Barbara Walters, a First Among TV-Newswomen is Dead at 93
Barbara Walters, the pioneering female host of “Today” and the first female anchor of an evening news channel, died Friday at her Manhattan home. She was also the first female interviewer for celebrities, blurring the line between entertainment and news. She was 93 years old.
Cindi Berger, her publicist, confirmed that Ms. Walters had died, but didn’t give any details. ABC News reported Ms. Walters’ death earlier.
Ms. Walters was on the screen for more than 50 years and continued to do so until her death in 1984. She is best remembered for digging into the private lives of stars and heads of state with gentle insistence.
Ms. Walters made her debut on “Today,” NBC’s flagship show. She began to appear on-camera on that show in 1964 and was named cohost a decade later. Her success opened the doors to future network anchors such as Jane Pauley and Katie Couric.
Ms. Walters started at NBC in 1961 as a writer, and was the token woman in the “Today’ writers’ room. She was a co-anchor for the evening news with Harry Reasoner when she left NBC to join ABC in 1976. Her five-year contract, which cost $5 million, made her the “million-dollar-baby”.
