40-year News 4 veteran Jacquie Walker to leave anchor desk next month
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Buffalo broadcasting legend Jacquie Walker will step away from the anchor desk next month after more than 40 years with WIVB-TV.
Walker’s last show is planned for May 22. She will remain with WIVB conducting interviews, special projects, and community activities on behalf of the station.
“For more than four decades, I’ve had the honor of sharing my passion for news and current events with the viewers of Western New York,” Walker said. “Now, as I step away from the anchor desk on my own terms, I’m full of gratitude for the journey I’ve taken with the News 4 team and the loyal viewers who made it possible.”
Walker made the announcement Tuesday afternoon in an emotional newsroom gathering.
“I’m looking forward to more flexibility in my life now,” Walker said. “I plan to spend more time with my family, and to write, speak, and work with charitable causes that are important to my husband and me.”
Jacquie Walker’s distinguished career has made her an icon in Buffalo. Swipe to see photos of Jacquie throughout the years. jacquie and david letterman_129032 jacquie at the taste_149242 Jacquie Interview Jacquie_Scholarship_0_20180926032524 jacquie-betty scholarship_428234 (WIVB Photo)
Walker, who currently anchors the number one-rated News 4 at 5, News 4 at 5:30 and News 4 at 6, is the longest-tenured news anchor at one station in Buffalo broadcast history. She has been a beloved member of the WIVB team since joining the station in the fall of 1983.
Walker earned her mark as a community icon by delivering news coverage from her seat in the front row of Western New York history at the CBS affiliate. The Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter covered nearly every major event in Buffalo over the past 40 years, from the Bills Super Bowl runs to the Flight 3407 crash to last week’s total solar eclipse. She was inducted to the Buffalo Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2011 and the New York State Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2021.
“Jacquie epitomizes what it means to be a professional television news journalist,” said Joe Abouzeid, WIVB-TV Vice President and General Manager. “For the past 40 years, her work both on TV and in the community is unparalleled. We are thrilled she will continue working at News 4 and in our community.”
Walker’s work has been recognized with dozens of journalism awards, including 23 New York Emmy nominations and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Communications. She is proud to be on the News 4 team that earned two National Edward R. Murrow Awards for coverage of the tragic crash of Flight 3407 in 2009.
In 2018 she won the Silver Circle Award presented by the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which recognizes significant contributions to the television industry and the community.
Walker truly believes in serving others through community volunteerism. She has been honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society with a Lifetime Achievement Award for 30+ years of support for those living with MS. Because of her dedication to the fight against cancer, she was honored with the prestigious Service to Mankind Award by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She also has received major awards for her service from the Girl Scouts of Western New York, Kevin Guest House, Rotary Club, National Conference for Community and Justice, and other charitable and civic organizations. For 14 years, the Buffalo chapter of the American Association of University Women has presented a $5,000 scholarship in Jacquie’s honor to a local college student.
Walker is also known throughout Western New York as a staunch advocate for those fighting breast cancer. As a breast cancer survivor, she has shared her journey with viewers as well as stories about other survivors, screenings, clinical trials, and more. She leads the annual Mammothon drive during Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October and is the face of numerous other events with Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Hospice Buffalo, the American Association of University Women and many other local organizations.
Walker and her husband of 39 years, Mike Beato, are the proud parents of two young men, and the grandparents of a 4-year-old emerging superhero!
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Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter and Threads. See more of his work here.
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