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The issue, however, may be shifting from sex to age. Says Reporter Zoe Levin, 36, of Kansas City's WDAF: "Today the emphasis on cosmetics applies to men as well.'' At the networks, some older male correspondents, including CBS Veterans George Herman, 63, and Robert Pierpoint, 58, have been pushed into secondary roles. When ABC and NBC realign their evening newscasts next month, the average age of the three lead network anchormen will be a relatively youthful 46. Says ABC News President Roone Arledge: "It is a fact of life—when your face is out there as your byline, cosmetic factors are involved." Arledge's attitude seems ingrained in TV executives across the country, and in audiences. Even Crusader Craft does not expect much change. She sums up: "This is a victory for civil rights, but I have no illusions that it will make a huge difference in TV news." — By William A. Henry III.
Reported by Miriam Pepper/Kansas City, with other bureaus
*Metromedia was also hit with a $1.5 million sex-discrimination suit by a Boston station employee who was demoted after taking a maternity leave, and a two-day, 22% drop in the value of its stock following an article criticizing its accounting practices in Barron's, the business magazine.