European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse To briefs does it take a to shirt to sell a woman a show by John Horn associated press take actress Dana Delany. Put her in an Olive drab to shirt. Let her run around a Little then change into a mini dress or bathing suit. Is the result sexist or one of television s More feminist programs behind the scenes Delany s China Beach is written produced and directed by a staff anchored by women. Yet to stay on the air s Vietnam themed series must attract male viewers riveted both by the Rigours of War. And by sweaty comely nurses. Docs this indicate men still Rule the Roost a and the Bucks a behind the cameras of video land More women than Ever before Are making key creative decisions in television. Four of China beaches six writers last season were female. The co founder of television s hottest production company the Carsey Werner co., is a woman. Before a recent management shakeup lbs Dana Delany Heads the a China Beach cast. Executive vice president of prime time programming was Barbara Corday. The creator and co executive producer of designing women is a woman. The producer of the Arsenio Hall show is Marla Kell Brown. But while women move up televisions ladder trying to influence program Content As they climb they still find they work for males in a medium playing to male tastes. Quot you la still find a majority of shows Are not Only male driven behind the screen but also male driven on the screen Quot said Georgia Jeffries the supervising producer of China Beach. According to recent studies and interviews women Are paid As As much As 50 percent less than men in comparable jobs within the Industry and a Survey of the 1986-87 television season found More than a dozen shows employing no female writers. The programs included murder she wrote Falcon Crest amen and 21 jump Street. Almost a third of All network series had Little or no representation by female writers concluded the report. The study also found that women writers were twice As Likely to be hired for sitcoms than action adventure series. Quot i m sure that if i walked into an office tomorrow with an action adventure movie there might be some resistance. Because i m a woman Quot said Diane English the emmy winning creator and co executive producer of the lbs comedy Murphy Brown. Quot i do think there a a men s club Quot said Susan Baerwald the executive producer of productions whose credits include fatal vision the murder of Mary Phagan and the executioners song. Has Progress been made in the last few years yes. Has discrimination been eliminated hardly. Quot i think there Are strides being made but i think relatively they Are being made said Jeffries a former Story editor on cd so Cagney amp Lacey. Quot there Are a lot of women vice presidents who have the Power to say no but no Power to say yes. The Power Structure in this town is still occupied by once a woman has established herself in the television business life in t necessarily easier. In the end of course a Good writer is a Good writer and a Good producer is a Good producer. The ostensibly male themed hockey movie slap shot was written by a woman Nancy Dowd. Susan Harris creator of Golden girls is writing a feature film about male bonding. The Cosby show Roseanne a different world and grand were All co created by Marcy Carsey with Tom Werner of Carsey Werner. Few people would do better producing the Arsenio Hall show than Kell Brown. Besides taking the show near the top of the late night charts in just a year Kell Brown brings to the show an indispensable Point of View. She s White female and suburban. He s not. Quot Arsenio and i come from As different backgrounds As possible Quot she said. Quot i grew up in the Brady Bunch. We complement each other very since television influences the nation s attitudes its Likely the increased presence of women backstage will give viewers a fresh Point of View. Quot i think Murphy in a Way paved the Way for a different kind of woman Quot English said. Quot normally you see the wife the Girlfriend or the two roommates. Brown s character is not married has no Boyfriend and is a recovering alcoholic. Quot so there was a lot of fear that this woman would t be accessible and the show is now a hit. And How does Jeffries feel about helping make Delany a sex object she smiled for a moment and said with a laugh a i think Dana Delany looks wonderful in a in other to news a tour of duty cancelled in a Brief announcement last week lbs said it is cancelling tour of duty the critically acclaimed Vietnam War series. Fox network which announced its fall schedule two weeks ago announced additional cancellations last week 21 jump Street alien nation Booker and open House. Of Oniel Sens the following were the top 10 ranked television shows in America in the fourth week of May As compiled by the . Nielsen co. The season to Date ranking is in parentheses or an Quot a a for first time showing and the final figure is the rating which notes the percentage of the nations 92.1 million Homes where people watched the show. 1 Newhart final show 44 lbs 18.7 rating.2 cheers 2 18.3.3 Murphy Brown 26 lbs 17.7. 4 designing women 22 lbs 17 2.5 Roseanne 1 16.1. 6 a different world 5 15.9. 7 killing in a Small town a lbs tuesday movie x lbs 15.8. 8 the Cosby show 3 15.7. 9 unsolved mysteries 12 15 5. 9 voices within the lives of Trudi Chase a monday night movie tie 15.5 a / ind these were the 11 least watched shows the ones at the Bottom of the Nielsen ratings. 68 magical world of Disney 5.4. 68 Mission impossible tie 5.4. 68 Booker tie Fox 5.4. 71 totally hidden video Fox 5.2. 72 tour of duty lbs 5.1. 72 sugar amp spice tie lbs 5.1. 72 21 jump Street tie Fox 5.1. 75 life goes on 4 5 76 alien nation Fox 3.5. 77 outsiders Fox 3.5. 78 Best of Tracey Ullman Fox 2.6. What they re watching Page 4 c to plus sunday june 3,1990
