The Big Pink Elephant

Like many of us in the radio business, I follow several accounts on Instagram which are pretty funny, and very relatable. My favorites are @shittyradiojock, @shittypd, @shittypromodirector and @shittypromorep. I have no idea who the actual people behind the accounts are, and I am assuming that’s on purpose, because the posts are very accurate, and very blatant. They use the accounts to put talent, management and companies on blast. And they always name names.

This weekend I came across a post on @shittyradiojock which called out one of the major Broadcast companies for being a “boy’s club.” The title of the post was “Qualifications Needed to be a PD in Kansas City.” The photo was of a man and a woman (like the ones on bathroom doors). The male had a green check mark on it, and the female had a red X covering it. The content said, “Sorry ladies, if you want to be a PD, apparently it’s an all-male club. You can be anything else though.”

It’s no secret there are very few Female Program Directors in radio, and we are just now getting around to hiring women in middle management and management after years of being destined to nothing but support roles. Statistics don’t lie, and every year, “Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio” (MIW) does an annual Gender study on the progress of empowering women in the industry.

Sadly, while there is slow growth among Female sales managers, market managers and talent, there is little to NO growth when it comes to being a Program Director. This year’s survey found that the greatest challenge for women in radio management continues to be in the area of Programming. According to the survey, Women program 12.2% versus 11.6% over the year before. This is only the second year in a row this number has increased, as it has remained stalled for FOURTEEN YEARS. Also, the results of this survey were released prior to the Pandemic downsizing, and many women in programming positions, as well as support positions were on the list of casualties, so the percentage is probably worse than 12 % again.

As many experts as there are in our industry who are willing to voice their opinions on just about everything, NO ONE will address the “Big Pink Elephant” in the room. Not even Women, or should I say “especially not Women” who are scared to death to rock the boat and prevent any chance of their growth in the business altogether.

We all know the challenge of the lack of female Programmers (and the discrepancy in pay) in the business, but NO ONE will talk about it in public or ask questions about why this problem exists. Why is that? And why do we as an industry continue to ignore a problem that has a direct impact on the growth, diversity and expansion of the radio business. I say this in every column I write. The definition of “insanity” is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

While there are a few exceptions, the hiring pattern continues to be the same. If we pulled up photos of all the PDs hired in the last few years, whether successful or not, the photos would all look the same, (the usual suspects) a lot of them, recycled Programmers with mediocre success. Some have even failed upward. Those in positions of power have a tendency to hire their “people.”

I was one of the lucky ones, having been one of the few Female Program Directors and VPs of Programming in the business over the course of my 20 plus year career, but that was due to the fact that out of all the Managers I worked for, there were only two who saw me as a “smart programmer” and not a “female programmer.” And not only did they coach me, but they gave me a shot. And they didn’t need me to be one of their “people.” They trusted me, and just wanted me to succeed.

I have this conversation confidentiality at least once a week with my female colleagues. “Why are women not being hired to program radio?” Especially in formats that target Women. And more importantly, how do we break this barrier and not only encourage Women to become Program Directors, but actually give them a shot? What’s it going to take for someone with a voice to fight this fight for the simple reason that it’s the right thing to do, especially for a very stagnant industry right now. We have nothing to lose. It’s time to move radio into the 21st Century. Even if it’s a simple start, like getting rid of the “Big PINK Elephant” in the room and starting to have conversations about why this is a problem, and how to fix it. It’s got to be someone at the top of one of these big companies who recognizes the problem, but who is not afraid to address it for the betterment of the industry overall. Anyone? Anyone?