I am the first to admit it—I am obsessed with all things television. Primetime, Daytime, Cable, the Big 4 nets—it’s all on my radar. My Tivo and I are so excited this week that the shows are returning (yay! Brothers & Sisters!), that we have made a date to hang out and, not going to lie to you, we might even wake up together….
While the promos and ads have focused on our fictionalized friends on Wisteria Lane and 90210, some equally interesting developments have been taking place on the TV/cable news front over the past month.
Two out anchors managed to get some great ink in September, both for different reasons, but both impressive in their own right:
• Rachel Maddow, MSNBC (Host, The Rachel Maddow Show): This year has been a year of historic firsts. The first African-American to receive the Democratic nomination for President. The first woman to receive the GOP nomination for Vice President (Tina Fey, anyone?). And the first openly-gay journalist to anchor a primetime show on cable news.
Anyone who follows left-leaning political pundits will recognize this name, especially in the LGBT community. Personally, I love the path she traveled to get to TV–starts out as an AIDS activist in San Fran, goes to Oxford and gets a poli-sci doctorate (first openly gay Rhodes Scholar!), pursues a radio job on Air America and ends up proving herself an invaluable go-to for everything left of center. MSNBC, looking to fill the sinking ship hole left at 9PM with Dan Abrams, taps into Maddow to continue the net’s branding of primetime as pro-Dem, following in the large footsteps of Keith Olbermann.
A new show always gets some play in print—that’s not a surprise. What was a surprise, and completely refreshing, was how much Maddow’s out-ness and comfort in her own skin and identity came through in print coverage of her debut. Yes, we don’t want our sexuality to define our performance in the workplace, but so many new readers and viewers were introduced to Maddow by her candid, self-deprecating look at herself and, as a result, were hopefully intrigued by her views and life both inside and outside the studio walls.
Some of my favorite Maddow-related quotes from her pre-show debut coverage:
“Earlier, Maddow laughed when asked if she once thought it unlikely that a lesbian would host a prime-time cable news show. ‘It’s out of my hands,’ she said. ‘I can’t be less gay.’ But she does acknowledge the virtues of being a pioneer: ‘Being the first blank is always important.’”
“Maddow, 35, doesn’t sound like anyone else on TV either, skewering the right wing with barbed humor that she punctuates with a throaty laugh. And her résumé isn’t exactly out of central casting: Rhodes scholar, former prison activist, a woman who lives with her girlfriend and drives a pickup truck. Notably absent is any experience as a journalist or political consultant.”
“The smartest, gayest rising star in cable news is a self-described dork.”
“It is a showdown made in cable-talk heaven, and it will be a staple of The Rachel Maddow Show, which premiered on MSNBC this week. Maddow, a 35-year-old lesbian and former San Francisco ACT-UP activist, squares off against 69-year-old Pat Buchanan, who in 1992 called for a Republican "cultural war" against gays. When Maddow heard Buchanan’s Republican National Convention speech as a 19-year-old, it left her in tears and — along with her San Francisco Bay Area upbringing — inspired her along a life path where she now gets paid to argue with Buchanan”
“MSNBC is making history by putting openly gay journalist Rachel Maddow on the air nightly at 9 p.m.”
Having just returned from professional detox after serving as a spokesperson in cable news, I can tell you that it is not an easy feat to break through the clutter and get ink for on-air talent, just like any client in any industry. You’re competing for the cover spot against Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, and Katie Couric, and you are chasing down TV-beat reporters in a dwindling print news business.
Kudos to Maddow for making her debut with the professionalism of a seasoned journalist, handling personal questions during these interviews with her trademark humor and not backing down from her identity and her proud history. I’m certain she knew going into this that every interviewer would ask the sexuality question, yet she managed to address it, embrace it, and in turn, encourage others to appreciate her background and her interesting catapult to the hot media spotlight. Kudos also to MSNBC for recognizing talent, no matter the sexual orientation.
And, has her sexuality turned viewers away? Not so much. Last week, the program was #2 in cable news in both the coveted A25-54 demographic and in Total Viewers at 9pmET, even beating CNN staple Larry King. She averages more than double the final two weeks of Verdict with Dan Abrams. Will she set a trend in cable news, where on-air talent can be comfortable being out and being a success? Time, and ratings, will tell.
• David Brown, Channel 5 Boston (Anchor): Using your relative fame and notoriety for good causes is always commendable. This weekend, openly-gay newsanchor David Brown emceed the Boston-to-Provincetown HIV/AIDS charity bike ride. It’s not his first stint at lending his name for the sake of a good cause—in 2006, he ran the Boston Marathon on behalf of the local Children’s Hospital. In 2007, AIDS Action asked him to emcee the annual AIDS Walk—he also participated in the Larry Kessler 5K run to raise money for the organization.
First, I don’t understand where the man gets the energy.. then again, my idea of a marathon is the aforementioned TV viewing party I have planned. Second, and most important, I love how Brown used promotional opportunities for his role with these charities to not only address the cause he is fighting for, but to discuss the challenges of coming out in the media world. Brown started in TV in Terre Haute, Indiana and Chico, CA, where he was less comfortable about being openly gay. As he started to make the rise in the world of TV news, Brown become more comfortable with his out-identity as his success increased—which is rare. Usually, anchors are less likely to be out with heightened fame in fear of jeopardizing their future prospects. According to Brown, "in the small TV markets you lead a closeted life, and then the more comfortable you are, the more established and confident you become in your career ability, the more open life you lead."
So here are two different anchors on two different platforms, but they both have something important in common—they use their moments in the sun to further awareness and understanding of our community. They don’t hide their identity—they embrace it, and use it to elevate issues most important to them, and often, to us. Thank you, Dan and Rachel!
Now, back to Dancing With the Stars on Tivo… god bless Lance Bass.
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Comments on Maddow were spot on. Our site is ostensibly conservative, yet we’ve been writing a lot of pro-Maddow stuff.
The chatter about Rachel is deafening. Everyone I know makes appointment viewing to her show. I cannot think of a time when I did not agree with her take on the issues. My entire day is uplifted by hearing her.
Am I wrong, or does Pat Buchanan actually seem to like and respect this very out woman?