While the country continues to get more diverse every year, America’s TV and radio newsrooms are becoming more homogenous.
The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found that, overall, the percentage of minorities in both radio and television fell for the third straight year, although the drop in television was small.
“Again, the percentage of minorities in television decreased from the year before. In fact, we end the decade with no gains whatsoever for minorities in TV news, and the percentage of minorities in radio news is down substantially,” said Bob Papper, professor of journalism at Hofstra University and the survey director.
According to the survey, women in radio news rose slightly, but the overall percentage of women in TV news went down.
Could some of the troubles TV and radio stations are having be a result of this lack of commitment to diversity? It sure seems like it would be eaier to reach diverse audiences with a more diverse staff.
