Barbara Walters Reflects On Her Historic Career

Barbara Walters started smashing the TV-news glass ceiling in 1961 when she became the first female correspondent on Today. During the following five decades, the Massachusetts native was also the first woman to cohost a morning news show (Today in 1974), to coanchor a nightly news program (ABC Evening News in 1976), and then, for 25 years, to cohost the ABC newsmagazine 20/20. [...] Walters conquered daytime 17 years ago with The View, the all-female talk show that dares to spotlight politics as well as makeup, cooking and gossip. On May 16, Walters, 84, retires from The View and regular on-air work that night, at 9/8c, ABC will air Barbara Walters: How are you doing as your final day on The View draws near? I wanted to leave when The View was still strong and when, hopefully, people will say, "Why are you going?" I'll still be The View's executive producer, with Bill Geddie. [...] if Fidel Castro or a former president dies, I would do something for ABC News, where I'll keep an office. What will you miss most about a steady TV gig? When the male host [Frank McGee] died, I became the first female cohost. Young women might find it hard to believe how much ridicule you ­encountered as you broke through barriers. Walters: I got a tremendous amount of criticism when I was the first coanchor of ABC Evening News. When I see my colleague Diane Sawyer doing the evening news so successfully - I'm not responsible for her success, but it gives me a great deal of pride. [...] Roone Arledge, the head of ABC News and a genius, made me a general reporter. Walters: I try very hard not to make people cry!