Barbara Walters

BORN: September 25, 1931 • Boston, Massachusetts

American broadcast journalist, television producer

When respected broadcast journalist Barbara Walters started working in television in the early 1960s, she became one of the first women to break into an industry that had long been considered a boys' club, meaning that it was designed for men only. Over the course of her forty-year career, Walters was the first woman to hold many kinds of jobs. For instance, she served as the first female anchor (the main news presenter) of a major network newscast when she joined the ABC Evening News with Harry Reasoner (1923–1991) in 1976.

"Don't complain, don't whine, don't blame anybody. Just work as hard as you can. I showed that not only can women do what men can do, but sometimes we do it better, faster, and first."

Walters is probably best known as the host of The Barbara Walters Specials, an occasional interview series which has aired on ABC since 1976. During its thirty-year run, Walters has interviewed a wide variety of celebrities and world leaders, including every sitting U.S. president and first lady. Walters has also received seven Emmy Awards and served as a mentor for countless other female reporters, including Connie Chung and Paula Zahn.

Becoming a journalist

Barbara Walters was born on September 25, 1931 (some sources say 1929), to Louis Edward Walters and Dena Seletsky Walters. Louis Walters was a Broadway producer who also owned the Latin Quarter, a famous chain of nightclubs. Due to his business interests, the family divided their time between New York and Miami. Her father's job also gave Barbara the opportunity to meet and talk with many celebrities throughout her youth. She has credited this early experience for allowing her to feel at ease in the company of public figures.

Walters attended Miami Beach High School and later received her bachelor's degree in English from Sarah Lawrence College. After she completed college, her family went bankrupt, and her father suffered a heart attack. Walters then took a job as a secretary to help her family. Before long, though, she was able to put her skills as an English major to work by writing for television programs, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and CBS News. Her success as a writer led to a job as a producer for New York's NBC affiliate station, WNBC-TV.

Although Walters was thrilled to be working in television, she hoped to eventually appear in front of the cameras as a news reporter. She knew that she faced a few obstacles in this field. "I was the kind nobody thought could make it," she admitted. "I had a funny Boston accent. I couldn't pronounce my Rs. I wasn't a beauty."

Reporting in a hostile environment

During the 1950s, Walters was married for a short time to businessman Robert Henry Katz. In 1963, she married her second husband, theater producer Lee Guber, and they adopted a daughter, Jacqueline. Around this time, Walters started working on Today, a national morning news and entertainment program that aired on NBC. She started out as a writer for the show and then worked her way up to become a news reporter.

Throughout her early career, however, Walters struggled to prove herself to male co-workers who believed that women were not capable of being good journalists. Because of their sexist attitudes, Walters often could not interview a subject until all of the male reporters had finished asking their questions. She was also discouraged from asking questions about politics or financial issues, which were not considered appropriate for women. It took more than a decade of working behind the scenes on Today before she was officially named co-host of the show in 1974.

Despite the challenges Walters faced, she soon became an audience favorite thanks to her regular interview segment on Today. Walters interviewed many prominent people, including the families of slain leaders John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) and Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968). Walters also became known for doggedly pursuing big news stories. When U.S. president Richard M. Nixon (1913–1994; served 1969–74) traveled to China in 1972, breaking twenty years of political silence between the two countries, Walters was the only woman to cover the story. She returned to China in 1975 to cover a visit by President Gerald R. Ford (1913–; served 1974–77). That same year, Walters began to receive recognition for her journalistic excellence. She earned an Emmy Award (an annual honor recognizing excellence in television), Broadcaster of the Year honors from the International Radio and Television Society, and an award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives.

Making a high-profile move to ABC

After fifteen years with the Today show, Walters moved to rival network ABC in 1976. She received an annual salary of one million dollars to become the first woman ever to serve as co-anchor of a national evening newscast. Co-anchor Harry Reasoner, however, was not pleased with the idea of sharing his job, particularly with a woman. Walters also came under criticism from viewers and the media. Some people questioned her qualifications or did not like her reporting style, while others disapproved of a woman earning such a lavish salary. Walters pointed out that she actually received $500,000 as the co-anchor of ABC News (the same salary as Reasoner) and $500,000 from the network's entertainment division for a series of hour-long, prime-time interview specials.

Walters ignored her critics and continued to prove herself a journalist. In 1977, she conducted the first joint interview with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (1918–1973) and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin (1913–1992). At the time, the two Middle Eastern leaders were working on a historic peace treaty between their countries. Despite the seriousness of the proceedings, Walters established a casual, friendly atmosphere in the interview. "Sadat seemed to delight in chiding [teasing] Walters, a trait that served them both well," John Carman wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. "When she tried to pin him down on peace terms during the joint interview, Sadat cut in and playfully remarked, 'You are always like this, Barbara.' Begin roared with laughter."

Establishing a reputation as a top interviewer

In 1979, citing low ratings, the network removed Walters from her position as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News. Although disappointed, Walters responded by working harder than ever to establish a place for herself in the world of TV news. "I had to work my way back," she told Peter Johnson of USA Today. "Don't complain, don't whine, don't blame anybody. Just work as hard as you can. I showed that not only can women do what men can do, but sometimes we do it better, faster, and first."

Shortly after losing her anchor position, Walters became a correspondent for 20/20, a weekly prime-time news magazine that combined hard-hitting investigative pieces with celebrity interviews and human-interest stories, similar to the different types of articles in a print magazine. In 1984 she became co-anchor of 20/20, working alongside Hugh Downs (1921–). Twenty years later, the news magazine still used Walters's interviews of public figures as regular features.

Walters's own prime-time interview series, The Barbara Walters Specials, first aired in 1976 and continued to receive strong ratings into the 2000s. Her style of personality journalism, which often encourages her subjects to open up and reveal their feelings and beliefs, has long appealed to television audiences. Viewers of the program also appreciate the fact that Walters seems to gain access to every major politician and entertainer of the day. Over its thirty-year history, The Barbara Walters Specials has received a number of prominent awards.

Despite the program's popularity, however, it has often served as the target of critics and as the subject of ridicule by comedians. During the 1980s, for instance, comedian Gilda Radner (1946–1989) did a famous impersonation of Walters on the skit-comedy series Saturday Night Live. Radner's character, "Baba Wawa," was barely understandable due to a speech impediment and always seemed to find herself much more interesting than her interview subjects. Other people have questioned Walters' integrity as a journalist over the years, claiming that she only asks safe, easy questions.

Regardless of the criticism it has received, Walters's interview program remained highly influential. Walters's intimate talk with actor Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), conducted shortly after the horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed, was watched by twenty-nine million viewers and received a George Foster Peabody Award. Her interview with Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who had an affair with President Bill Clinton (1946–; served 1993–2001), received the highest ratings of any TV interview in history.

Moving into daytime TV with The View

In 1986, Walters married Merv Adelson, the head of Lorimar Television. The marriage ended in divorce six years later. In 1997, Walters created a daytime talk show for ABC called The View. Walters selected four women of varying ages, ethnic backgrounds, and beliefs to serve as her co-hosts. "I've always wanted to do a show with women who have very different views," she explained during the series premiere. The View provides a casual atmosphere where the hosts and various guests can discuss current events, fashion, and entertainment.

In 2004, Walters retired from her position as co-host of 20/20 to concentrate on other projects. For instance, she created and hosted a 2005 television special called "Heaven. Where is it? How do we get there?" "I've done years and years of specials, but I care more about this one than anything I've ever done," she told Rebecca Phillips of Beliefnet. "I think there's a great need and a great soul-searching in this country." Throughout her long career, Walters has faced criticism for her role in shifting the emphasis of TV news away from hard facts and toward entertainment and personality. But her critics cannot dispute the fact that the pioneering female broadcast journalist has attained a position of lasting influence and paved the way for future generations of women to succeed in the field.

For More Information

BOOKS

Gianoulis, Tina. "Barbara Walters." St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2002.

Oppenheimer, Jerry. Barbara Walters: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.

Remstein, Henna, and Martina S. Horner. Women of Achievement: Barbara Walters. New York: Chelsea House, 1998.

PERIODICALS

Carman, John. "Walters and Twenty Years of Questions." San Francisco Chronicle, May 1, 1996.

Johnson, Peter. "Barbara Walters Looks Back on Her Trailblazing Role." USA Today, September 16, 2004.

Lowry, Brian. "A Barbara Walters Special: Heaven. Where Is It? How Do We Get There?" Variety, December 19, 2005.

WEB SITES

"Barbara Walters." ABC.com. http://abc.go.com/theview/hosts/walters.html (accessed on May 22, 2006).

"Barbara Walters Leaving 20/20." CNN.com, January 26, 2004. http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/26/tv.abc.walters.ap (accessed on May 22, 2006).

McLeland, Susan. "Walters, Barbara." Museum of Broadcast Communications. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/waltersbarb/waltersbarb.htm (accessed on May 22, 2006).

Phillips, Rebecca. "Heaven is a Place Where You Are Happy." Beliefnet. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/181/story_18118.html (accessed on May 22, 2006).

Senior, Jennifer. "30th Anniversary Issue/Barbara Walters." NYMAG.com. http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/features/2433/index.html (accessed on May 22, 2006).