Exploring diversity in on-air radio
A "hacked" radio will allow individuals to tune into stories of women in radio and hear their experiences.
While exploring diversity in the world of radio, Lori Beckstead uncovered that, despite appearances, women are still largely underrepresented as on-air personalities.
“Interestingly, there seems to be the perception that women have achieved equality in the radio industry,” said Beckstead, a professor in the RTA School of Media at Ryerson. However, her research on the subject, illustrated in her Interactive Radio Project, points to a different picture altogether. “On average, there were approximately 32 per cent women on air in Toronto. Radio stations in comparably sized cities average 25-30 per cent.”
In her current project, Pass the Mic, Beckstead is interviewing women who have spent time in the industry to hear their side of the story. In the end, she will create a customized, interactive radio-machine as a form of arts-based knowledge mobilization, allowing users to explore the stories in an interactive way that will be on display at the Allan Slaight Radio Institute at Ryerson. She hopes to display the radio in different venues. A website will also house the content to make it accessible to the general public.
“I’m going to hack a radio that will allow individuals to hear the stories of women in radio,” she said. Her earlier project, The Interactive Radio Project, allowed users to turn a dial to specific stations and receive data on the diversity of their on-air talent. The new project will convey the voices of women telling their stories in their own words.
Not surprisingly, the longer women have been in the industry, the more likely they are to report stories of sexism. “Some of them have been pretty hair-raising,” said Beckstead. “Younger women don’t seem to have as many stories of discrimination.”
Anecdotally, Beckstead’s work is showing that certain genres of radio, like commercial talk radio, have higher incidence of sexism. However, she does say that some of the women interviewed say their career has been an all-around positive experience.
“It runs the gamut,” Beckstead said. “But some clear patterns are emerging.”