An interview with Barbara Walters

That’s because we had the opportunity to travel to New York 18 years ago to meet her and other ABC news anchors when KIFI switched from NBC to ABC.

I have to admit it was a bit intimidating for me to interview one of the most famous interviewers in broadcasting, but she put me at ease, insisting that I call her Barbara rather than Ms. Walters.

Here are some excerpts from that interview.

Hildebrandt: “There are so many people like Fidel Castro that you get the interviews with when no one else can.”

Walters: “We’ll, I must say I think other people do very good interviews too. I hope I have the reputation of being fair and of asking the question the people at home want to ask. That’s how I prepare, I walk around saying, ‘if you were going to interview Jay Hildebrandt what would you most want to know?'”

Hildebrandt: “You were a pioneer among women in broadcasting. What changes have you seen?”

Walters: “To see women in front of the camera and behind the cameras is an enormous difference. When I came here 20 years ago for that so called coveted position as the first female co-anchor of a network news program there was so much antagonism from every area, from the press, in the studio. It was a very difficult time for me.”

Hildebrandt: “So how did you get through those tough times?”

Walters: “Oh boy! Sometimes the worst part of it, if you can make it that way, turns out the best. I had to prove myself. I had to start all over again. And in doing so you realize you’re not just lucky- that you were not just there at the right time – it made us better and bigger and stronger.”