May Lee

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For the video game character, see May Lee (The King of Fighters).

May Lee (born 1966) is the host of STAR TV's The May Lee Show. A second generation Korean American, Lee faced gender discrimination and anti-Asian bias early in her career, and spent the 1980s moving between local broadcasters. However, she reached a turning point in 1995, when she joined CNN; she first worked as a correspondent in Tokyo and Hong Kong, and later became the network's first female anchor of Korean descent.[1][2]

Following her success at CNN, Lee returned to the United States in 1999, where she hosted the talk show Pure Oxygen on The Oxygen Network , and also worked for other major broadcasters including ABC and NBC.[2]

In 2004, Lee returned to the Asia-Pacific region as an anchor for The Asia Wall Street Journal, CNBC's Asian financial news program, and then co-anchored CNBC Tonight with Teymoor Nabili until December 2005.[citation needed] Though she initially worried that as she aged, her career opportunities would decrease, she stated that her popular reception had improved due to her "experience and flexibility".[2][3]

In 2007, inspired by the economic and social changes she had seen in her five years away from Asia, she launched The May Lee Show, an English-language talk show modelled on The Oprah Winfrey Show and aimed specifically at Asian women. STAR TV placed great importance on the promotion of the new show, giving it a prime time slot right after the semi-final of American Idol, before moving it to the Sunday 8 P.M. slot two weeks later. The program discusses both soft issues such as fashion and celebrities, as well as social problems such as divorce, infidelity, and child trafficking; guests on the first episode included American actress Joan Chen, Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, and New Zealand chef Bobby Chinn.[2][4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "CNN 첫 한국계 여성앵커 출신 메이 리 訪韓 (CNN's first ethnic Korean female anchor May Lee visits South Korea)", Hanguk Gyeongje Ilbo, 2007-06-24. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. (Korean) 
  2. ^ a b c d Kolesnikov-Jessop, Sonia. "The "May Lee Show" set to make a pan-Asia debut", The International Herald-Tribune, 2007-05-16. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. 
  3. ^ Chung, Shi-haeng. "Korean-American News Anchor Discusses Perseverance", The Chosun Ilbo, 2004-12-01. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. 
  4. ^ "한국계 CNN 앵커 출신 메이 리, 스타TV서 `아시아판 오프라윈프리쇼` (Ethnic Korean former CNN anchor May Lee's "Asian version of the Oprah Winfrey Show" on Star TV)", Hanguk Gyeongje Ilbo, 2007-05-17. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. (Korean)