Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force
Executive Director’s Report on WHYY Meeting February 1999
Task Force Co-Chairs Kathryn Furano and Larry Gross, Ph.D. joined Rita Addessa, David Acosta (Director, GALAEI) and community activist James Roberts in a first meeting on February 5, 1999 with Bill Marrazzo, now WHYY President and CEO together with David Othmer, Vice-President and 15 year-WHYY veteran, and new hire Anna Kosoff, a seasoned radio manager and author. Unlike Breintenfeld, his predecessor, Marrazzo has welcomed the opportunity to begin a series of dialogues with the Task Force as well as non-gay minority organization leaders to discuss:
Task Force preliminary and developing concepts to enhance WHYY’s public interest role were not discussed in full at this first briefing (e.g. a significant increase of its coverage of local community issues and news as well as support for and broadcast of independent filmmakers’ productions, well-scheduled and promoted; the development of a Progressive Radio and a Progressive Television Partnership that would enable incisive and in-depth programming informed, for instance, by gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion/culture, ability/disability, income and class; the development of written guidelines and standardized reports to support WHYY staff in the selection and broadcast of diverse issues-programming and guests, inclusive of gay and lesbian people, and of women and minorities generally).
Summary of Public File Findings:
In advance of the meeting, we conducted a review of WHYY’s radio programming public file, 1997 radio and television employment reports, various issues of WHYY’s Applause Guide (provided by the station within a month of our request), and our own litigation files (television reports were not provided until after the meeting).
We provide an excerpt of our review of local coverage followed by a sampling of Radio Times (Moss-Coane) over a 4 month period in 1998 and of Fresh Air (Terry Gross) in 1996 and in 1998. A full copy of the briefing packet (10 pages or, with attachments, 50 pages) is available at cost ($10).
Overall, WHYY TV offers no local news and public affairs program formats with the exception of Delaware news, the site of its license. Its commitment to any local community coverage and production has been minimal and to the Task Force’s critical work non-existent [1]. WHYY FM produces no local news worth mention. Its two standard programs (Fresh Air and Radio Times) do not welcome the discussion of gay and lesbian issues (especially with lesbians) other than at a token level compared to overall programming. Our analysis of the February/March 1999 issue of the station’s program guide "Applause" found interesting race, gender, and sexual orientation hierarchies. Of particular interest is the guide’s front cover featuring "Love Week" with a romantic image of a white middle class heterosexual couple and companion programs, presumably heterosexual.,
February did offer excellent "specials" by and about African Americans and paid tribute to Henry Hampton, the now deceased founder of Blackside, Inc. and executive producer of Eyes on the Prize, I’ll Make Me a World, America’s War on Poverty and other excellent documentaries. March selections offered no token women’s history "month" specials.
A four-month sampling of Radio Times (February, June, September, October 1998), showed that of a total of 153 interviews over this period, Moss-Coane broadcast 2 interviews (1.3%) about and with lesbian and gay people and 1 interview with a transgendered person. A review of Fresh Air (June 1996 and 1998; October 1996 and 1998) found that of 167 interviews, Terry Gross conducted 14 interviews (8.38%) by and/or about gay and lesbian people for an estimated 6 total hours of time. Four of the 14 interviews, however, were repeat broadcasts from the period 1988-1993 and represent the only Lesbian interviews on air during these high visibility periods (3 of 4 programs for about 45 minutes total). In June 1998, of 45 total guests, 37 (82%) are men and 8 (18%) are women. Of these 37 men, 5 are gay men; of 8 women, none are identifiably lesbian. Within the token attention to gay and lesbian issues, gender and race hierarchies prevail.
Following our February 5 meeting, we were encouraged to hear WHYY FM’s morning "news bytes" reference a relevant Pennsylvania second parent adoption challenge and, in a more lighthearted vein, Philadelphia’s own "Gay Bingo"! Now, with your help and with WHYY CEO Bill Marrazzo’s genuine openness, we will help center the public interest in public broadcasting as the station expands its capacity and reach through advanced digital technology and hopefully informed and unbiased program management and staff – on air and behind the scenes.
Please Call: It would be helpful to our movement if you would call WHYY this week during their on-air pledge drive to let them know that their commitment to a tangible increase in local news and diverse public interest programming that includes significant discussions with and about lesbian and gay people and issues is important.
Name/Title Phone and Fax # Email ______________________________________________________________________________________
Bill Marrazzo,
President and CEO
215-351-1222 and 215-925-9373
wmarrazzo@whyy.org
David Othmer,
Vice President
215-351-1248 and 215-351-0512
dothmer@whyy.org
Anna Kosoff,
Radio Manager
215-351-1282 and 215-627-1867
akosoff@whyy.org
Marty Moss Coane,
Radio Times
215-928-2418 and 215-351-3347
mmoss-coane@whhy.org
Terry Gross,
Fresh Air
215-351-1280 and 215-592-7012
tgross@whyy.org
WHYY Inc. Mailing Address:
150 N. 6th Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19106
_______________________________________________________________________________________
[1] The Facts: Over the last 15 year period, prior to Marrazzo’s appointment, WHYY has failed, consistently, to cover significant public policy struggles and issue-based events related to the Task Force’s civil and human rights work. Examples include: (1) Discrimination and Violence studies (1984, 1986, 1992); (2) Mass media studies and marketplace petitions to deny commercial and non-commercial broadcast licenses (1989, 1991, 1994); (3) endless local and state education advocacy (1984 and continuing); (4) constitutional rights issues related to local protests as a "handle" (like a film or a book!!!) such as: Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), U.S. Bicentennial (1987), Romer v. Evans (1996), or even the Shepherd Vigil with particularly important local speakers, e.g. Board of Education President Floyd Alston (1998); and of course the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative launched in the summer of 1996.