ABC says `` no comment '' to reports Barbara Walters will retire in May 2014 . New York Times and on Deadline.com cite unnamed network executives . She underwent surgery to repair a heart valve three years ago . Walters began her national broadcast career on NBC 's `` Today Show '' in 1961 . She was the first woman to host a daily news program, succeeding Walter Cronkite who had been doing it since 1948.
ABC says `` no comment '' to reports Barbara Walters will retire in May 2014 . New York Times and on Deadline.com cite unnamed network executives . Walters began her national broadcast career on NBC 's `` Today Show '' in 1961 . She was the first woman to host a daily news program, succeeding Walter Cronkite who had been doing it since 1948.