Ruth Ashton Taylor
Born
Ruth Ashton

(1922-04-20)April 20, 1922
Long Beach, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 11, 2024(2024-01-11) (aged 101)
San Rafael, California, U.S.
EducationColumbia University
OccupationTelevision journalist
SpouseJack Taylor

Ruth Ashton Taylor (April 20, 1922 – January 11, 2024) was an American television and radio newscaster, with a career in broadcasting that spanned over 50 years. She was the first female newscaster on television in Los Angeles and the West Coast. She received many awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life and education

Ruth Ashton was born on April 20, 1922.[1] A native of Los Angeles, she graduated in 1939 from Long Beach Polytechnic High School.[2] Taylor completed her undergraduate degree at Scripps College. She relocated to New York City thereafter, receiving a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1944.[3]

Career

Following her graduation, she took a job as a news writer at CBS radio, taking a place among the original members of the documentary unit of Edward R. Murrow.[3][4]

When she first began as a writer and producer there, she had no thoughts of going on air as, to her knowledge, it simply wasn't done in major news markets.[5] According to Ashton, CBS management didn't want to broadcast women because they "just didn't like those squeaky voices".[3][6] However, by 1949, she was on the air, interviewing such notable individuals as Albert Einstein.[7] Eventually, she was transferred to a religious program, and, disappointed by her exclusion from news broadcasting, she left CBS radio in New York and returned to Los Angeles.

In 1951, she became the first woman in Los Angeles or on the West Coast on television news when she took a job with Los Angeles's KNXT-TV (now KCBS).[3] Although originally hired to cover the "Women's Angle", she indicated in interviews that the lack of conventional roles for women in broadcasting had given her considerable freedom in the stories she selected to cover.[7] In 1958, she left briefly to work as a public information officer at a college before returning in 1962. She officially retired in 1989, but continued occasionally contributing into her 70s. As a news reporter and program host,[3] she became an influential figure on subsequent female journalists, with numerous industry awards and a career that included notable interviews with such diverse people as Jimmy Carter and Jimmy Durante.[7]

Later life and death

Ashton Taylor turned 100 on April 20, 2022,[8] and died in San Rafael, California, on January 11, 2024, at the age of 101.[9]

Honors and awards

During her time in broadcasting, Ashton Taylor became a widely known and celebrated figure. In 1983, The Los Angeles Times indicated that she had a reputation as "one of the best newspeople in television".[6] A 2007 article in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media described her as "one of the most recognizable people on radio and television in Los Angeles".[5]

Ashton Taylor received a Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.[10]

Other notable honors include a Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a Diamond Achievement Award from Women in Communications (1984).[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Ruth Ashton Taylor - Hollywood Star Walk - Los Angeles Times". projects.latimes.com.
  2. ↑ "Famous students from Poly High School". Press-Telegram. 1995-08-06. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Biagi, Shirley. (1992-08-19) Ruth Ashton Taylor introduction Washington Press Club Foundation. Retrieved 2008-09-03. Archived December 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Not the retiring kind: if Ruth Ashton Taylor has quit, it's news". Daily News of Los Angeles. 1989-06-28. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  5. 1 2 Conway, Mike (Sep 2007). "A guest in our living room: the television newscaster before the rise of the dominant anchor". Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  6. 1 2 Cohen, Jerry (1983-05-07). "Growing older in America". Los Angeles Times. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  7. 1 2 3 Magers, Paul (2008-03-13). "Whatever happened to Ruth Ashton Taylor". cbs2.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  8. ↑ "Bay Area woman who broke ground in TV news turns 100". The Mercury News. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  9. ↑ "Ruth Ashton Taylor, Pioneering Female Newscaster and Reporter, Dies at 101". The Hollywood Reporter. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ "TV Journalist reluctantly becomes a Hollywood Star". Daily News of Los Angeles. 1990-12-11. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
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