Breaking Silence: Broadcasting's Gendered Perspective

In the broadcasting industry, as radio celebrates a century of existence, the resonance of women's voices has been a constant thread weaving through the rich tapestry of radio's history. 

From the early days when female voices were deemed unfit for radio to the present era where they lead, innovate and amplify multiple perspectives, women have carved a mark in the auditory landscape.

Struggle for Air-time

In a discussion at 'The Radio Festival 2024', Smita Sharma, Independent Multimedia Journalist reflects on the gendered dynamics and the journey of women in leadership positions within the broadcasting industry. She begins by recounting historical instances, highlighting the struggle faced by early female war correspondents like Betty Friedan, who, despite reporting from war zones, encountered bias against her suitability for radio due to her voice. 

Sharma asserts, "Most of the women correspondents or journalists were thought as not fit to be on-air voices at that point in time. From there, if you look at the trajectory today, circumstances have evolved over the years."

Supporting her statement, she shared instances like Sediqa Sherzai founding Radio Roshani in Afghanistan, challenging taboos, terrorism and other adversities.

Women in Leadership

"Leadership is gender-neutral", said Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor in Chief of BW Businessworld Media Group, acknowledging the progress in today's leadership. He pointed out that three of the top ten radio CEOs in India are women, emphasising the progress made in recent years.

Batra notes, "Radio as a medium has provided a space for women to be heard, both literally and figuratively, in a largely male-dominated public townscape". He further adds, "Also radio bridge can connect and blur the boundaries between the private and public sphere." 

Talking about the influence of women in leadership on programming, Batra asserted that women understand their target audience better. He contends, "I think leadership is not just about being a CEO. It is also about leading the quality of programming." He acknowledged the need for more women in leadership roles. 

Highlighting radio's enduring significance in the contemporary media landscape, Batra adds, "For 40 years people have been talking about the demise of the radio and it hasn't happened. Today radio is becoming digital audio broadcasting, not just radio, podcasting is one." He also emphasised that radio in India serves as a tool for women's empowerment, focusing on education, skill development, entrepreneurship, mental wellness and health-related content.

Global Challenges

On the contrary, Olya Booyar, Head of Radio, ABU brought in a global perspective, shedding light on the challenges women face and the need for constant awareness and counting to ensure that women are not only present but also progressing in their careers.

She comments, "When I look across the South Asia Pacific area, there is a huge absence of women almost everywhere. There's only been one woman in Prasar Bharati in a leadership role and she was there for two years and then left. It is still very difficult for women to progress and it's different in different countries."

Booyar questions women's leadership of women disappearing from the workforce during reproductive years - cultural, financial and other factors contributing to their absence. She questions that re-entry into the workforce often forces women to start from the bottom and rebuild their careers when it comes to reaching leadership positions.

For fostering a supportive environment, Booyar stresses, "There needs to be a gender policy at the government level. There needs to be a gender policy at the workplace level and we have to go back to counting."

Empowering Women's Voices

Highlighting the perception of women's aggression when seeking their due, Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO, Red FM argues that women tend to go the extra mile to prove themselves due to societal scrutiny when given leadership opportunities.

She expresses, "I think that women do go out of their way to prove that they can be better because the society has put so much pressure on them and questioned their ability, and therefore they will never grab or miss grabbing the opportunity."

Gunjan Priya from All India Radio, shared her experiences, noting a significant shift in the gender landscape. She observes, "Women leadership is more aggressive towards the issues concern to women because women know they are deprived at many fronts. When they actually get an opportunity to show what they think, their attitude is they show it in action."

However, she indicates a change from the 1960s with a considerable increase in the number of women in radio today.

Advertising and Consumer Dynamics

Acknowledging the importance of women-specific programs attracting both male and female listeners, Narayanan underlines, "By far, radio, I think, is gender neutral from an advertising point of view. From a listenership point of view, Red FM has a little more male skew and it's interesting to have more women drive that listenership for men."  

Adding to it, she accentuates, "In the Indian scenario, by virtue of policy and regulatory matters, most of the commercial radio stations are all youth-centric, so the advertising is more youth-led than really women-centric oriented."

Seconding the thought, Booyar discusses the global trend in advertising targeting women, recognising their influence on household spending decisions.

She shares, "The advertisers activated in a big way towards women consumers in not so much as targeting women, but by not alienating women."