News Broadcasting
Shortage of Asian American male broadcast journalists in US: study
MUMBAI:There is a critical shortage of Asian American male broadcast journalists in the US, according to a first-ever study that quantifies the problem and addresses some of the reasons behind it.
“Asian Male Broadcasters on TV: Where Are They?” was conducted by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications and was released at the ongoing 15th annual convention of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) taking place from 7-10 August in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
In the top 25 television markets, there are a total of 85 Asian females on-air and 19 Asian males on-air, resulting in a nearly 5 to 1 ratio of women versus men, the USC study found.
AAJA President Victor Panichkul said: ” The results of this study as well as the results of surveys done by RTNDA [Radio-Television News Directors Association] lend credence to the concerns that our male broadcast journalists have been raising in the past few years that the gender disparity among Asian Americans in broadcasting is significant. When our numbers are compared to the numbers of male and female African American, Native American, or Hispanic broadcast journalists, what we see is a problem that impacts our members more significantly than other people of color.”
In light of the findings, AAJA will re-evaluate its current programmes to see how the organisation can better target them toward Asian American males with an interest in broadcast journalism, Panichkul said. In addition, AAJA hopes that other industry organizations will take part in helping to find solutions to this problem.
Some of the findings in the study include:
1. Asian Americans make up a small percentage of the student population in US journalism schools, but males far out-number females by approximately 4 to 1.
2. In making career choices, Asian American male students are highly motivated by parents, prestige and starting salaries. They are more likely to go into science-related occupations.
3. There is a lack of key Asian American male broadcast role models (such as Connie Chung is for Asian American females).
The results from the USC study confirm other research done on the makeup of broadcast newsrooms. A recent Ball State University study found that Asians make up 2.7 per cent of the broadcast newsroom in 2001, or about 650 people. Asian males constituted only 1 per cent of the workforce, while Asian females made up 1.7 per cent. Meanwhile, there are more Hispanic, African American and white males than females in the newsroom, the survey found.
The USC study is based on surveys of the top 25 television markets and top journalism schools in the United States. Interviews with program managers, news directors, and agents in the television industry as well as a focus group of Asian American students were also conducted.
AAJA is a non-profit educational association based in San Francisco, devoted to training and developing Asian American journalists and ensuring fair and accurate coverage of the Asian American community. It has 1,700 members in 18 chapters across the United States and Asia.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
