PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pioneering television journalist Barbara Walters has died. She was 93.
The news was announced by ABC, where she spent the bulk of her career.
Walters began her television career on NBC's "Today" in 1962. She became the show's co-host in 1974, and she was the first woman to host a morning news program.
She became the first woman to host an evening network newscast in 1976, when she joined ABC's "Evening News" with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary. She co-hosted with Harry Reasoner until 1978.
The following year, she became co-host of the ABC newsmagazine "20/20," with Hugh Downs.
Walters hosted numerous interview specials for ABC. She became infamous for her seemingly uncanny ability to draw tears from her guests, through her gently probing, intimate conversation style.
She was also able to pull unsavory details from her guests, most notably in a 1987 interview with Sean Connery, where he confessed a willingness to slap women.
Walters is also known as the co-creator and longtime co-host of daytime talk show "The View." She won two Emmy Awards for her work on the show, including Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009. She retired from the show in 2014.
No cause of death has been announced.