Barbara Walters, Pioneer Of Television Newscasts, Dies At 93

By Frazier Moore | Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, host and talk show host who led the way as the first woman to become a television news superstar during a network career notable for its length and variety, has died . She was 93.

Walters’ death was announced on air on ABC Friday night.

For nearly four decades on ABC, and before that on NBC, Walters’ exclusive interviews with rulers, royals and entertainers earned her celebrity status that was on par with theirs, while placing her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that turned television reporters into stars. she and she brought news shows into the race for higher ratings.

Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first network news anchor, with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary that drew criticism and gasps (while her additional duties were lost in protest that stretched beyond News). Her drive was legendary as she competed, not only with rival networks, but also with colleagues at her own network, for every big “get” in a world teeming with more and more interviewers, including women journalists who had followed the path she blazed.

“I never expected this!” Walters said in 2004, taking the measure of success from him. “I always thought that he would be a writer for television. I never thought that he would be in front of a camera”.