Boldness Will Assure Ethnic Diversity on TV

I was both gladdened and saddened by “Anchored Out of the Mainstream,” by Jon Krampner (Calendar, Dec. 15). Saddened by the fact that little has changed since I anchored the news at KNXT (now KCBS Channel 2) in the ‘70s, and to this day there is still not one Asian Pacific talk show or game show host nationally (or locally), much less that news anchor.

I was gladdened by the fact that the article called attention to what remains a terrible omission on our stations’ news broadcasts. Because all or most television is broadcast in color, every spectrum of color should and must be represented. We are all Americans, that’s why we became a great nation . . . not a melting pot, but a tasty salad bowl that blended together well, with each part retaining its unique flavor.

Krampner’s thoughtful article suggests several reasons for the dearth of ethnic--particularly Asian--men as anchors, a number of which should be explored more thoroughly. The explanations offered seemed unsubstantive and glib. I think those who make the decisions about who will and will not anchor a news broadcast should dig a bit more deeply beneath the surface in search of the real (conscious or subconscious) motivation for continuing to ignore a serious and ongoing problem.

America’s new diversity, particularly in L.A., is exciting, vibrant and challenging and should be reflected in all aspects of life, especially in the electronic media.

Indeed, this very diversity creates problems that are brought into our homes each evening on the newscasts. If the faces of the people bringing us this news (good and bad) represented the true cultural makeup of this city, youngsters would have a wider array of positive role models and more exciting dreams to which to aspire.

I was privileged to be one of the pioneers but, for whatever reason, the legacy we thought we left died. Somebody, however, must make the first move today. Somebody must push aside the fear of being different, of setting the example. Is there anyone out there bold enough in these last nine years of this century?