How Barbara Walters Changed the Structure of Broadcast Television News
By Divya GAmerican broadcast journalist Barbara Walters has had a considerable impact on Television news. She started interviewing celebrities at a very tender age. Her father, Louis, was a Broadway producer, and he took her to dress rehearsals. Since then, dancers and actresses would already fawn over her. As Walters received this early exposure, she was not awed by celebrities.
Barbara’s Breakthrough into Television Journalism
Walters majored in English at Sarah Lawrence College. After graduating, she started working at the NBC Affiliate in NYC. Initially, she wrote press releases and did publicity. And from 1953, she began producing a children’s program, Ask the Camera. It ran only for 15 minutes.
She soon left her job when her boss pressured her to marry him. Then she went to produce the Eloise McElhone Show, which eventually got canceled in 1954. Later next year, she started writing for The Morning Show. She also worked as a publicist and a writer for Redbook magazine before joining The Today Show.
Walter Struggles to Become the First Female Co-Host
Initially, Walters was regarded as the “Today Girl” on The Today Show. She worked on weather and comparatively lighter assignments as everyone thought women couldn’t do “hard news.” Along with Florence Henderson and others, she joined the ranks of “Today Girls.”Soon after a year, she became a great reporter, where she developed, wrote, and edited her work. After the death of Frank McGee, Walters was declared the co-host of The Today Show. All still remember her contributions, and she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.