Imus Fallout: Little Diversity In White Media
700wlw's Willie Cunningham
NBC News will no longer air its daily simulcast of Don Imus's show on MSNBC. Great. And CBS radio suspended Imus for two weeks and is being pressured to fire him. Alright. [Update: CBS radio fired Imus earlier today.]
Rev. Jesse Jackson and others are using the occasion to talk about the lack of African American hosts on cable news shows and on nationally syndicated radio shows.
From "Imus Says He Wants Blacks on Show" at Journal-isms:
"It seems that this is a slap on the wrist," Jackson said. "But this is NBC's standard. The same station has no black hosts on MSNBC, no black hosts on CNBC. If this is their standard, it says an awful lot about this station and . . . and about CBS Radio and the distributorship which, I might add, likewise has no blacks. I guess our mission now is, can we use this moment to desegregate the media?"
I certainly hope so. MSNBC and CNBC aren't the only cable stations with no Black hosts. It appears that there are no Black hosts on CNN, CNN Headline News, or Fox. Court TV seems to have one Black host, Jami Floyd (out of 8).
Radio is a little better but not much. According to Rev. Jackson, CBS Radio/Westwood One, America's largest radio network, has no nationally-syndicated Black talk show hosts. (Click here to see for yourself.) Clear Channel's Primiere Radio Networks has lots of talk shows, but only one 2-hour weekend show with a Black host, "Keep Hope Alive with Rev. Jesse Jackson." ABC Radio has one Black, Larry Elder. Air America has one Black, Mark Riley, on for 1 hour a day. They don't think having Blacks on the air is important. The Jones Radio Networks has no Blacks.
Longtime readers of this blog know I've talked about lack of diversity in the media before. For example, check out "The Whitening Of Air America." Earlier this week, NBC News reporter Ron Allen did a good job of explaining why diversity is important in "Imus' Comments Hit Close To Home."
Ultimately, this is more important than one radio talk-show host. It's important because the "mainstream media" has a tremendous influence on how we see each other, how we think of ourselves, how we determine what's acceptable and what's not. Organizations such as the National Association of Black Journalists and other advocates for diversity have long argued that if America's newsrooms looked like America -- if the faces we see on the air, behind the scenes, and in the management suites -- looked, thought and had sensitivities and experiences more like everyone, the culture inside these institutions would be much different.
And so would what's considered to be a joke.
While I'm dealing with the number of hosts, its important to remember what Ron Allen wrote about diversity in other positions.
Locally, there are 4 white talk radio stations -- WLW-AM (700wlw), WKRC-AM (55krc), and WFTK-FM (SuperTalk FM 96.5), and WSAI-AM (1360 The Source). THERE ISN'T A SINGLE BLACK WEEKDAY HOST OR CO-HOST ON ANY OF THE STATIONS. Most hosts look a lot like 700wlw's Willie Cunningham (pictured above). Unfortunately, no one -- not the NAACP, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, or anyone else -- is saying anything about this lack of diversity or doing anything to change it.
This lack of diversity isn't a story to the white newspapers, probably because they also lack diversity. At last check, the Cincinnati Enquirer had one Black person on the editorial board. The newsroom also lacks genuine diversity. CityBeat, The Cincinnati Business Courier, The Cincinnati Post, The Downtowner, The Community Press, and even The Cincinnati Beacon all lack diversity.
19 comments:
Nate - Point well taken on the need to use this teaching moment to identify areas that all media outlets can improve and the media in Cincinnati is no exception.
A post by field caused me to wonder about this so-called national debate on race relations ... if you were the moderator for the national debate, what would be the first question that you pose to the panel members? Would it be this one about media diversity? Or something else?
peace, Villager
MSNBC does have a black woman host, Alison Stewart, for the show "The Most." NPR/PBS both feature Tavis Smiley, a black man. NPR also has Farai Chideya, a black woman, who hosts "News and Notes." I know there aren't many black hosts in the media, but these people should not be overlooked.
Not only should this Imus fallout cause us to look at diversity in the media, but it should also require us to take a look at ourselves and the messages and images that we are continously spewing.
How can we expect whites, or any other race, to respect us when we don't respect ourselves. Despite Imus' ignorance, he did make a valid point when he said "those people demean themselves all the time." So while Jessee and Al are preparing for shake 'em down tactics and dredging up white guilty, they need to also be over at BET/Viacom and these record companies. In my opinion, they are more to blame than Imus and racists like him.
The reason they're not Black host on the local stations that you just mentioned Nate is because they have a certain audience. Putting a black person on a show with all white listeners won't do a favor to the listeners or the host who will be trashed for having poor ratings. IT'S ALL ABOUT RATINGS AND MONEY. Does the BUZZ has white talk show hosts? The answer is no. Certain groups listen to certain stations...point blank. Black people need to expand and continue to create radio stations so that we have other outlets.
"MSNBC does have a black woman host, Alison Stewart, for the show "The Most." NPR/PBS both feature Tavis Smiley, a black man. NPR also has Farai Chideya, a black woman, who hosts "News and Notes." I know there aren't many black hosts in the media, but these people should not be overlooked."
When I listed the Black cable TV hosts, I was mainly interested in the primetime hosts. I did include Jami Floyd when talking about Court TV because their programming setup is a bit different. Still, your comment is noted.
When I listed the Black cable TV hosts, I was mainly interested in the primetime hosts. I did include Jami Floyd when talking about Court TV because their programming setup is a bit different.
Interesting that you forgot Adora Udoji, who covers the news briefs for Court TV & also does a remarkable job of filling in on the regularly scheduled programming on Court TV.
I solidly agree with the one poster on everyone checking themselves - this includes Jackson, Sharpton, all of the music industry. What happens in fallout for whites, must also happen equally with blacks. No one is exempt.
my mom's an avid reader and told me that this conversation was going on, so i thought i'd weigh in from milwaukee, where i report for the daily newspaper. i'm a black woman from cincinnati.
one thing to consider when thinking about the lack of people of color in mainstream-media (MSM) newsrooms-- whether it's network or cable tv, talk radio or local newspapers-- is the effect that the existing culture in those spaces has on us. often the issue isn't "why aren't they hiring us?" but "why aren't we staying once hired?" and the answer is: because we'd rather be someplace where we don't have to superficially filter black, latino or asian or low-income or gay realities for an audience that's perceived to be monolithically white and middle- or ruling-class. in a word: "mainstream."
one of the best things i could have done for myself to prepare for life in the newsroom was read Jill Nelson's Volunteer Slavery, which is about her time at the Washington Post. Check that out, and look into the life of Leanita McClain, who worked at the Chicago Tribune and eventually committed suicide. Nervous breakdowns seem to be a common thread in memoirs of black reporters who've worked in the MSM.
all the local hosts look like Willie? Ok - granted, I don't know what ALL the local hosts look like, but seeing as how Cunningham has a "face for radio", I certainly HOPE they all don't look like him!!!
Nate,
First, "diversity" means much more than just hiring black people.
And I don't see you asking the Buzz to hire white talk show hosts, or asking the Wiz to hire white DJs.
"Not only should this Imus fallout cause us to look at diversity in the media, but it should also require us to take a look at ourselves and the messages and images that we are continously spewing."
Although I see this as a side issue, I have no problem with this country taking a look at our culture and bringing it back into moderation.
"How can we expect whites, or any other race, to respect us when we don't respect ourselves. Despite Imus' ignorance, he did make a valid point when he said "those people demean themselves all the time." So while Jessee and Al are preparing for shake 'em down tactics and dredging up white guilty, they need to also be over at BET/Viacom and these record companies. In my opinion, they are more to blame than Imus and racists like him."
I disagree.
When Mel Gibson attacked the Jews, I don't remember reading where a single Jew suggested that Jews had to resolve all of their issues before they could speak out on Gibson.
The issue here was Don Imus. Period. Not so-called black-on-black crime or out-of-wedlock births or Sharpton or Jackson or hip hop or comics. The issue was Imus. Why Black people fall for this trick of changing the subject is beyond me. And you don't see other races/cultures doing it.
And, for the record, I've heard Sharpton and Jackson both preach many times about the need for Blacks to take responsibility for ourselves and demand that entertainers clean up their acts. Most of those people who claim they never address this know better.
"The reason they're not Black host on the local stations that you just mentioned Nate is because they have a certain audience. Putting a black person on a show with all white listeners won't do a favor to the listeners or the host who will be trashed for having poor ratings. IT'S ALL ABOUT RATINGS AND MONEY."
BULLSHIT!
Your suggestion that there isn't a single Black person in Cincinnati, or really the world, who has the ability to host a show and appeal to an audience is ridiculous. The audiences at the local stations/newspapers aren't all white. And Blacks have crossover appeal.
Yeah, its partly about ratings and money, but its also about racism and exclusion. Of course, the white guys in charge of hiring will lean on your argument, but how do they know that a Black can't make it if they never give one a chance?
"Does the BUZZ has white talk show hosts? The answer is no. Certain groups listen to certain stations...point blank. Black people need to expand and continue to create radio stations so that we have other outlets."
The Buzz has only been around for a few years yet in that short amount of time they've hired at least 2 white hosts -- Jene Galvin and Larry Arnett. Clear Channel buys and sells radio stations and changes the programming, but they don't hire Black hosts.
"Interesting that you forgot Adora Udoji, who covers the news briefs for Court TV & also does a remarkable job of filling in on the regularly scheduled programming on Court TV."
I didn't forget Udoji. She wasn't listed because she is a correspondent and doesn't host a show.
"I solidly agree with the one poster on everyone checking themselves - this includes Jackson, Sharpton, all of the music industry. What happens in fallout for whites, must also happen equally with blacks. No one is exempt."
I'd like to know what Jackson, Sharpton, or anyone else can do about what is happening in the entertainment industry. And I'd like to know why this discussion is limited to hip hop, and not, for example, Hollywood.
What Black host has been busted on the air making derogatory comments about people of another race? This hasn't happened.
And Don Imus was no "shock jock". He may have been that a long time ago, but these days he was rubbing elbows and interviewing major political figures, representing two of the nation's largest media companies, and raking in money from some of the largest corporations in the world. Don Imus was mainstream.
Concerned reader
Wouldn't it have made more sense to get your facts straight before you posted your comment.
As I pointed out above, in its short existence, the Buzz has hired at least two white talk show hosts -- Jene Galvin and Larry Arnette. Come to think of it, they gave John Schlagetter a show too.
Most of the management of Radio One Cincinnati, the company that owns and operates the Wiz and the Buzz, is white.
And even though I wasn't talking about music radio stations, the Wiz currently has at least one white DJ, DJ Skillz, and has had plenty of whites in the past. Hell, Teri Thomas was the program director and hosted the midday show for like 5 years.
You are a perfect example of a person who doesn't let facts get in the way of their opinions.
Hotep! You have been awarded a THINKING BLOGGERS AWARD by the Electronic Village. If you accept the award then you are asked to follow the participation rules of this meme. The time you place into your blog is very much appreciated by your readers, especially this reader! peace, Villager
Nate,
If you're gonna list media outlets that lack diversity and you include the Cincinnati Beacon, then you forgot another one -- the Cincinnati Black Blog.
Typical of you to have double standards.
When Mel Gibson attacked the Jews, I don't remember reading where a single Jew suggested that Jews had to resolve all of their issues before they could speak out on Gibson.
The issue here was Don Imus. Period. Not so-called black-on-black crime or out-of-wedlock births or Sharpton or Jackson or hip hop or comics. The issue was Imus. Why Black people fall for this trick of changing the subject is beyond me. And you don't see other races/cultures doing it.
Probably because we are the only race of people that are viewed in mainstream media in such bafoonery, negative ways. I'm not talking about black-on-black crime in general, but how Imus'(and Fox TV) comments are only a microcosm of what's wrong with mainstream media. Having a Black TV/radio host is fine, but what about the producers, general managers, and others that have the real power and authority to change mainstream media. Herein lies the problem.
You can blame Imus to a certain degree, but truth be told, there are a lot of "Imus" out there in radio/tv land. Hell, look at Cunningham. Just because he was fired doesn't mean that the problem is gone. He can easily be replaced overnight. You have to look at the bigger picture here--from lack of Blacks in authorative roles in mainstream media to Black actors and rappers that agree to continue to play into the "nappy headed-ho" syndrome. I don't see Jewish, Asians, Latinos, or any other race allowing themselves to be exploited the way we do.
Concerned Reader
"If you're gonna list media outlets that lack diversity and you include the Cincinnati Beacon, then you forgot another one -- the Cincinnati Black Blog.
Typical of you to have double standards."
Wrong again!
The Cincinnati Black BLOG is a weblog -- an online journal. We don't pretend that it is anything other than what it is. The 3 white boys who run the Cincinnati Beacon claim to be online citizen journalists. There's a big difference. Anyone with a working brain understands it.
Nate, there's days when you have to ignore "A Concerned Reader". That individual is all over the blogs with some sort of ridiculous, unfounded statement, & of course, can't back up anything.
If this person is sooooo "concerned", perhaps it would be a good idea to read first, then get concerned. Just another one with entirely too much time on the hands, who could be out there doing something for the greater good.
The Wiz has at least 2 white on-air personalities.
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