Editing Bailey Quarters (section)

== WKRP roles ==
Bailey originally came from Chicago<ref name = Kassel/> with a degree in journalism<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s8ARc_7-NtUC&pg=PA220 |title=The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and Skewed |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2005 |pages=8, 20 |accessdate=2010-01-26|isbn=9780791482636 |last1=Dalton |first1=Mary M |last2=Linder |first2=Laura R }}</ref> from The [[Ohio State University]], where she graduated [[summa cum laude]].<ref>"Straight from the Heart", ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', Season 4 Episode 5 (November 4, 1981)</ref> Her ambition is eventually to be a broadcasting executive, but though intelligent and talented, she was held back early on by her extreme shyness and fear of speaking up. In the earliest episodes, station manager [[Arthur Carlson]] could not even remember who she was or whether "Bailey" was a man or a woman.

She is originally in charge of just the billing and [[traffic (broadcasting)|station traffic]], but that changes when [[Andy Travis]] takes over as the program director of WKRP. One of his first acts is to give Bailey more duties, including being an on-air news reporter, over the strenuous objections of sales manager [[Herb Tarlek]] and news director [[Les Nessman]], who feels threatened. In the episode "Dear Liar", a take-off on the [[Janet Cooke]] scandal, Bailey writes a news story that is partly fictional, which could have cost the station its [[broadcast license]], though it was still in its initial draft and Bailey had not committed to using it. It only becomes an issue when Les jealously plagiarizes it on the air. Eventually the professional relationship between Les and Bailey becomes less strained, with Les allowing her more freedom and input on the station's news reporting. During the episode "[[In Concert (WKRP in Cincinnati)|In Concert]]", when reporting on [[The Who concert disaster|the tragedy at the December 3, 1979 concert]] by [[The Who]] at [[Riverfront Coliseum]] (which Bailey had attended and Les didn't), Les brings a depressed Bailey's spirits up by telling her "we're newsmen… well, newspersons" and telling her he needs her help to cover the story responsibly.<ref name = Kassel/>

As the series goes on, Bailey becomes more assertive and more able to speak up for herself. She undergoes subtle changes in her hairstyle and appears in eyeglasses less and less. She becomes better at standing up to her nemesis Herb; in one episode, she throws lighted matches at Herb's polyester suit, threatening to set it on fire. By the second season, she has evolved into a serious and dependable career-minded woman who brings "a measure of sanity" to the station.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fYkvAAAAIBAJ&pg=2383,3864008&dq=bailey-quarters&hl=en |title="WKRP returns for second season", ''Bulletin-Journal''(Cape Girarardau, MO) (August 30, 1979) p 4 |date=1979-08-30 |accessdate=2010-01-26}}</ref> By the fourth season, she has developed to be on an equal footing with her co-workers.<ref name=Krupnick/>

She becomes increasingly associated with [[environmentalism]] and other activist causes. One episode begins with her circulating a petition against [[nuclear power]]; in another episode, she mentions that she spent the weekend campaigning for the [[Equal Rights Amendment]]. In the episode "Circumstantial Evidence", while testifying in court, she starts complaining to the judge about the plight of baby [[pinniped|seals]] and [[dolphins]]. Some of these character traits came from the actress who played Bailey, [[Jan Smithers]], who was herself involved with animal-rights and clean-energy causes; as with many of the ''WKRP'' characters, elements of the actor were incorporated into the character, giving the character more depth as the show went on.  Although Bailey did not appear in the sequel series, ''[[The New WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', it is revealed that she later left broadcasting and became the mayor of [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]] (an ironic fate for an Ohio State grad, as Ann Arbor is the home of OSU's great rival, the [[University of Michigan]]).

Bailey's character was overshadowed by that of [[Jennifer Marlowe]] (played by [[Loni Anderson]]), the blonde bombshell of the station. The relationship between Jennifer and Bailey has often been likened to that between [[Ginger Grant|Ginger]] and [[Mary Ann Summers|Mary Ann]] from ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''. Two generations of American males were judged by their answers to the question "Ginger or Mary Ann?" and "Jennifer or Bailey?", and both sets of women became cultural icons of their generations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/dawn-wells-turns-74-question-remains-ginger-or-mary-ann-1C6547688|title = As Dawn Wells turns 74, the question remains: Ginger or Mary Ann?| date=18 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=157634923 Ginger or Mary Ann has been beaten to death. How about....Jennifer or Bailey?</ref>