Women Still Infrequently Called Upon For Policy, Public Affairs TV Debates

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there's been plenty of discussion - and complaining - about why there were so few essays about these events and the nation's response to them by women on the op-ed pages of major newspapers in the U.S. and abroad.

The White House Project, a national non-partisan organization whose mission is to enhance the public's perception of women's capacity to lead and foster the entry of women into positions of leadership, in December 2001 released a study of women's appearances on the Sunday public-affairs talk shows - a good gauge of who influences public policy discussion.

"We studied the Sunday shows because they are a primary place where issues of importance are identified and the people who speak to these issues become identified as authorities," said Marie Wilson, president of The White House Project. "We studied all aspects of the Sunday shows ["Meet the Press," "This Week," "Face the Nation," "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," and "FOX News Sunday"]. Our summary findings are these: Women are neither seen nor heard on Sunday morning talk shows, despite their positions of leadership and despite their expertise."

Progress Stalled for Newspaper Women; Greater Numbers But Not Greater Advancement

A far-reaching report on women at newspapers from the Media Management Center at Northwestern University says that, after a spurt in the late 1980s, progress for women has slowed.

"Women in Newspapers: How Much Progress Has Been Made?", published in 2001, says that, on a percentage basis, there are now slightly more women working at newspapers than in the U.S. work force in general, about 48 percent vs. 46.5 percent in the total labor force. Women hold about 44 percent of the management positions in the U.S. work force but hold only about 35 percent of newspaper management jobs. Of the 9 percent of newspaper management jobs held by persons of color, only one third are held by women.

According to the report, women are underrepresented in management of editorial, circulation, information systems and production. In the past decade they have made the greatest gains in advertising and general management and the fewest in editorial. The gains, however, were mostly in lower-echelon managerial posts.

Another Glass Ceiling Study: Women In Communications Field Losing Ground

A study by the General Accounting Office of women in management positions in 10 selected industries shows that women continue to lag behind their male counterparts in both advancement and pay. In seven of the 10 industries - including communications - the pay gap actually widened between 1995 and 2000, the study said.

In 1995, a full-time female manager in the communications industry earned 86 cents for every $1 earned by a full-time manager. Five years later, a full-time female manager in the same industry earned 73 cents for each dollar earned by a male manager.

Paula Zahn and the Zipper Promo: How Low Do We Have to Go?

If you are a watcher of CNN, you may have noticed that it is trying to get a little zestier in its news presentation.

First it hired Andrea Thompson, a former model and actress with credits from "NYPD Blue," as a news anchor.

Then it lured Paula Zahn, a bona fide journalist, away from FOX News. And here's how CNN decided to introduce her the first weekend in January: A promotional ad appeared on viewers' television screens, announcing Zahn's new show, "American Morning," with a male announcer asking, "Where can you find a morning news anchor who's provocative, super-smart, oh yeah, and just a little sexy?" The word "sexy" then popped up on the screen, accompanied by a noise that sounded like a zipper being unzipped, then a cut to Zahn on the set of the show.

The promo ran all that weekend before being spiked by CNN chief Walter Isaacson that Monday, even as CNN spokespeople tried to explain that it was not supposed to sound like a zipper "but more like a needle scratching across an LP record," according to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd.

"I don't care what anyone at CNN says, that fillip 'only sounds like a zipper' because it IS a zipper," said J. Donald Brandt, retired editor of the Wilmington (DE) News Journal and former deputy editor of the editorial page at USA TODAY.

Isaacson said it was all a "mistake" and that the promotion department hadn't cleared the ad.

Zahn, for her part, said CNN had apologized to her.

Case closed? Hardly.

Liberty Media, Ms. Magazine Acquired By Feminist Majority Foundation

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, and Marcia Ann Gillespie, president of Liberty Media for Women, LLC, in November announced that the Feminist Majority Foundation would assume ownership of Liberty Media for Women, the publisher of Ms. magazine.

"This is the perfect marriage of information and action," said Gillespie, editor-in-chief of Ms. "I cannot imagine a better gift for Ms. readers than a future strengthened by synergy with the Feminist Majority Foundation and the leadership of Ellie Smeal."

Cheesecake Firmly in Place on ABC During November 2001 Sweeps

In a predictable cross-media expansion, the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show, formerly only a webcast from the company site, made it into prime time on ABC in November. A one-hour "lingerie show" was broadcast Nov. 15 right in the middle of the important month for measuring television audience viewership.

According to Washington Post television columnist Lisa de Moraes (Nov. 20 and 21, 2001), the show was a ratings winner with 12.4 million viewers, and at times during the hour more than 13 million were tuned in. More men watched the program than watched the "WWF Smackdown!" in the same time slot, de Moraes said. Lisa Bennett, communications director for the National Organization for Women, took on the show in her weekly report on media: "Oh, c'mon, who was supposed to be looking at the underwear? And between the stiletto heels and the giant angel wings the models wore, walking the runway looked downright dangerous. The show strolled right across the line from 'sex sells' to selling sex. ABC and its parent company, Disney, should be embarrassed. Not only did they provide an hour of free air time to a commercial venture, they also ventured into the world of broadcast strip shows."

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