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Monday, February 27, 1934
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 83 No. 108
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rrcic sees pront as root oi media racism
By John Keopinan
Discrimination in television and radio
can take many forms.
It can be forcing anchorwomen to
wear certain clothes and makeup. It
can be teaching a black reporter to
talk white." Or it can be programming
which projects negative images about
certain racial, sexual or cultural groups.
According to some members of Thurs
day night's symposium on discrimina
tion in the media, profit motives and
the subsequent overuse of media con
sultants are largely responsible.
Dave Marsh, a rock music critic for
merly with Rolling Stone magazine,
said he rejected the idea of profit as a
motivator of radio broadcasting. No
one, he said, owns the air waves.
"As I see it, I own one 215 millionth
of the airwaves in the country," he said.
Marsh was one of sevel panelists at
the symposium, sponsored by the UNL
Civil Liberties group at the UNL Law
College. Others were Dennis Egan, attor
ney for newsanchor Christine, Craft;
Ben Gray, from KETV Omaha and host
of Kaleidoscope; Robert McMullen, assis
tant professor of broadcast journalism
at UNL; Tim Munson, a second-year
UNL law student; Dean Lambert, music
director of KXSS-FM in Lincoln; and
Lynn Ireland, folklorist for the Nebraska
State Historical Society
Marsh said media consultants point
to the success of radio personalities
such as Gary Dee of Washington, D.C.,
who is a controversial figure because
of many racial and ethnic remarks he
had made. Consultants urge stations
to hire someone like Dee, Marsh sid.
He said consultants today urge sta
tions to program in what he calls "nar
roweasting" or segmented broadcast
ing which caters to a specified audience.
The stations work in that manner, cal
ling it Album-Oriented Radio, he said,
which should be called Apartheid-Oriented
Radio since it effectively separ
ates the listening audience.
"It means that racism is just another
way to make a buck," he said.
The most disgusting example of media
discrimination is Music Television (MTV),
Marsh said. When MTV began broad-'
casting two years ago, its producers
said their idea of rock'n'roll did not
include music by black artists. Until a
few members of the press demanded
that the policy change, he said, the '
music itself didn't matter, only that the
musicians were black.
"It has now changed to the point
where if you're Michael Jackson, you
might get on," he said.
Marsh explained how rock'n'roll e
volved from a mix of white country
music and black rhythm and blues and
gospel, which helped tear down many
racial barriers in the 1950s and '60s.
"It's ironic that the same rock'n'roll
music that led the way in bringing
down the walls, is now helping put
them back up," he said.
The role of media consultants played
an important part in the Christine
Craft case as well. As Craft's attorney,
Egan won two jury trials for which
Craft is to be awarded $325,000 for
fraud. Egan said Craft was fired on the
advice of media consultants who sup
posedly conducted a phone survey of
viewers who complained about her
looks and the fact that she "wasn't
deferential enough to men."
He said Craft also was subjected to a
clothing calendar and her hair and
makeup were subject to the approval
of the station manager.
. Egan, disputed the consultant's phone
survey by citing evidence that Craft's
popularity steadily rose during the
several months she was there. He said
Craft ofjected to the appearance changes
since that was one of the agreements
she had made with the station before
accepting the job.
McMullen, a broadcast journalism
professor who was once station man
ager of a TV staton in Green Bay, Wis.,
said he thought Craft deserved "every
thing she gets" because the station
management handled the affair so
badly. The problem in the Craft case,
he said, was that the station was
nearly taken over by the consultants
they were given too much leeway. If
used properly, McMullen dl, media
consultants can help a station improve
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its ratings.
Gray said the same consultants used
by Metromedia, Craft's former emplo
yers, were used recently by an Omaha
station. He said the consultants urged
the station to stop covering city hall
and city political functions because
"it's boring to the average people; they
don't understand it."
"I wish there was some way we
could get rid of all the consultants," he
said. "I wish we could put them all into
a room with a keg of dynamite and
blow them all up."
Gray said he had never seen a black
consultant and until four years ago,
the Nielsen and Arbitron raters never
bothered to check the viewing habits
of black families.
He also said black reporters are
taught to "talk white" and generally
appear as white as possible to be
accepted by white viewers. He rejected
those practices, noting they are discri
minatory. Television is supposed to inform
"using the most competent people avai
lable," he said. "It shouldn't matter
what they look like."
Soviet defector
lectures tonight
Dr. Igor Glagolev, a Soviet defector,
will discuss the policies of the Cher
nenko regime at 9 p.m. tonight in the
Nebraska Union.
Glagolev published several books while
he was associated with the Soviet regime
as a consultant with their SALT nego
tiations team. He has recently pub
lished the study "Modern Kremlin Stra
tegy" and is currently preparing a book
on the leadership in the Soviet state.
Glagolev's speech is sponsored by
the Nebraska Young Americans for
Freedom.
In another speech tonight, Newman
Dalton, a retired armed forces officer,
and Jeff Ross, social action officer at
Offutt Air Force Base, will discuss the
role of blacks in the military.
The 7:30 p.m. discussion will be in
the Nebraska Union Rostrum. It is part
of the Black History Month Celebra
tion sponsored by the UNL-Tri-Culture
Council.
Brushing Up
David TroubaDaiiy Nsbrsskan
Four-year-old Jorja Morrow, daughter of Ed and Sandy Morrow, 1218 S. Cth St. Lincoln, seems to be ghing Tocth
Fairy Carrie Simmons the brush-off. Simmons, a senior in dental hygiene, wasj ust one of the attrsctior.3 at the
dental carnival Saturday afternoon et UNL's College of Dentistry.
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Forty delegates are expected to attend
the Nebraska State Student Associa
tion's seventh annual conference, which
begins 10 a.m. today at the Capitol.
The conference is designed to encou
rage student organization among the
four member NSSA schools, said Deb
Chapelle, NSSA executive director.
"NSSA is designed to represent stu
dents, not the campuses" Chapelle
said. "It is to provide students a pers
pective through cooperation and coordi
nation of effort."
The need for students to realize
their role to their respective campus is
vital, Chapelle said.
"NSSA is a tool for students to util
ize," she said.'
Jeff Luke of UNL and Andy Cun
ningham of UNL will present work
shops today, while state Sens. Jerome
Warner of Waverly and Tom Vickers of
Farnam are invited to attend another
workshop.
RickLombardi, NSSAlegislative direc
tor, will lead the discussion for the first
workshop, which will examine the deci
sion making process.
The conference activities will move
to the St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Tuesday. Donald Clifton of Selection
Research Inc. will give the keynote
address.
NSSA was organized in 1981. Its
charter members are UNL and Peru
State. UNO and Wayne State joined the
next year.
"Every year we get better," Chapelle
said. "I see nothing but better times
ahead."
The conference workshops are open
to the public, Chapelle said. Mayor
Roland Luedtke will give the opening
proclamation.
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Inside
Decline in enrollment may
result in a shortage of teachers
Pega 6
Agnes of God, presented this
weekend at Kimball, is a some
times confusing portrait of a nun
accused of murder Pags 9
The UNL women's track
team captures its fifth consecu
tive conference title . . . Paga 12
Index
Arts and Entertainment 8
Classified ...13
Crossword 13
Editorial. 4
Off The Wire 2
Sports 12
