Research Paper on Audition by Barbara Walters Memoir

On Audition by Barbara Walters Memoir - Research Paper Example In Audition, she tells her own story from the beginning in terms of how her parents got together, her life as a child and the feelings she had as a young woman that had minimum guidance and support to rely on. Walters provides a glimpse of her initial days in the broadcasting industry about the manner in which she coped with a media environment that was not characterized with interviews and TV specials. During this initial phase, she was struggling with the pressures of family and home as her career blossomed with NBC (Walters, 2008). It is interesting to note that what was as yet unknown about Walters is revealed in the book by way of her professional tussles with colleagues, which almost made her to quit the profession before she could get a foothold in the industry. This paper examines the determination that Barbara Walters displayed in her work and personal life and how she was able to make it big as a woman in the broadcasting sector that was primarily male dominated. Main Body Barbara Walters initially struggled as a student of literature and grappled as a content writer in a PR agency where she was prepared for her time ahead through the tough training she underwent under William Safire, who was President Nixon’s speech writer and political and language commentator for the New York Times. She went on to become a TV producer, co host and the undeniable queen of TV talk shows. Barbara Walters has done everything in having broken the known gender biases and glass ceiling in the broadcasting industry through her perseverance, finely cultivated social abilities and sharp skills of breaching the on air reporting environment. For her, every day was an audition. In her entire memoir, Walters has been very honest and candid in revealing her personal life and her personal struggles to attain happiness. Despite the fact that her father was a very successful show man during the period, her family had to go through a great deal of financial impediments. It is delightful knowing how Barbara Walters gradually made her way into the NBC network, made money and supported her family in all possible ways. There were instances when Walters was required to save her family from legal, emotional and financial destruction. After she found that her father had not paid a massive tax demand she used her connections to save her father from being sent to jail. Walters shares her feelings in stating that she was not specifically proud of this achievement but was glad to save her father. Her memoir provides a glimpse into her childhood that had a very strong influence on her decision making ability as an adult. In view of her father’s turbulent past she was not inclined to get involved romantically with any man in show business. Walters also had the inclination to make rushed decisions about her personal life but they did not prove successful in the long term. It was this very pattern in her behavior that made her to adopt revolutionary styles of in terviewing, which made her to become the lead female broadcaster of the century. The reader also realizes that despite Walter’s immense success as a broadcaster she had inherent personal problems and insecurity just as normal human beings have. It is impressive to note that she admitted her shortcomings very candidly and provided readers to have a glimpse of the legendry woman that she continues to be. It would have been very simple for an individual writing his or her own memoir