Too Old For TV News?
NY1’s Roma Torre has spent 3 decades in TV, winning 2 Emmys. But when she lost opportunities to men and younger women, she was told “That’s just the way it is.”
Torre penned a piece for FastCompany that many women in this business can relate to:
Nobody gets younger. It’s a reality all of us, especially women, will eventually have to face in the workplace. So why is it that, rather than being respected for the wisdom and experience that often comes with age, nearly two-thirds of workers aged 45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination at work?
I’ve been working in TV news for more than three decades. I’m a reporter, a theater critic, and an anchor. I’ve covered thousands of stories and received dozens of awards, including two Emmys, one of which was just awarded this year. At 61 years old, I feel as though I am in the prime of my career. And yet somehow, at the same time, everything is now starting to unravel.
For decades, experienced female news anchors have been pushed out of highly visible roles and denied promotional opportunities due to age and appearance. This rarely happens to men. There appears to be a common misconception among TV news managers that “young and pretty” women attract higher viewership and improve the bottom line. There is, of course, zero proof that this is true.
For most of my career, I have, fortunately, enjoyed a great deal of success even as I reached my late 50s—which is to say that I was supported and promoted by news managers who valued my contributions, and the loyalty of my audience was always reflected in my ratings. But I have always known that there are plenty of other women in my field who have not been so fortunate.
In 1992, I was the first person hired for an on-camera role at the then-fledgling NY1 News on Time Warner Cable. I was asked to be one of the “faces” of NY1. It was an honor. Over the next 27 years, it would be an understatement to say I put my heart and soul into the role. Over those years, NY1 made its name as a newsroom marked by substance over style and gained the trust of millions of New Yorkers who relied on our journalism. I like to think I played a major part in creating that relationship with our viewers.
In 2016, Charter Communications acquired Time Warner Cable. In short order, talented managers and reporters with many years of dedicated service, many of whom were over 40, were let go. I was one of the “lucky” ones who made the cut. At least that’s what I initially thought.
For those who remained, our experiences surely differed. From some, you might hear about the fact that Charter built a fancy new set, hired hair and makeup artists, and produced expensive promotional videos for the on-air talent. You might also hear that new opportunities for on-air talent were in abundance, and NY1 was a place where you could quickly advance and develop your skills as an anchor.
But my experience differed drastically. While others were benefitting from increased opportunities and airtime, my profile was shrinking. I soon realized that I was not alone. My colleagues Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee, and Amanda Farinacci, who have each been at NY1 with me for anywhere from 11 to 25 years, were also on the outside looking in. We all lost airtime, we all lost opportunities, we were all being treated differently. We all have something else in common: We are all older women.