TV presenter Asha Dahya calls for more diversity in media
Former Channel 9 presenter Asha Dahya has called for more diversity in Australian media and says TV bosses are out of touch with consumers.
Confidential
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TV presenter Asha Dahya has called for more diversity on Australian TV screens.
The former Music Jungle co-host told Confidential that little has changed on TV screens since she left Australia for Hollywood more than 10 years ago and that TV bosses are out of touch with consumers.
“It wasn’t until I moved to the US in 2008 and realised how much more competitive it was however, there are far more opportunities for women of colour [there],” said Dahya, who is of Indian heritage.
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“It made me realise that if I stayed in Australia... I felt like I had reached my capacity as a young up and coming presenter in Australian media and every time I went back to Australia I would look at TV and I’m like ‘it’s the same people’.
“People [at the top] have just become so out of touch with day to day people, in a way I get it because they’re running a business and their careers are on the line.”
Dahya, who is based in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, said the mainstream media is not reflective of society.
“This is not to knock anyone because they all work very hard and are deserving of long lasting careers... it just felt really frustrating for me to go back home and not see more people of colour on mainstream channels,” she said.
“You kind of have to go to alternative channels or cable or now online. It’s definitely changing now... but I just really hope there are more and more people of colour and different genders coming up and showing that ‘we exist too and we’re Australian and we’re a part of this diverse multicultural landscape and we deserve to reflect what Australian audiences look like’.”
The GirlTalkHQ.com founder now makes it her duty to promote positive imagery and representation of women in media. She is set to release a new book on March 18 that celebrates diversity and women.
Today’s Wonder Women: Everyday Superheroes Who Are Changing the World is a collection of uplifting stories and is set to be released during Women’s History Month.
“It stems from a blog series that I started in 2018 from my blog, which has always been about sharing women’s stories especially everyday women who are doing really inspiring empowering things in the workplace, in the community and in their industries,” she said. “These are women that may not be household names but I think they should be.
“What I want people to take away is you can create change and you can be the superhero in your own life.”