman “Talk Shows: Women fight for Air”
We asked server leading feminist media activists to analyze “Talk Show Democracy.” Here are there replies.
Jeane Clark
Anthony, Stanton & Gage
This the backlash is fading? Think again. And list to most talk radio.
Rush Limbaugh – superstar of radio talk, the Roger Ailes’ – produced TV talk show and now a best selling book. How did he get so popular? In part, by calling Ellie Smail a “Feminazi” and getting away with it.
Newsweek runs a cover story on the influence of radio talk show hosts. Yet they fail to even mention to even mention the only woman — Leslie Marshall — who has a national radio talk show on issues.
National talk radio did not hire its first woman issue talk show host until 60 years after radio began commercial broadcasting — in November 1992.
But even though the women in radio — from Leslie Marshall to Lynne Cullen to Diane Rehm — have better ratings, higher standards, and more intellegent callers, the industry has failed to hire and promote women in equal numbers to men.
The solution? A feminization of power. Just as in our nation’s other political institutions, we must demand gender balance in radio and televison now.
Anthony, Stanton & Gage is a feminist media and political consulting firm.