KTLA’s Sexist Rose Parade Coverage

For years now if you, like most people, enjoyed spending New Year’s morning watching the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade here in Los Angeles, you most likely turned to KTLA Channel 5. In the past, KTLA had a solid reputation for great coverage and snappy comment. The comments were made by the experienced team of Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks, two LA TV personalities who’ve been around a long time and had been reporting on the Rose Parade for years.

Up until this last parade. Somehow or another KTLA’s management managed to outdo the weather in raining on the Rose Parade. They did this by pushing Stephanie Edwards out of the reporting booth and putting in, KTLA newswoman Michaela Pereira.

Now, Ms Pereira is probably a pretty good newswoman, but throughout the parade she sounded like she hadn’t the slightest interest in the Rose Parade, the performers, the floats, or the anything else normally associated with the event. She didn’t seem actively interested in what she was supposedly commenting on. In other words she appeared totally unqualified for the job she was given. Nevertheless, Ms Pereira gets the comfortable booth along with Mr Eubanks, while Ms Edwards gets shunted out to street level, where she’s allowed to say a few words now and then and is otherwise forced to sit out in the rain for three hours or so.

Why?

Why was a woman of Ms Edwards obvious experience simply shut out from what most people would say is a job that she does rather well and had always done well, in favor of another newswomen of obviously lesser experience.

Nobody really knows. And KTLA’s management isn’t saying.

But let’s speculate; and if you’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking, it’s not rocket science what’s going on with KTLA’s Rose Parade coverage.

According to Patt Morrison at the LA Times, Ms Edwards is in her sixties; Michaela Pereira, on the other hand is about half Ms Edwards age, (from the looks of her.) Bob Eubanks is also in his sixties. He also seemed to be a pretty happy camper camped up there in that reporting booth with Ms Pereira for three hours.

Which makes you wonder. Was Ms Edwards pushed out because Mr Eubanks wanted to be seen on TV with a younger woman? It certainly seems so.

If so, it’s a damn shame. KTLA’s management should be called down on it. Stephanie Edwards did not deserve the treatment she got.

Nor, for that matter did most viewers. Those of us who enjoy watching the Rose Parade, expected to see Stephanie Edwards and had our enjoyment of the parade diminished largely because of the obviously shabby way Ms Edwards was treated. Which we were all reminded of again and again during the parade.

And KTLA didn’t do Bob Eubanks any favors either.

I don’t know who’s dumb, insensitive, sexist idea it was to treat Ms Edwards as throw-away, but he or she should be called down on it.

KTLA: Put Stephanie Edwards back in that booth next year!

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