Show — i 1 — - 4 a - the better word Prime time TV sexy? Sexist is beEdseitoor:11Nitoatie 1 i Prime :::::':: e ::::( ': '::: ': behind thhemecatrevtlassiontexcio$tri survey reports women cent of male salaries That's an improvemrt — tot males Women used to earn 73 cents Ifor every male buck ::::::::::A: ': 14t: :::e: ' " ' " :' A ::" " 1:::!'l!'''''':!i: -- ::::1: ' :: :pi 4?: ' i' " i A ''''':c :'::: :: ' ' ' :' AP' 1 :0 :: ' ' lc ' :::::: By John Horn t ' - Associated Press Writer HOLLYWOOD — Take actress Dana Delany Put her in an olive Let her run around a drab little then change into a minidrcss or bathing suit Is the result sexist or one of television's more feminist programs? Behind the scenes Miss Delany's "China Beach" is written produced and directed by a staff anchored by women Yet to stay on the air ABC's Vietnam-themeseries must attract male viewers riveted both and by by the rigors of war sweaty comely nurses Does this indicate men still rule the roost — and the bucks — behind the cameras of videoland? More women than ever before are making key creative decisions in television Four of "China Beach's" six writers last season f were female The :' ' 1 ' ' '''' ':i ' 4 ' 4- F :: ::' " ' ' : :: l''' - 2!-- :Zi' ''"-'''''- - :i' 1 1 f'': $: ' ::: 1 er— :4i00"":ik::4:::1ic '''' '4 4 ::::: '' i::::'::i!::: ':i:::' :: '::-:'::- w 44 :: roW'':"': '' :sitto ::::: "fig:': 4 ''''''g:424:igo 0 r t140 '- 15' r V 4 :::5:t: :: V :: i 4 $ c1! fil !:: 0 111 ' w '''"''''''''':::'-'-f'- "1 ' 0 e - ' Co company the Carsey-Werne- r is a woman Before a recent management shakeup CBS' executive vice president of prime time programming was Barbara Corday The creator and producer of "Designing Women" is a woman The producer of "The Arsenio Hall Show" is Marla Kell Brown But while women move up television's ladder trying to influence program content as they climb they still find they work for males in a medium playing to male tastes "You'll still find a majority of n beshows are not only n hind the screen but also on the screen" said Georgia Jeffries the supervising producer of "China Beach" According to recent studies and interviews women are paid far less (as much as 50 percent) than men in comparable jobs within the industry And several television series have excluded women completely from their writing staffs A 1989 survey by the Writers Guild of America reported that women writers earned 63 cents for every dollar earned by white males That's an improvement —for men In 1982 women made 73 cents for every dollar drawn by white males televiThe survey of the 1986-8- 7 sion season found more than a dozen shows employing no female writ- i :iij 'iii" -- - - ) 40s444biaolui: '''''''e " 0 television's hottest production :: :::::: :::: :: itia ::::: :: e () 1) 1 -:- '!147-' - Associated Press Newsfeatures Photo Producer Marla Kell Brown on the set of "The Arsenio Hall Show talks with host Arsenio Hall center during7 a commercial break in Los Angeles She believes male TV executives may assume women producers "don't have the guts to do the job" The stereotype is young pliable and not being able to stand up to the pressure or supervise men she said male-drive- male-drive- and not being able to stand up to the pressure or supervise men" said Kell Brown The networks' entertainment divisions all are headed by men — ABC's Robert Iger CBS' Jeff Sagansky and NBC's Brandon Tartikoff Although nobody's accusing the troika of overt male chauvinism some women in the business believe the networks continue to resemble a frat house grown up "I do think there's a men's club" said Susan Baerwald the executive producer of NBC Productions whose credits include "Fatal Vision" "The Murder of Mary Pha- The programs included She Wrote" "Falcon Crest" "Amen" and "21 Jump Street" Almost a third of all neters "Murder gan" and "The Executioner's Song" "I do think that the networks are largely male" Baerwald said "The work 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 e hired for sitcoms than series "I'm sure that if I walked into an e office tomorrow with an movie there might be because I'm a some resistance woman" said Diane English the creator and producer of the CBS comedy "Murphy Brown" English and Kell Brown said too that male executives may assume women producers don't have the guts to do the job "The stereotype is young pliable people who make the decisions about programming are largely male And I think that's a mistake" Has progress been made in the last few years? Yes Has discrimination been eliminated? Hardly "People have the illusion if they see more visible women working in certain positions that in fact the industry has made great strides" said Jeffries a former story editor on CBS' "Cagney & Lacey" "I think there are strides being made but I think relatively they There are are being made slowly a lot of (women) vice presidents who have the power to say no but no action-adventur- action-adventur- Emmy-winnin- f :::' ::: ' - — - zT :::1 ':!:' 7:::::4A'0 ::' 7iV ''''-'- '111':t'":m0e:': A it":- i e t :t :: l- d :' ': r '':: i::: j: ' s' 01 Ir V-"4- --- i ': 4'i4--- 'at4r''': 0':' :: 4 7 V r470 — I g power to say yes The power structure in this town is still occupied by men" Before some women even walk into a producer's office to pitch a screenplay or a series they must show that they deserve to be there — regardless of whether their idea is good "I was one of the first women in television" said Susan Harris who created the shows "Soap" "The Golden Girls" and "Empty Nest" "I think initially I had to prove that I was a good writer to be taken seriously I don't think I was taken seriously until they saw the writing And then they began to treat me like a writer" Harris said That sexist skepticism she said is societal "I've caught myself saying 'I'd rather have a man do surgery on me than a woman' And you really have to stop and think about that one It's my generation — it's built in Men were capable Women made the pot roast" Said Baerwald: "When I finished school I was a glorified secretary Now our options for many years are much more open" Baerwald said as an NBC executive her paychecks were half that of some male colleagues of equal standing Once a woman has established herself In the television business life isn't necessarily easier There are some people several prominent women executives say who still assume an ascending woman either must be sleeping with or related to someone higher up The reverse supposition is rarely if ever made about men "If a woman is successful there must be another reason why she's successful as opposed to her work tenacity and dare we even say talent" Jeffries said In the end of course a good writer is a good writer and a good producer is a good producer The os- tensibly male-theme- hockey d movie "Slap Shot" was written by a woman Nancy Dowd Harris is writing a feature film about male bonding "The Cosby Show" "Roseanne" "A Different World" and "Grand" were all by Marcy Carsey with Tom Werner of Co the Carsey-Werne- r Carsey declined to be interviewed saying the focus should be on successful producers regardless of sex English could put a show on any network next week if she wanted Few people would do better producing "The Arsenio Hall Show" than Kell Brown Besides taking the show near the top of the late-nigcharts in just a year Kell Brown brings to the show an indispensable point of view She's white ht female and suburban He's not "Arsenio and I come from as different backgrounds as possible" she said "I come from a very white sheltered environment I grew up He'll do a in 'The Brady Bunch' sports joke and I'll say 'I don't know who that guy is!' In that way we complement each other very well" Said Jeffries: "The essential issue of course is talent and productivity: can the person hired deliver in a qualitative and quantitative manner And I believe there are women out there who do it and do a very good job indeed" Since television influences the nation's attitudes it's likely the increased presence of women backstage will give viewers a fresh point of view "I think 'Murphy' in a way paved the way for a different kind of woman" English said 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 "So there was a lot of fear that this woman wouldn't be accessible and likable" The show is now a hit And how does Jeffries feel about helping make Miss Delany a sex object? She smiled for a moment and said with a laugh "I think Dana looks wonderful in a a 1 1‘ LIN j I Der-sh- 1 irt" 1 - 4T The Sal( Lake Tribune TVMagazine Sunday June 104990 011111111VirikallEranlIMIN LI - IMIMIUUMOSEliMMUNIP - IN - - - aI k |