TV is once again attempting to bring legendary "girl detective" Nancy Drew to life. We dust off our very first episode for a look at past attempts to put the hugely popular Nancy Drew mysteries on the small screen.

The book series' backstory is a fascinating look at ego & the evolution of publishing. Excerpts are included from Melanie Rehak's 2005 "Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her." We explore why the Sunday night series that paired actress Pamela Sue Martin's Nancy Drew with The Hardy Boys failed in 1977-1979 and how the books have impacted TV herstory.

Links for further reading: "The Not So Hidden Racism of Nancy Drew" https://electricliterature.com/the-not-so-hidden-racism-of-nancy-drew/

"How does Nancy Drew connect to the books? Almost everything is different" https://www.bustle.com/p/how-does-nancy-drew-connect-to-the-books-almost-everything-is-different-19199448

"Why does it matter who wrote Nancy Drew anyway?" https://crimereads.com/why-does-it-matter-who-wrote-nancy-drew-anyway/

"Mildred Benson is dead at 96; wrote 23 Nancy Drew books" https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/books/mildred-benson-is-dead-at-96-wrote-23-nancy-drew-books.html

The Mystery of Carolyn Keene" https://www.lib.umd.edu/nancy/influential-authors/carolyn-keene

"The adventurous writer who brought Nancy Drew to life" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/adventurous-writer-who-brought-Nancy-Drew-to-life-180969479/

"The Stratemeyer Syndicate" https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/collections/12/the-stratemeyer-syndicate/

Clips and Music: Nancy Drew (The CW) Trailer HD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYOK1K_04Gc "Uniq - Art of Silence" is under a Royalty Free music license.

Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: https://youtu.be/er--pnwFDgU 'Moody Swing' by Oshóva is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: https://youtu.be/CPhnejWBYtc 'Malibu' by Scandinavianz is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: https://youtu.be/iusKLrpij2w

Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams revisits Anita Hill's groundbreaking testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991. Before the #MeToo movement and the widespread conversations about workplace harassment, Hill's testimony ignited national discussions about power, credibility, and gender dynamics in politics.

This refreshed episode from 2016 explores how Hill's testimony changed the landscape for women in the workplace and public life. Cynthia provides historical context on Robert Bork's earlier Supreme Court nomination, the role of key political figures like Joe Biden and Arlen Specter, and the parallels between Hill's experience and the 2018 Brett Kavanaugh hearings.

Join Cynthia as she examines what has changed in the conversation about sexual harassment, the ongoing impact of Hill's activism, and the role of media in shaping public perception.

Related Episodes: I Believe Anita Hill (2.7)

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/5e8bd659-e882-403c-85e2-6923cd9b2125.mp3

Resources:

Race, Gender and Power in America: The Legend of the Hill-Thomas Hearings by Emma Coleman Jordan (1995)

Speaking Truth to Power, by Anita Hill (1997)

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women. Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series of Advanced TV Herstory mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the 1950 publication of Red Channels.

Trumped up accusations, which later the FBI admitted were unfounded, were accepted as proof enough to break contracts, withdraw offers and freeze out women who otherwise would have changed the look, sound and depth of TV's first decade.

Episode 3, features a frank conversation with author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester (of the Univ. of NC Chapel Hill) about how racism further changed the course of early TV. Lillian Hellman on Dick Cavett 1973 Lillian Hellman's letter, read by Liza Minnelli (rare video of the 1974 telecast of the 1972 Off Broadway stage production in which actors portrayed blacklisted people from the entertainment world during the House Un-American Activities Committee proceedings).

Carol Stabile's Broadcast 41 https://broadcast41.uoregon.edu/

Charlene Regester's 2010 book African-American Actresses: The Struggle for Visibility 1900-1960 https://iupress.org/9780253221926/african-american-actresses/

Big Thinker Series hosted by The Ethics Centre (Eleanor Roosevelt Clip) https://ethics.org.au/big-thinker-eleanor-roosevelt/

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

This 4-episode series examines anti-communism/McCarthyism blacklisting's impact on the careers of women who likely would have changed the look, depth, and sound of TV. Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams and author/scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester of the University of North Carolina, have a frank conversation about how racism, stereotyped roles, and Jim Crow laws delayed TV's depiction of Black life by more than a decade.

This adds to the story of a previous podcast episode about TV's Single Women and how even in the 1980s, a TV series cast a black woman as a household domestic.

Resources Mentioned:

Charlene Regester (2010) African American Actresses: The Struggle for Visibility 1900-1960. Indiana University Press.

Carol Stabile (2018) The Broadcast 41: Women and the Anti-Communist Blacklist

James Gavin (2010) Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne

Advanced TV Herstory's episode: TV's Single Woman Caregivers & Gimme a Break

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/a2e5bfdd-b084-405c-9897-d486f922c123.mp3

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women. Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the publication of Red Channels.

You'll also hear from another author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester. In episode 3, listen in on our frank conversation about how racism, Jim Crow laws and segregation further changed the course of early TV.

Carol Stabile, (2018) The Broadcast 41: Women and the Anti-Communist Blacklist https://broadcast41.uoregon.edu/

Charlene Regester (2010) African American Actresses: The Struggle for Visibility, 1900–1960 published by Indiana University Press https://iupress.org/9780253221926/african-american-actresses/

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women. Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the publication of Red Channels.

Stabile delivers quotes, right from FBI files she's requested for more than a decade, that assert that many of the charges and allegations that smeared these progressive women were unfounded or made up.

You'll also hear from another author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester. In episode 3, listen in on our frank conversation about how racism, Jim Crow laws and segregation further changed the course of early TV.

Ellen Schrecker (1999) Many Are The Crimes https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691048703/many-are-the-crimes?srsltid=AfmBOorNxG7c27BBhWR9h2855NlXToBDFV5eMFKypGaP-_deCfjToCWM

Carol Stabile, (2018) The Broadcast 41: Women and the Anti-Communist Blacklist https://broadcast41.uoregon.edu/

Charlene Regester (2010) African American Actresses: The Struggle for Visibility, 1900–1960 published by Indiana University Press https://iupress.org/9780253221926/african-american-actresses/

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

Celebration of 4 years of independent podcasting about TV women - those behind the camera as well as in front of it. Cynthia's thanks her team of Jen Edds, Catherine Yang and Elsie Escobar and recaps highlights and changes made to the show's format and outreach. She also does some deep thinking about social change, social media, feminism and the power of representation as the entertainment industry wrestles with hashtag movements #MeToo and #Times Up.

Near the end, Cynthia reveals a big goal.

Audio clip was from June 2019 ESPN's "First Take" show hosted by Molly Qerim with Lavar Ball as a guest.

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

How did cable TV transform into a powerhouse for original programming and reruns that shaped narratives about and for women?

In this episode of Advanced TV Herstory, host Cynthia Bemis Abrams is joined by scholar, author, and podcaster Dr. Amanda Lotz to unpack the financial and cultural shifts that revolutionized women's television. From Lifetime and Bravo to HBO and TV Land, Cynthia and Amanda explore the channels and series that championed female-driven stories.

Learn how premium cable channels, mergers, and syndication influenced the creation of shows like Sex and the City, Hot in Cleveland, Girlfriends, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dive into the financial incentives behind cable's evolution and its role in amplifying women's voices on screen.

Related Episodes: Eating Disorder Movies: TV For and About Women (5.8)

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/ec92735c-cb8d-4916-8c8f-2ff9ab9e5d86.mp3

Series, Movies & Channels: TV For and About Women (5.7)

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/fd3c22e3-417d-48c0-906e-f1db9b66bd92.mp3

Cable Audiences and Evolution: TV For and About Women (5.6)

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d7a2dedd-163e-4ef8-8a7c-6b292f2ffa3c.mp3

The Television Will Be Revolutionized and other books by Amanda Lotz - https://www.amandalotz.com

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/

In this episode of Advanced TV Herstory, host Cynthia Bemis Abrams sits down with art historian, professor, and author Emily L. Newman to examine how made-for-TV movies tackled the sensitive subject of eating disorders. From the 1980s through today, these stories offered a platform to educate audiences while reflecting societal pressures on women. They discuss milestone productions such as Kate's Secret (1986), starring Meredith Baxter, and Love of Nancy (1994), featuring Tracey Gold, along with the influence of real-life figures like Karen Carpenter. This episode dives into how these narratives shaped public understanding of anorexia and bulimia and how television has served as a tool for advocacy and awareness. Podcast Episode Plot Summary Television has long been a medium for tackling societal issues, and the made-for-TV movie genre became a vital platform for exploring eating disorders. In this episode, Cynthia Bemis Abrams and Emily L. Newman discuss how films like Kate's Secret and Love of Nancy portrayed the struggles of women dealing with anorexia and bulimia. They also explore the impact of public figures like Karen Carpenter and Tracey Gold, who brought attention to the issue both on and off screen. This episode highlights television's power to educate and inspire change, with a focus on the intersection of media, health, and representation. Episode Life Lessons Representation matters: Television has the power to educate and destigmatize health issues like eating disorders. Personal stories amplify change: Real-life figures like Karen Carpenter inspired made-for-TV narratives that shaped public understanding. Media as advocacy: These films remind us how entertainment can be a tool for education and social awareness. Episode Resources Referenced TV Movies: Kate's Secret (1986) Love of Nancy (1994)

In this episode of Advanced TV Herstory, host Cynthia Bemis Abrams explores the evolution of cable TV and its pivotal role in elevating women’s voices on screen. Joined by media scholars Dr. Amanda Lotz and Emily L. Newman, the discussion highlights the birth of cable channels like Lifetime, Hallmark, OWN, and Oxygen—spaces dedicated to telling women’s stories.

They delve into the business side of cable, examining how bundled services, programming needs, and financial models influenced the creation of female-focused networks. From Oprah Winfrey’s OWN to the Hallmark Channel, discover how money, mergers, and marketing shaped the media landscape for women.

The media landscape was forever changed by the rise of cable TV, which provided new opportunities to create content for and about women. In this episode, Cynthia Bemis Abrams, Dr. Amanda Lotz, and Emily L. Newman discuss how networks like Lifetime and OWN became cultural staples, offering everything from independent productions to syndicated reruns.

The conversation explores the financial underpinnings of cable TV, from bundled subscriptions to programming demands, and how they created dedicated platforms for women’s stories.

Advanced TV Herstory episodes in this series:

Evolution of cable

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/6273d57b-dba5-4666-a457-bf2c9354655f.mp3

Cable TV viewers

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d7a2dedd-163e-4ef8-8a7c-6b292f2ffa3c.mp3

Cable TV Programming

https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/fd3c22e3-417d-48c0-906e-f1db9b66bd92.mp3

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY

Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/

PRODUCTION

Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/

Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/

Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/