Maureen Bunyan
Encyclopedia
Maureen Bunyan is an Aruban-American
Washington, D.C.
-based television journalist
. Currently she is the lead co-anchor at WJLA-TV
.
Bunyan is a founder and board member of IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation), a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. and President of Maureen Bunyan Communications, Inc.
She was named a a ʺWashingtonian of the Yearʺ in 1992 and has been inducted into the ʺHall of Fameʺ of the Washington Chapter of
the Society of Professional Journalists, ʺThe Silver Circleʺ of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Broadcast Pioneers Club of Washington.
, the eldest of three daughters, and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
with her family when she was 11. After the death of her mother Wilhelmina, a nurse, Bunyan and her family continued to pursue educational opportunities; at one point, all of the members of the immediate family were enrolled at local colleges and universities, each studying for an undergraduate degree.
while attending the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee nearby, then went on to television jobs at WGBH-TV
in Boston and WCBS-TV
in New York before arriving in Washington in 1973 and joining WTOP-TV (now WUSA-TV), a station that was known for its Eyewitness News
team which included Max Robinson
and Gordon Peterson.
in 1978 (she would add the 11 p.m. newscast a decade later) and settled in as a member of a local news team that also included sportscaster Glenn Brenner and meteorologist Gordon Barnes. In addition to reporting on major local, national and international stories, she also hosted the award-winning magazine programs 22:26 and Studio Nine.
.
and ran a public relations firm for a few years before returning to the Washington airwaves in February 1999 replacing Paul Berry as the lead anchor at WJLA-TV. Five years later, she was reunited with longtime friend and former WUSA co-anchor Gordon Peterson when they were teamed up on the 6 p.m. news. This has helped WJLA move from third to second place in that timeslot behind current leader WRC.
and Harvard University Graduate School of Education
, where she earned a Master's degree.
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based television journalist
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
. Currently she is the lead co-anchor at WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
.
Bunyan is a founder and board member of IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation), a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. and President of Maureen Bunyan Communications, Inc.
She was named a a ʺWashingtonian of the Yearʺ in 1992 and has been inducted into the ʺHall of Fameʺ of the Washington Chapter of
the Society of Professional Journalists, ʺThe Silver Circleʺ of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Broadcast Pioneers Club of Washington.
Early life
Bunyan was born in ArubaAruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, the eldest of three daughters, and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
with her family when she was 11. After the death of her mother Wilhelmina, a nurse, Bunyan and her family continued to pursue educational opportunities; at one point, all of the members of the immediate family were enrolled at local colleges and universities, each studying for an undergraduate degree.
Early career
Bunyan started her journalism career freelancing at the Milwaukee JournalMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
while attending the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee nearby, then went on to television jobs at WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston and WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
in New York before arriving in Washington in 1973 and joining WTOP-TV (now WUSA-TV), a station that was known for its Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
team which included Max Robinson
Max Robinson
Max Robinson was an American broadcast journalist, and ABC News World News Tonight co-anchor. He was the first African American broadcast network news anchor in the United States and one of the first television journalists to die of AIDS...
and Gordon Peterson.
Promotion to anchor
Originally a reporter and weekend co-anchor with Patrick McGrath (now at WTTG-TV,and who has since retired, Bunyan was promoted to co-anchor alongside Peterson at 6 p.m. after Robinson joined ABC NewsABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in 1978 (she would add the 11 p.m. newscast a decade later) and settled in as a member of a local news team that also included sportscaster Glenn Brenner and meteorologist Gordon Barnes. In addition to reporting on major local, national and international stories, she also hosted the award-winning magazine programs 22:26 and Studio Nine.
Leaving WUSA
On December 11, 1995, after the management at WUSA offered her an anchor demotion and salary cut to stay at the station, Bunyan surprised viewers when she announced her resignation on the air during the 6 p.m. news. Channel 9 soon afterwards lost their first-place spot in the ratings to rival WRC-TVWRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
.
Return to the DC airwaves
As for Bunyan herself, she briefly worked for MSNBCMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and ran a public relations firm for a few years before returning to the Washington airwaves in February 1999 replacing Paul Berry as the lead anchor at WJLA-TV. Five years later, she was reunited with longtime friend and former WUSA co-anchor Gordon Peterson when they were teamed up on the 6 p.m. news. This has helped WJLA move from third to second place in that timeslot behind current leader WRC.
Personal life
During the many years she has worked in Washington, she has received numerous awards. Ms. Bunyan also attended Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
and Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
, where she earned a Master's degree.