(Left to right) Maureen Bunyan, Renee Poussaint, JC Hayward and Meryl Comer. Photograph by Jeff Elkins
“What Is She Doing Anchoring?”
—The Women Anchors
Not long ago, the anchors on TV newscasts were all white men. Then in the 1960s and ’70s, more women and people of color started delivering the nightly news. Here are a handful of local female pioneers, left to right: Maureen Bunyan, who in 1978 became coanchor of Channel 9’s 6 o’clock news; Renee Poussaint, coanchor of the 6 and 11 pm news on Channel 7 beginning in 1978; JC Hayward, coanchor of Channel 9’s 5:30 newscast starting in 1972; and Meryl Comer, who in 1973 became coanchor of Channel 5’s 10 o’clock news.
Hayward: “They didn’t have women doing anything—anchoring, sports, traffic. They had female reporters, but the anchor chair was saved for the kings. It’s nothing to see a woman on a newscast now, but in 1972 it was striking to see a woman in that chair. [When I first went on the air,] some people would call the station and say, ‘She needs to be in the kitchen, pregnant. What is she doing anchoring?’”
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986. She is the editor in charge of such consumer topics as travel, fitness, health, finance, and beauty, as well as the editor who handles such cover stories as Great Places to Work, Best of Washington, Day Trips, Hidden Gems, Top Doctors, and Great Small Towns. She lives in DC.
You Must Remember…the Women Anchors Who Changed Local TV
Maureen Bunyan, Renee Poussaint, JC Hayward and Meryl Comer.
“What Is She Doing Anchoring?”
—The Women Anchors
Not long ago, the anchors on TV newscasts were all white men. Then in the 1960s and ’70s, more women and people of color started delivering the nightly news. Here are a handful of local female pioneers, left to right: Maureen Bunyan, who in 1978 became coanchor of Channel 9’s 6 o’clock news; Renee Poussaint, coanchor of the 6 and 11 pm news on Channel 7 beginning in 1978; JC Hayward, coanchor of Channel 9’s 5:30 newscast starting in 1972; and Meryl Comer, who in 1973 became coanchor of Channel 5’s 10 o’clock news.
Hayward: “They didn’t have women doing anything—anchoring, sports, traffic. They had female reporters, but the anchor chair was saved for the kings. It’s nothing to see a woman on a newscast now, but in 1972 it was striking to see a woman in that chair. [When I first went on the air,] some people would call the station and say, ‘She needs to be in the kitchen, pregnant. What is she doing anchoring?’”
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986. She is the editor in charge of such consumer topics as travel, fitness, health, finance, and beauty, as well as the editor who handles such cover stories as Great Places to Work, Best of Washington, Day Trips, Hidden Gems, Top Doctors, and Great Small Towns. She lives in DC.
Most Popular in News & Politics
2022 Tech Titans
The Untold Story of the White House’s Weirdly Hip Record Collection
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People
7 Things to Know About Karine Jean-Pierre, the New White House Press Secretary
Blossom Alert: the Peonies at Seneca Creek State Park Will Be at Peak Soon
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2022: Fantastic Foodie Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank’s Story Is Now a Graphic Novel
Inside the Effort to Revamp the DC Archives
This DC Poet Was Once the USSR’s Biggest Kid Actor
More from News & Politics
The Hill’s Newsroom Petitions to Unionize
2022 Tech Titans
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
7 Things to Know About Karine Jean-Pierre, the New White House Press Secretary
PHOTOS: Weekend Pro-Choice Rally and March in DC
Sherri Dalphonse Named Editor of Washingtonian
Blossom Alert: the Peonies at Seneca Creek State Park Will Be at Peak Soon
A Blood Moon and Rainbow: Photos of Last Night’s Spectacular Sky Events in DC