Kathleen Sullivan (journalist)
Kathleen Sullivan (born 1952/1953) is an American television journalist.
Kathleen Sullivan
c.1952-1953
Early life and education[edit]
She was born in Pasadena, California, and attended Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California.
Career[edit]
CNN[edit]
Starting her career in local television, she became the first female anchor hired by CNN in 1980.[1]
She became the first American woman to broadcast live from the Soviet Union when she went there to interview Russian cosmonauts for the Soviet Pre-Olympic festival. In 1980, Sullivan was picked by Ted Turner to help launch his Cable News Network.[3]
ABC News[edit]
Moving to ABC News, she debuted ABC World News This Morning with co-anchor Steve Bell in 1982, substituted for co-host Joan Lunden on Good Morning America, anchored ABC World News Saturday, and started the first national-network health program, The Health Show.[1] During the 1980s, Sullivan reported live from party conference, summit, state funerals and the Olympic Games. She broadcast live from Buckingham Palace in London to report the list of royal weddings of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.[4]
In 1984, Sullivan became the first woman to anchor a telecast of the Olympic Games. She was an in-studio anchor for ABC Olympic broadcasts during the 1984 Winter Olympics, held in Sarajevo,[1] and later that year during the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, California.
Memberships[edit]
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration advisory board member[edit]
Sullivan is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – to which she was appointed in 2003 by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson.[2][8]
In popular culture[edit]
She has made various cameo appearances as herself in various entertainment television programs including the episode "Millions from Heaven" (1996) of the television sitcom series Roseanne (1988–1997), reporting on the list of Roseanne and The Conners characters winning the lottery.[9]