As Barbara Walters gears up for her retirement next year, television critics are beginning to weigh in on the legacy she leaves behind in television. The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley calls Walters “television personified”:

Intuitively, knowingly or just luckily, Ms. Walters has moved — and is moving — in concert with tastes and audiences and real influence. She defected from nighttime to daytime just as many viewers were doing the same … And now, as more and more viewers leave broadcast television altogether, so does she.

Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams praises Walters for being first in “nearly everything about women in television news”:

And if television news is still frequently a hollow, sexist echo chamber, don’t blame Barbara. She showed everything that’s possible for a woman of brains and ambition in an industry that has little use for women with either.

Williams’ Salon colleague Alex Pareene takes the opposing viewpoint, calling Walters’ career “an extended exercise in sycophancy and unalloyed power worship”: Read more

As expected, ABC’s Barbara Walters announced her retirement on “The View” today. The show kicked off with Walters introducing a brief career retrospective, followed by her formal announcement:

“I have been on television–continuously–for over 50 years,” Walters said. “But in the Summer of 2014, a year from now, I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. It has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and occasionally bumpy ride, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I am perfectly healthy, this is my decision and I have been thinking about it for a long time. This is what I want to do.”

The audience in “The View” studio was filled with executives, including ABC News president Ben Sherwood (“Not only the best president of a news division but also the tallest,” Walters joked), ABC executive VP Vicki Dummer, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee, Disney-ABC TV group president Anne Sweeney and Disney CEO Bob Iger, who shared the story of when he first met Walters back in 1976.

He was a production assistant, and was asked to bring something to Walters’ dressing room. He wasn’t expecting her to be there, but she was, and she was very kind to him.

“From then on you called me Jim, my name is Bob,” he quipped, adding more seriously:

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ABC News anchor Barbara Walters is making it official: she will be retiring in 2014. We reported that Walters was set to retire in 2014 back in March (reporting which Walters tiptoed around), but now it is a done deal. Walters is expected to address her retirement on “The View” Monday.

Walters will retire from her on-camera duties at both ABC News and “The View” in the Summer of 2014, with a number of specials leading up to her retirement, including a career retrospective, a 20 years of “10 Most Fascinating” special and an Oscars special. She will remain as EP of “The View,” which she co-created.

“I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View’ and with ABC News,” Walters says in a statement. “I created ‘The View’ and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it.”

Walters is a TV legend, shattering glass ceilings and becoming one of the first TV news anchors to become truly public figures. She began her career at NBC’s “Today” in 1961, joining ABC News in what was a blockbuster deal in 1976.

“There’s only one Barbara Walters,” says ABC News President Ben Sherwood in a statement. “And we look forward to making her final year on television as remarkable, path-breaking and news-making as Barbara herself. Barbara will always have a home at ABC News and we look forward to a year befitting her brilliant career, filled with exclusive interviews, great adventures and indelible memories.”

Earlier this year Walters had a health scare after taking a fall in the British Ambassador’s residence, only to discover that she had contracted chicken pox. The illness kept her off of ABC and “The View” for a few months, and she returned in early March.

Several television news journalists have landed on Reader’s Digest list of “The 100 Most Trusted People in America.” At #12, “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts is the most-trusted television news personality on the list.

In addition to Roberts, the morning shows are well represented: “GMA” anchor George Stephanopoulos is #57, while “Today” show co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer are #85 and #97, respectively.

The three evening news anchors make the list –ABC’s Diane Sawyer at #25, NBC’s Brian Williams at #29 and CBS’ Scott Pelley at #63. ABC’s Barbara Walters (#34), Katie Couric (#37) and Christiane Amanpour (#56) are also among the most trusted.

From the cable news landscape, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta is #17 and  Anderson Cooper is #50. HLN’s Dr. Drew Pinsky is #90 and Fox News anchor Shepard Smith rounds out the list at #100.

The “Today” show had a backstage pass for last night’s TIME 100 gala in New York. Matt Lauer conducted interviews with the honorees and a segment aired this morning. Joining Vice President Joe Biden, Marissa Mayer, Jimmy Fallon, Claire Danes, Jimmy Kimmel, Sen. Rand Paul, Lena Dunham and Daniel Day-Lewis a the event were tvnewsers including CNN honcho Jeff Zucker, MSNBC boss Phil Griffin, Barbara Walters, Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell, Alex Wagner, Willie Geist and Alina Cho. By next year’s TIME 100, the magazine will likely be part of a new company, spun off from Time Warner, which Managing Editor Rick Stengel acknowledged in his speech, “An independent Time Inc. will show the power of great journalism, the power of great content to pay for itself.”

As we told you yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter is out with its annual “35 Most Powerful People in Media” list. The honorees were feted at a “power-soaked New York party” at the Four Seasons restaurant Wednesday night.

From CBS News, chairman Jeff Fager was there, along with “CBS This Morning” co-hosts Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer, “Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley and “Sunday Morning” correspondent Mo Rocca. CNN’s Piers Morgan was there, as was Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly. The “Today” show’s Willie Geist and “Live!” co-hosts Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa attended, along with talk show hosts Wendy Williams and Katie Couric. And from ABC News, president Ben Sherwood, “The View” anchor Barbara Walters, senior VP for content and development James Goldston and “Good Morning America” anchors Lara Spencer and  George Stephanopoulos, who was with his wife, Ali Wentworth.

More pictures of the event in THR’s gallery.

The Hollywood Reporter released its 2013 “35 Most Powerful People In Media” list, and TV news dominates the winners. The list looks at the most dominant media personalities in New York.

The list includes (in alphabetical order) Roger Ailes, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, Anderson Cooper, Bob Costas, Katie Couric, Jeff Fager, Pat Fili-Krushel, James Goldston, Phil Griffin, Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly, the “60 Minutes” team, the “Today” team, Rachel Maddow, Piers Morgan, Bill O’Reilly, Scott Pelley, David Rhodes, The “Good Morning America” team, the “CBS This Morning” team, Diane Sawyer, Ben Sherwood, Barbara Walters, Brian Williams and Jeff Zucker.

Some of the recipients gave interviews, others did not. You can see the full list here.

TVNewser editor Merrill Knox is at the Women in the World conference at Lincoln Center New York today where the likes of CBS’s Lesley Stahl and Norah O’Donnell, ABC’s Cynthia McFadden, and Campbell Brown are all taking part in moderating sessions on global women’s issues. Speakers include Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie.

Last night, mediabistro was at the opening session where ABC’s Barbara Walters, CNN/ABC’s Christiane Amanpour and CBS’s Charlie Rose took part. FishbowlNY has the details. And look for Merrill’s stories this afternoon.

ABC’s “The View” returned with a new edition today, and Barbara Walters opened the show by dealing with that elephant in the room: her coming retirement. Walters gave a lengthy non-answer, saying “I have no announcements to make.”

“Nothing is going on. Even though our programs have been original, they have been taped, so we have not commented. There were many reports last week saying that I was retiring from ABC, and there was an assumption that I would be making an announcement today,” Walters said. “However, here I am, and I have no announcements to make [ applause ]. But I do want to say this, that if and when I might have an announcement to make, I would do it on this program, I promise, and the paparazzi guys, you will be the last to know.”

TVNewser and other outlets reported on Friday that Walters was planning to retire from ABC News, with the network presenting a year of specials leading up to her departure.

ABC News anchor and “The View” co-host Barbara Walters will retire in May, 2014, someone familiar with the matter tells TVNewser.

ABC is expected to air a number of specials, tributes and events over the course of the next year, leading up to Walters’ formal departure. A spokesperson for ABC News declined to comment on the matter.

Walters began her TV career for NBC’s “Today” show in 1961. She would go on to break barriers in what was traditionally a man’s world. Walters was the first female co-anchor of “Today,” and was the first woman to become the co-anchor of a network evening newscast.

She joined ABC News in 1976, where she has reported for every program imaginable and became the country’s highest-paid journalist. She also co-created “The View,” which has become one of the most successful daytime talk shows of the last decade.

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