Despite recent reports, the most dangerous place for women in the world right now is not Afghanistan — it’s in a TV news studio.
And the danger increases incrementally with every year a woman manages to live without dying prematurely under the wheels of a NYC bus.
Unlike other businesses where the more seasoned you are, the higher you rise in the organization, in TV news, the younger and bigger-haired you are, the faster you’ll climb.
Sue Simmons is just the latest casualty, and, frankly, it’s shocking that she’s lasted as long as she has.
It doesn’t matter that the fans are revolting all over the Web. Sue’s just no longer demographically appealing to the TV suits.
Have you looked at TV news lately? No, not the morning news/chat shows, but hard news, where experience should count for something.
Whether it’s local or network, but especially cable, the average age of the male anchors is near-death, while the women look like Playboy’s fantasy cheerleaders.
The lives of female anchors — remember when they looked like reporters, not strippers? — are measured in dog years now. Men in the same positions can — and do — get old and fat on camera, proudly sporting horrifying comb-overs without missing a beat. Or losing their jobs.
And let’s not even go into the men’s frightening beige dye jobs! This is a color that has never even existed in nature!
So, big salary aside, Simmons got the boot at 68, while her same-age co-anchor, Chuck Scarborough, who you know makes at least what she makes, lives on — to be paired with a younger, sexier co-anchor.
While Sue is considered past her prime, WNBC still employs Gabe Pressman at age 88!
Why is no one in TV news looking at the rest of TV?
This ageist-female-anchor bias flies in the face of everything that’s hot on TV right now.
Think about it. Who is the most popular woman on TV? Yes, it’s Betty White — and she’s 90!
She is not only a regular guest on “SNL” (NBC!) but has two TV series.
There’s “Hot in Cleveland,” featuring Valerie Bertinelli (48), Jane Leeves (51) and Wendie Malick (62), and in April, White will debut (also on NBC) “Off Their Rockers.”
Clearly, NBC gets it, but WNBC doesn’t.
Then, there’s Barbara Walters (82) and Joy Behar (69) of “The View,” the most popular female talk show on TV.
Yet, as well-informed and experienced as these two women are, they’d never get news jobs sitting next to CBS’s Bob Scheiffer, who is 75.
Then, there’s Ernie Anastos on Fox, who, at 69, is paired with Dari Alexander, who is 42 years old.
Yes, Sue is just the latest casualty in TV news, which has turned into an old man’s fantasy land, where old farts and young beauties rule — while their subjects revolt.
Let them eat fat-free yogurt!