The female share of the TV news work force, just over a third, was consistent across market sizes and types of stations. But, as Table 1 shows, the minority share was twice as great at Fox and independent stations as at the ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates that account for most of the work force. That's mainly because the independents include Spanish-speaking stations where most staff are Hispanic. Still, Hispanic journalists more often work at Big-Three affiliates. Three-fourths were there rather than at independent or Fox stations.
Minorities tend to be concentrated in larger markets.
About a fourth of all TV newspeople at stations surveyed in the 25 largest markets were minority, compared to a tenth in the 60 smallest of the 210 TV markets. Losing can also be winning, if you turn to the numbers as well as the percentages. If the total work force grows enough, gains in numbers can more than offset losses in percentage points. That's what's happened in TV news. The work force grew an estimated 2,200 persons from 1990 to 1994.