Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Connections

Coming up on Connections: Thursday, December 7

First hour: How women in TV news are harassed by viewers

Second hour: The impact of less materialistic gift-giving

As more women are speaking out about sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace and beyond, women in the media industry — specifically, television news — are sharing their stories of how they’ve been harassed by viewers. It’s a pervasive problem, with women discussing how the men and women who watch them make inappropriate comments about their appearances, clothing, personalities, and more. Anchors and reporters say the comments are offensive, disgusting, and racist. We’re joined by local reporters who share what they’ve experienced. Our guests:

  • Norma Holland, anchor and reporter at 13WHAM
  • Patrice Walsh, former reporter at 13WHAM
  • Kaci Jones, reporter at WHEC
  • Stacey Pensgen, chief meteorologist at WROC

Then in our second hour, we discuss alternative approaches to gift-giving during the holidays — those that are less materialistic. We’ll hear what local families and doing about an issue that is a prime source of stress, according to mental health experts. Our guests:

  • Joel Helfrich, parent
  • Kim Maroldo, parent
  • Melanie Funchess, parent, and director of community engagement for the Mental Health Association of Rochester
  • Dr. Elizabeth Murray, M.D., parent, and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Golisano Children's Hospital
  • Jim Allen, professor of psychology at SUNY Geneseo
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.