Women making news
In the 1970s, the portrayal and participation of women in Irish television was so appalling that Gemma Hussey got together a group to lobby RTÉ about it. Terry Prone put together a video for them, demonstrating "the gross devaluation of women in television", she recalls. Shortly after, Deirdre Purcell – who had been an actor, and has gone on to greater success as a novelist – became the first female staff newsreader. Prone remembers her as "one of the best ever".
With women now to the forefront of news presenting, Prone notes that the trend reflects the numbers coming out of journalism colleges. But with gender balance has come an age imbalance. "The age issue is an unaddressed disgrace", Prone says. "There is an unspoken rule – and it's becoming more spoken – that you want young and pretty reading the news." Prone talks about a trend towards "infotainment", as "authority and solidity is becoming less important in television".
Her comment echoes critics of the pioneering American female news anchor, Barbara Walters. She became the first female news presenter on a US network news programme in 1976, with a record $5 million five-year contract with ABC television.
The critics called the "softer" approach to the news "infotainment", her co-anchor Harry Reasoner was openly hostile to her on air, and ratings fell. Walters was fired from the anchor position, though she subsequently reemerged as a successful broadcaster. It wasn't until 1993 that another woman got a chance at a network TV news co-anchoring slot – Connie Chung, alongside Dan Rather. That wasn't a commercial success either, and she was dropped.
The main US network news programmes continue to be dominated by men. The template is Walter Cronkite, known as the "most trusted man in America", who was anchorman of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, when Dan Rather succeeded him. Dan Rather has just announced his retirement – the two leading candidates to succeed him are men. Tom Brokaw on NBC has also just retired – and is being replaced by Brian Williams. On ABC, Peter Jennings is still going strong, though Elizabeth Vargas, the 42 year old co-anchor of the ABC news magazine programme 20/20, has been mentioned as a possible successor when he retires.
Amongst the leading anchors on US television currently are Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America and Katie Couric on MSNBC's Today show, both morning slots.
On the BBC, Nan Winton had a brief stint as news presenter in the 1960s. The Evening Standard observed: "Miss Winton usually hides herself behind a desk. Pity. She has a 36-25-37in figure." And an article in The Weekly Post commented: "The plain fact is that the news is one of those rare TV items which requires one simple no-nonsense characteristic from its vendor – authority. And how many women do you know who can even begin to appear and sound authoritative while remaining attractively feminine?"
A group called Women in Media started a campaign in 1971 to have a "perfectly ordinary intelligent" woman present the television news. The BBC chairman, Lord Hill, suggested no such woman existed. A Radio 4 presentation editor suggested: "A news announcer needs to have authority, consistency and reliability. Women may have one or two of these qualities, but not all three" (quoted in the British Journalism Review). Angela Rippon became the first permanent female newsreader, in 1975.
On Irish television now, there are eight female news presenters. RTÉ has Eileen Dunne, Anne Doyle, Sharon Ní Bheolain, Eileen Whelan and Anne Cassin, with Eimear NíChonaola on TG4, Claire Byrne on TV3 and Gráinne Seoige on Sky. Over at the BBC, veteran newsreader Michael Buerk was driven to comment earlier this year that "almost all the big jobs in broadcasting [are] held by women," and that men have been reduced to "sperm donors"". Fellow BBC newsreader Anna Ford called him "a miserable old bat".