Edythe Meserand (1908-1997) was a pioneer in broadcast journalism for women and founding member of the

American Women in Radio and Television The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a nonprofit organization created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the United States. About The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting a ...

(AWRT), the oldest established professional association dedicated to advancing women in broadcasting.

Biography

Edythe Meserand was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1908 but grew up in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

and

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

. She began her career at the

National Broadcasting Company The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

in 1926 in their press office. From 1931-37 Meserand worked for the Hearst radio stations as the director of promotions and the ''Musical Clock Girl'' on WGBS, the forerunner of WINS in New York City. Meserand left and became assistant news director of WOR, making her one of the first women in radio to assign reporters and shape the news broadcast. She helped design what is considered today the modern radio newsroom and produced some of the first radio news documentaries that used authentic background sounds. She took over the department when her supervisor, David Driscoll, became a war correspondent in WWII. In 1951 she became a founder of American Women in Radio and Television, and served as its first president. Throughout her career, Meserand collected many accolades, including Peabody and Freedom Foundation awards for her radio documentary work, she was also honored by the Northeast Area Conference of American Women in Radio and Television for her 50 years in the industry. She retired from WOR in 1952 and moved to a Christmas tree farm in Windy Hill,

Charleston, New York Charleston is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 1,373 at the 2010 census. The town was named for Charles Van Epps, an early settler. The Town of Charleston is on the southern border of the county and i ...

with her partner, Jane Barton. In her retirement she continued to lead an active life, starting an advertising agency where she managed radio and television campaigns for Mary Anne Krupsak, the former

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of New York. In the 1970s, Meserand became her town historian and the founding chairman of the Charleston Historical Society in 1978 where she helped to save the town's first

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church. Edythe Meserand died at age 88 on June 2, 1997.

References

External links

Interview with Edythe Meserand
1991 with the Washington Press Club * Edythe Meserand papers at the

University of Maryland Libraries The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meserand, Edythe 1908 births 1997 deaths Journalists from Philadelphia Journalists from the Bronx People from Long Island NBC employees People from Montgomery County, New York Radio pioneers