MUNCIE, Ind. - The number of minorities working in the nation’s radio and television newsroom has dipped slightly, but it is not clear why, say two Ball State University media researchers.

The decline may seem to be a result of the elimination of FCC Equal Employment Opportunity rules, but could also be blamed on other factors.

Robert Papper and Michael Gerhard, telecommunications professors who conduct annual research for Radio-Television News Directors Association, say it is too soon to tell if the survey results show a trend or just a natural flux.

Results showed a drop from 20 to 19 percent for minorities in TV newsrooms, down from an all-time high of 21 percent two years ago. In radio, minorities fell five percent to just 11 percent of the workforce.

"Given the natural ebb and flow in the numbers, it will take several years to determine exactly where we’re heading," Papper said.

He said the 1998 survey showed a four percent increase.

"It’s possible there’s been a significant drop," said Papper, "Or it’s possible the 1998 figures were simply a survey aberration."

Minority news directors in both television and radio dropped back from last year’s gains to the exact positions they held two years ago---both to eight percent. In both radio and television, most of the decrease involved African American news directors.

Women in radio news fell slightly from 31 percent in 1998 to 20 percent, and the percentage of women news directors in radio plunged from last year’s high of 28 percent to 20 percent.

Women working in television news rose to a new all-time high of 39 percent, up from 35 percent. The number of women news directors dropped from last year’s all-time high of 23 percent to 20 percent, although Gerhard said the drop may not represent the slide backwards it appears to.

"In the past, women have been far more likely to be news directors in smaller markets and at the smallest news departments," he said. "Today the percentages are spread much more evenly among market size and staff size than ever before."

The FCC took comments on new proposed minority recruiting guidelines and is considering the exact language it will use to replace the guidelines.

"It’s pretty clear, based on the court ruling, that whatever the FCC puts forward will depend primarily on voluntary efforts," Papper said.

RTNDA has taken no position on the proposed guidelines, said the association’s president, Barbara Cochran.

"Although the future of the federal rules is in doubt, we’re proud of our many efforts in this area, and we will continue reporting annually on minority employment levels," she said.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story contact Lori Rader at 765-285-1560 or lrader@bsu.edu.)