Feedback May 2002 (Vol 43 No 2)

RECORDTHE PARTICIPATION OF WOMENIN THE 2001 ANNUAL CONVENTIONSOF THE NAB AND THE BEARebecca Ann Lind, University of Illinois at Chicagorebecca@uic.eduMark J. Braun, Gustavus Adolphus Collegembraun@gustavus.eduFor nine years, we have investigated women’s involvement in the annual NationalAssociation of Broadcasters convention. After several years, Susan Tyler Eastman andBetsy Leebron suggested we also analyze women’s involvement in the BEA —something Eastman & Leebron had begun in 1989. Thus, we began incorporatingelements of the Eastman & Leebron analyses into our reports in 1998.We argue that we must continue to monitor women’s inclusion not only in theindustry’s major professional organization but also in the professional association mostclosely allied with media education. Only through careful and consistent observationwill we understand the extent of female participation. Through ongoing analysis can weaccurately assess whether (and how much) progress for women is being made.Our research is guided by four research questions:RQ 1: What was the gender distribution of participants in NAB 2001panels/programs?RQ 2: What was the gender distribution of the NAB Boards in 2001?RQ 3: What was the gender distribution of participants in BEA 2001panels/programs?RQ 4: What was the gender distribution of the BEA Boards in 2001?The Year in ReviewAs has become the custom with this annual report, the literature presented here isonly the most recent. Please refer to earlier reports (Braun & Lind, 2001, 1999, 1998,1995, 1994; Lind & Braun, 2000, 1997, 1996) for additional information.The year 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the American Women in Radio andTelevision, and the National Association of Broadcasters observed the anniversary byawarding AWRT and president Nancy Logan its “Spirit of Broadcasting Award” at theNAB convention in Las Vegas (“The Spirit,” 2001). However, the trade press notedthat the award, and the success of local AWRT chapters (Marszalek, 2001), wasovershadowed by a report unveiled by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of theUniversity of Pennsylvania indicating that “despite a rapid expansion in the number ofmedia outlets over the past 20 years, women hold surprisingly few top management28Feedback May 2002 (Vol. 43, No. 2)