Margaret Pauley American television journalist Date of Birth: 31.10.1950 Country: USA

1. Biography of Margaret Pauley
2. Early Life and Career
3. Years at NBC
4. Later Career

Biography of Margaret Pauley

Margaret Jane Pauley, born on October 31, 1950, is an American television journalist who has been a prominent figure in the news industry since 1975.

Early Life and Career

Pauley's passion for public speaking and debating began in school where she regularly participated in local oratory and discussion tournaments. After graduating from high school in 1968, she received a scholarship to attend Indiana University.

Following her university education, Pauley worked at WISH TV in Indianapolis from 1972 to 1975 and then at WMAQ in Chicago from 1975 to 1976. It was during this time that her television career took off.

Years at NBC

From 1976 to 1989, Pauley co-hosted the NBC program 'Today' alongside Tom Brokaw and later, Bryant Gumbel. She followed in the footsteps of renowned television host Barbara Walters and, like her predecessor, became a symbol for working women, particularly journalists. Her colleague Linda Ellerbee once wrote in her autobiography, "She was who I wanted to be when I grew up."

For a period of time, NBC experimented with a trio of hosts - Pauley, Gumbel, and Chris Wallace - but eventually returned to the format of two co-hosts. In 1989, a few months after publicly expressing her dislike for the intense morning show format and her desire to move into prime time, Pauley announced her departure from 'Today'. Rumors circulated that NBC's management saw this as an opportunity to promote a young host, Deborah Norville, who had successfully taken Pauley's place and become a morning show star.

Later Career

After leaving 'Today', Pauley hosted 'Real Life with Jane Pauley' and served as a substitute anchor for NBC's overnight news. From 1992 to 2003, she was one of the hosts of 'Dateline NBC'. In 2004, she returned to the spotlight with her own daytime talk show, 'The Jane Pauley Show', where one of the main topics of discussion was her battle with bipolar disorder. Similar to her previous solo project, 'The Jane Pauley Show' did not achieve great success and was canceled after its first season by network executives.