NOW VIEWINGReception
Debate & reception

DebateContested

Women behind the mic: equal airtime for female selectors and broadcasters?

One side

Visible pioneers as evidence of real opportunity

The other

A broadcasting field still numerically dominated by men

What was argued

Jamaican and diaspora broadcasting produced pioneering women on air - Ranking Miss P became the first host of a dedicated reggae show on BBC Radio 1, and Elise Kelly has held a marquee IRIE FM slot for decades - yet commentators have long noted that selecting and radio hosting in reggae and dancehall remain fields where men vastly outnumber women. Some point to these visible examples as evidence of real opportunity; others argue that a handful of prominent names does not equal parity across stations, sound systems and countdown shows. Neutral framing; no verdict.

The records this concerns

Sources

Wikipedia (Ranking Miss P); dancehallreggaeworld.com (Elise Kelly profile); Donna P. Hope, scholarship on gender in dancehall