CBS Anchor Stepping Down After 40 Years: Here's What's Next for Jacquie Walker

Walker was the longest-tenured news anchor at one station in Buffalo broadcast history.

By Ashley Turner

Buffalo newscaster Jacquie Walker will retire next month as WIVB-TV's anchor after over 40 years at the CBS station. Walker is expected to run her final show on May 22. Going forward, she will conduct interviews, participate in special projects, and conduct community outreach activities, on behalf of WIVB.

"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 during a newsroom gathering on Tuesday afternoon. "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."

As the longest-tenured news anchor at one station in Buffalo broadcast history, Walker currently anchors the number one-rated News 4 at 5:30, News 4 at 6, and News 4 at 6. She has been an integral member of the team since joining Channel 4's WIVB in 1983.

During her tenure at the CBS affiliate, Walker earned the reputation of being a community icon with her news coverage. From the Flight 3407 crash to last week's total solar eclipse, the Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter covered nearly every major Buffalo event in the past 40 years. In 2011, she was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters' Hall of Fame, and in 2021, she was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters' Hall of Fame.

"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 has received a slew of journalism awards, including 23 New York Emmy nominations and the Governor's Award for Excellence in Communications. Her significant contributions to the television industry and the community were recognized with the Silver Circle Award, presented by the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2018.

Volunteering in the community is an integral part of Walker's philosophy. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award for her 30+ years of support to people living with MS. In recognition of her dedication to fighting cancer, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society awarded her the prestigious Service to Mankind Award, according to WIVB.

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Walker is also known as a tireless advocate for those battling breast cancer throughout Western New York. As a breast cancer survivor, she shares her experience and stories about other survivors, screenings, and clinical trials with her viewers. 

Every October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she leads the annual Mammothon drive and a number of other events and organizations around the area. Walker and her husband of 39 years, Mike Beato, are currently the proud parents of two young men and the grandparents of a 4-year-old boy.

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