Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs
Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters on the set of 20/20 in 1993. The duo anchored the program together from 1979 until 1999 when Hugh Downs retired. (Steve Fenn, ABC)

In 1976, Barbara Walters became the first TV news anchor to make $1 million. The industry responded with a mix of amazement and outrage.

It wasn't the first boundary Walters had broken, nor would it be the last. Melding a sense of show business with strong journalistic instincts at a time of women's liberation, Walters, the daughter of a nightclub owner, would rise to icon status in the media.

Her career spanning six decades in broadcasting will be celebrated as it concludes this week. Walters signs off of "The View" on Friday at 10 a.m. on KMGH.

The latest Barbara Walters career retrospective is scheduled for Friday night on ABC, locally 8-10 p.m. on KMGH.

Her ascent as a news woman was not just pre-digital. It was pre- "Broadcast News." Before Peter Jennings-Tom Brokaw-Dan Rather. Before the Gilda Radner "Saturday Night Live" sketch parodying her, and long before her annual "Most Amazing People" interviews. In 1961, she started as a researcher on NBC, and then spent 11 years as the "Today Girl," serving as the female bright spot on the network's wake-up show.


As the first female network news anchor, she was to be paired with a disdainful and patronizing Harry Reasoner, who let it be known that he was making less than half her salary and didn't want a co-anchor in the first place.

Little known at the time was the fact that the ABC Entertainment division footed half the bill to cover several primetime specials. That turned out to be a smart move on management's part as Walters' specials and interviews would become a career signature and ratings winner.

Barbara Walters and the Obamas
President and Mrs. Obama will sit together for a Thanksgiving visit in a joint one-hour special with Barbara Walters in November, 2008. (George Burns, ABC)

At the time, it was unthinkable that a news reader might make that kind of money. (Of course current network anchors make many multiples of that. Matt Lauer reportedly holds the record at $25 million a year from NBC; Diane Sawyer supposedly pulls down $12 million a year from ABC. Economics dictate these stars earn their keep by drawing a crowd.)

Network chiefs knew Walters was worth it at the time. She had already proven herself an unstoppable contact-maker, nailing interviews ahead of the competition and coaxing information from sources with a canny mix of friendly/journalistic probing.

Barbara Walters and Fidel Castro
Barbara Walters interviews Cuban president Fidel Castro in 1977. (ABC Photo Archives)

She hadn't been allowed to ask serious questions on "Today" until her male co-host, Hugh Downs, finished asking his. At ABC in 1976, she was able to launch her Barbara Walters Specials. The next year she scored the first joint interview with Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. In 1979 she became a regular on "20/20" and flourished at one-on-one interviews, whether movie stars or heads of state.

Her 1999 sitdown with Monica Lewinsky set a ratings record for a news program. Tear-jerking interviews (Christopher Reeve), overly familiar interviews (on a motorcycle with Sylvester Stallone) and newsworthy interviews (the Shah of Iran) took turns. Whether rubbing shoulders with presidents or rubbing noses with the Dalai Lama, Walters got to the heart of the subject, asking the politely pushy Everyperson questions.

Barbara Walters and Bill Clinton
Barbara Walters interviews former President Bill Clinton for "Most Fascinating People of 2007." (Ida Mae Astute, ABC)

Meanwhile, "The View," a daytime TV gold mine which she executive produced and co-hosted, has thrived since 1997 as a showcase for women's opinions.

In 2004 at the age of 73, Walters stepped down from "20/20" with a career retrospective — that would not be her last.

Last May, at 84, the broadcast pioneer told the audience of "The View" that she would retire this spring. Her achievements for women in broadcasting will be her legacy.


Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, or