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Audio Production
Black Visibility: Black Women in Media Pt. 1
Dec. 1, 2021
Media professionals Allison Davis (left) and Candace “Candy” Shannon (right), join host Nyah Marshall for this episode of Black Visibility entitled “Black Women in Media Pt. 1.” Allison Davis has had an over 30 year career in broadcast news, working at at NBC News where she served as a producer for Nightly News, First Camera/Monitor and producer for the iconic Today Show. She is also a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. Candy Shannon is a media professional and educator who has enjoyed a decades-long career in DC. Currently, Candy produces, programs and hosts “The Morning Brew” on public/community radio, WPFW 89.3FM, and teaches at Howard University. These two esteemed professionals join our host to discuss their array of accomplishments as Black women in media, as well as, a glaring disparity prevalent in primetime news programming--- Black women 55+ make up less than 1.6% of appearances on primetime news. Despite the unique perspectives older Black women are able to provide to primetime cable news programming, they are the voices that are being excluded from the primetime table.
Transcript
Living room television on CNN 0:00
Right now out of the...CNN Breaking News... (interupts broadcast) In Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, let's listen in.
We the jury find the defendant, Kyle H. Rittenhouse not guilty.
Nyah Marshall 0:13
Hi, this is Nyah Marshall and welcome back to Black Visibility. As a student studying journalism and African American Studies, I will say I'm starting to become a little bit more critical about the media consume. Like now, as I'm sitting in my living room with my sister watching CNN coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, we couldn't help but ask where are the black female hosts correspondents and guests...
Nyah's Sister 0:34
...Not just black women but older black woman like our aunts and grandmas.
Nyah Marshall 0:38
...And that's exactly it, there is a dearth of older black woman 55 plus on primetime cable news programming. To unpack this observation, I sat down with two esteemed Black media professionals who are among the age demographic missing from these news programs, Allison Davis, who helped launch and develop MSNBC. And if you're in DC, a Jazz Radio fan, you may be familiar with the voice of Candy Shannon, a Black female, radio personality and host of the Morning Brew.
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Allison Davis 1:06
My name is Allison Davis. And so for close to 30 years, I worked at NBC News starting out as a producer for nightly news, I was lucky enough to travel the world with the show. It was the Today show in Africa then the Today show in Australia, and the Today show takes the Orient Express. I mean, I just had just enormous experience. And I became very involved with understanding this whole concept of digital. There were no real news outlets doing it. I asked the company whether or not I could explore it. And so I did and that exploration ended up to be MSNBC.
Candy Shannon 1:44
My name is Candy Shannon, I am a professional broadcast announcer, producer, radio host, I've had a 20 plus year career in media that also includes books on tape, television shows a cable show voiceover work, commercial work. I'm also a member of after sag, and I've been a SAG extra on a couple of television programs and movies I never saw.
Nyah Marshall 2:15
Through my research on this topic, I found an organization called Primetime 55, they did a study on primetime cable news programming, which showed black women of all ages, but especially 55 and older, are missing from cable news programs. Only 1.6 of all appearances were Black woman 55 plus. As producers, but also as consumers of news is this lack of representation something you've noticed?
Allison Davis 2:38
Of course, I've noticed it. And I've noticed it because I am much more interested in the content of newscasts now. And it's glaring, it's glaring, when people who are presenting the news, who are analysts and don't have the historic context.
Candy Shannon 2:57
I have noticed it as a consumer. Yes, there's a lot of pressure on women of all ethnicities and backgrounds to have a certain look to appear on television.
Nyah Marshall 3:10
What's type of influence would there be if Black woman 55 plus, were at the primetime table more often?
Allison Davis 3:16
With us comes history. I was born when there was Brown Vs. the Board of Ed, I was not too young to understand the Civil Rights Movement. And I'm at the age now where obviously I know about DEI, and I also know about Black Lives Matter. I know what has worked and what has not worked, and I'm looking for that in our newscast, I'm looking for that level of perspective.
Candy Shannon 3:42
There would be a longer view about things. Women who have lived through the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, as young people as children and teenagers and fresh out of college, etc. Have the perspective of perhaps remembering how important something was and the ability to look back and see that it all works out because my perspective says you are going to be most successful when you are working toward where you believe you should be.
Nyah Marshall 3:46
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As a black woman studying journalism myself, when talking to Professor Shannon and Ms. Davis, I felt like I was getting mentored and guided by family members who want to see me and my community excel. That's the feel and perspective that's missing from primetime cable. This is Nyah Marshall. And thank you for listening to Black visibility.