Joan Lunden - Working As A Woman In Television
May 26, 2019
Brian Lord
President
Joan Lunden is an award-winning broadcast journalist who paved the way for women in television news, which in the 70s and 80s was a male-dominated industry. Joan was raised in Sacramento, California and began her television career on a local station as the “weather girl.” It turned out to be one of the most pivotal decisions of her professional life as she courageously said “yes” to something that was brand new to her experience and way out of her comfort zone.
Lunden learned then and there that it’s important to take a risk, or a leap of faith, confidently trusting in your own possibilities if you want to succeed in life. She credits her mother who was the guru of positive affirmations and often reminded her that she could reach for the stars, if she made the effort.
Interestingly, it was an opposing television station, hoping to get Joan to move on so they could strive for the number one spot in their market, who actually bolstered her career. They sent news clips of Joan to other markets all over the country, hoping some of them might want her to join their stations. Well, it worked! Joan was offered some new jobs and ended up in New York City doing the “Eye-Witness News” program.
Though it was a huge market compared to her local Sacramento gig, Joan said “yes” once again to taking a risk and being willing to do the work that would keep moving her forward. After just one year, she became the co-host of Good Morning America with long-time host, David Hartman.
As it turns out, the day Lunden learned that she had been hired to be the co-host of Good Morning America, she also got a call from her doctor with the happy news that she was pregnant. Working moms were not all the rage in the 1980s, so Joan pioneered new opportunities for women. She brought her baby to work!
Before her first press conference with all the major magazines and newspapers of the day, Joan was advised to not talk about the baby. Of course, the first question she received from Time Magazine asked if she was planning to take her baby to work? When she said “yes,” the room was abuzz with how she would balance work life with being a new mom.
Later, when Barbara Walters visited with Joan on the set, Walters paused to see Joan’s baby in the dressing room. Walters looked at Joan and remarked how times had changed because she would never have been allowed to bring her baby to work.
Though Joan Lunden found great success in a male-dominated industry, she believes that it was her willingness to say “yes,” even when obstacles and challenges appeared that made all the difference.
She brings words of wisdom to all of us when she says, “one defeat in the path you want to take is not the end of the story. You have to pick up your pen and write another chapter, because you can do it.”
To book Joan for your next event, visit her profile: https://premierespeakers.com/joan_lunden
Joan’s most recent book title is Had I Known: A Memoir of Survival. To order copies in bulk for your event, please visit BulkBooks.com.