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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Are Middle-Aged Local Anchorwomen A Target For Downsizing?

Drilling deeper in news of Marianne Banister leaving WBAL-TV

The departure last week of Marianne Banister from WBAL-TV after 15 years of co-anchoring a team that always finished first or second in its time period raised big questions about the changing face of television news in Baltimore.

In the past year and half, several long-time anchors have signed off the local airwaves, including Sally Thorner at WJZ, and Mary Beth Marsden at WMAR.

By long-time, we’re talking 15 years or more of coming into Baltimore homes every night with the local news. And some of those who have left the airwaves have some very definite opinions about the changes taking place.

Banister spoke candidly with The Baltimore Sun about her departure, saying it was not her idea.
“I want to make this clear: This is not my choice,” she said. “I’m not retiring. I’m not leaving to ‘spend more time with my family.’”

According to what the 51-year-old Banister says she was told, her non-renewal was strictly a matter of dollars and cents

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10 comments:

  1. sorry lady, thats TV. middle aged women are not nice to look at. Ashley james from WMDT is just gorgeous. My wife and i tune in every night just to see what outfit she is wearing.

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  2. Don't think I'd kick Marianne out of bed for eating crackers though!

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  3. I thought all of the middle aged local women just hung out at bars while neglecting their kids.

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  4. anonymous 10:26, I have a pretty good idea who you are. Your ignorant and quite frankly, stupid.

    Here's the way I see it. Middle aged women are more likely to stand firm in their beliefs. IF they feel a story isn't accurate they would tend to voice their opinion and not be a "yes man", so to speak.


    Young journalists are more willing to do whatever is necessary to excell their carreer and do what they are told.

    I enjoy those "middle aged" reporters actually doing the story from beginning to end because of their life experiences. In other words, they're more trustworthy and aren't so interested in sensationalizing a story just to boost their carreer.

    Young and pretty is good for Playboy, not television news. The MSM is hoping to gain more of an audience with pretty young men and women and that's it.

    In the end, are you realy getting the true story? The answer is, NO.

    Oh, for those of you wanting to attack me about sensationalizing stories, this article is about the MSM and not Blogs.

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  5. Middle aged women are as discriminated against as any minority, and yet have accomplished far more than any group. While you cannot criticise a muslim or a black it is still commonly accepted to bash women. And unless women in this country wake up you will be wearing a birka, unable to drive or vote or have any basic human freedoms at all. Sharia Law is infiltrating our country.

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  6. alice bavis is a hottie too

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  7. This happen to me at a large local mechanical contractor...age 51 and I'm out of a job. Funny, no one wants to hire me, Marianne just happens to be in the bright lights. Good luck to her and all the other ladies.

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  8. This lady looks same age as Alice Bavis. Attractive, Intellegent, and know how to do the job. Ashley James is HOT!

    I think that the older and more seasoned reporters like Banister know how to drill deep into the news stories.

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  9. What? It's just middle aged women who get aced? Companies want to get rid of every older worker they can get. Saves MILLIONS in pensions, health care costs and salaries.

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  10. Let's face it the longer you work in any given area as a reporter, either TV, newspaper or radio (if there's any of them left) the better you understand the "local" story and the more information sources you have to call on to verify information. I put quotes around local because so many times in the Salisbury market the local news is filled with spin offs of national stories or parking lot interviews asking what do you think about what the President said etc. If you can get good people to stay in this or any market it just improves your credibiltiy.

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