THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996 TAG: 9610010061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Interview
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 100 lines
IT'S ALMOST TWO DECADES to the day since Barbara Walters of ``20/20'' joined ABC as a co-anchor and experienced what she calls the worst year of her broadcasting career. In contrast, these are the best of times, said Walters earlier this year when she met with TV writers.
Walters, the interviewer, became Walters, the interviewee, if only for a little while. (Wednesday night in Norfolk, Walters addresses the sold-out Norfolk Forum at Chrysler Hall.
Here are 10 questions for Walters sent to her in New York City by way of satellite from TV writers meeting in Southern California: Q. Walters made broadcast history 20 Octobers ago when she became the first woman to anchor a network's evening newscast. Her partner was Harry Reasoner. It was a tense time. Why? A. ``He was a very nice man, but the last thing in the world Harry wanted was to be in a studio with me. He didn't want a partner. He didn't want a woman as his partner. He regarded the whole thing as a joke or a hoax. It seemed that every magazine and newspaper in the country said at the time that I was failing on the `ABC Evening News,' and seemed to be delighted in the fact I was failing.'' Q. What else was said about you back then? A. ``There was all this really ridiculous publicity about me demanding pink typewriters and pink limousines.
All that terrible stuff made me sound like the biggest prima donna when in fact I thought my career was about finished. That was my lowest point. I said to myself, `If I can get through this, I can get through anything.' And I did. I worked my way back.'' Q. How do you feel about being called a pioneer? A. ``That makes me feel good even if I did not set out to deliberately pave the way for women in television news. I didn't wave the flag and didn't burn my bra, and I'm no great heroine. I just kept on working and stayed close to women on and off camera. Women in my business have drawn equal to men. Half the producers on `20/20' are women. But there is still a ways to go for women, particularly in the upper levels of broadcasting.'' Q. What was the worst interview you ever did? A. ``Warren Beatty. That was on `The Today Show.' I later learned it was his first interview on television. There were a lot of oohs and humms and uh-huhs from him. When I asked him to tell me about his latest movie, he said, `That's a very difficult question.' I then suggested we go to the commercial. More than 20 years passed since I did my next interview with him. He is not very forthcoming. It's a lot of pulling and give and take. It's his personality.'' Q. What is your interviewing style? A. ``Mike Wallace, who I think is superb, is much more aggressive. He does the raised eyebrow thing. My style is not to raise my eyebrow or my voice. But sometimes, you do have to just push right in. I try to be smooth about it.'' Q. You've interviewed Hillary Rodham Clinton. How do you think she would do as a TV newswoman? A. ``She's a lawyer and extremely articulate. I think she could be successful in whatever she did, and she did say in our interview that she doesn't want a political career for herself. Mrs. Clinton is a strong woman. It hasn't been that long since it was considered an insult to say a woman is strong. I found her warm and charming, somebody who can make small talk.'' Q. You rarely do your interviews in a studio. Why is that? A. ``When we're doing our specials, I think it's important to interview people in an environment that makes them comfortable because they have to sit there while we set up lights, cameras and stuff. I think a comfortable setting helps to get them to reveal more of themselves. On hard-news interviews, I've done them all over the place, and that includes running around the Panama Canal.'' (Walters has bagged big interviews of late from the First Lady to Christopher Reeve to Colin Powell to Jim Bakker, who began his TV ministry in Portsmouth.) Q. Are you mellowing as you get older? A. ``I'm happy when I get the interviews I've gone after. Very happy. But if I don't get an interview I want, it no longer kills me inside. I'm still competitive in a very competitive business, but the interviews and the programs aren't everything in life.'' Q. Is one of the interviews you're hoping for with Lady Di, the former Princess Diana? A. ``I hope the time will come when we can do an interview with her for an American audience. I thought her interview on the BBC was superb, that the interviewer was superb. He almost sounded like a psychiatrist. I'm not sure I would have the courage to ask the same questions. Very personal.'' Q. Do you often comment on what other TV interviewers have done? A. ``I try hard not to second-guess anybody else. I'm busy enough with second-guessing myself.''
A spokesman at ABC News said Walters is not telling in advance what she will speak about in Norfolk Wednesday night. Be prepared to be surprised. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Barbara Walters
KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW by CNB