TV Newsrooms Becoming More Diverse
Media relations may soon mean wisdom in multiculturalism as well, according to the Radio Television News Directors Association / Ball State University Survey of radio and television newsrooms.
Although the number of minorities in the news industry still lags, they are making headway.
Results of the study show:
The percentage of minorities in TV news continues to rise - now at 21 percent of the total workforce. That's up from 19 percent the year before and 17 percent the year before that;
The percentage of minority TV news directors remains at 8 percent. It's been 8-9 percent for the last several years;
Minority TV news directors are more than eight times as likely to work for independent stations (including Hispanic media outlets) than network affiliates;
The percentage (37 percent) of women in TV news remains the same. This is the first time in several years that the percentage hasn't inched up some;
The percentage of women TV news directors is 14 percent;
Data about those in radio also hasn't shifted dramatically: minorities make up 12 percent of the total workforce and 8 percent of news directors are minorities.
The RTNDA/Ball State University Survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 1996 among all 1,186 operating, non-satellite TV stations and via a random sample of 843 radio stations. A total of 653 TV stations responded (55.1 percent) and 351 (41.6 percent) of radio stations responded. (Bob Papper, Ball State University:765/285-5397 or [email protected])
