ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s, the mass media still tended to portray feminism in a negative light, such that women who supported causes like equal pay would quickly add “but I’m not a feminist.” Newsweek, the New York Times magazine, and even ABC-TV all did special reports that purported to show that feminism was dead and that it had only brought women unhappiness.1 Fortunately, a few more women had now come to the forefront in both radio and TV; the presence of these successful women not only provided positive role models for girls considering careers in broadcasting but, more importantly, helped to contradict some of the frequently negative reporting by men about the dangers of being a career woman. And when the major networks seemed to lack objectivity about a women’s issue, there was now a new option: women could turn to the growing number of cable channels. Some of the new channels mainly showed reruns of old TV shows and even older movies. But some of the channels were committed to doing special features and documentaries, and some hired women right from the start: when Cable News Network (CNN) made its debut on June 1, 1980, a number of women were hired as reporters and anchors; it was not unusual to see women coanchoring with men on CNN before many of the networks felt comfortable with that arrangement. In 1981, a collaboration between Home Box Office (HBO) and Ms. magazine resulted in a documentary called “She’s Nobody’s Baby: A History of Women in the 20th Century,” which was honored with a Peabody, perhaps the first such award for a cable presentation. But not everyone had access to cable TV yet, and documentaries about women’s issues were still far fewer than the magazine articles and TV shows that cast women in a negative light. For example, a 1986 cover story in Newsweek proclaimed a “man shortage” and warned women with careers that they ran the risk of never finding a husband and never having children. That same year, ABC-TV did a special about the same subject; Peter Jennings and several reporters kept driving home the point that feminism came at the cost of having a home and a family.2 It is unfortunate
that this program aired in 1986 because NPR’s Cokie Roberts did not join ABC until 1988; she might have had a somewhat different viewpoint, given that she was a happily married woman with children and a successful career.
