Wanda Ramey
Encyclopedia
Wanda Ramey was a pioneering American
television news reporter. She was married to Richard Queirolo and assumed his name, but continued to use her maiden name in her professional life.
, to parents Hiram and May Ramey. She attended school (graduated high school in 1941) and college in Terre Haute, receiving a BA degree in radio journalism from Indiana State Teachers College
in 1945.
After college graduation, she moved with her family to Oakland, California
, due to a transfer in her father's company (American Express). She lived there for a while, then moved to Los Angeles, California
, and began working, first at a recording studio and then in the movie theater division of Warner Brothers.
. After that, she returned to the Bay area and worked at several stations. In 1947, her job (for KSFO) was to interview celebrities at the Hearst Ranch
near Pleasanton, California
.
In 1948, Ramey was hired as secretary to the program director of radio station KWBR in Oakland. She assumed the duties of program director (although with no increase in pay) when that post became vacant. After a year there, she moved to KROW, where she was able to be on the air.
By 1952, she was working at KGO-TV
in San Francisco, California
. She first hosted Midday with Wanda, a short-lived news and interview show, then in 1954 she hosted The Woman Behind the Man (interviewing the wives of famous Bay-area men).
The KGO job did not last long. Vince Francis, KGO general manager, fired her by telling her that women did not do a good job as newscasters. It took her several months to find another broadcasting job, this time at KCBS (AM)
radio in San Francisco. On that job, her on-air name was Jane Todd. She hosted the program Meet Me at Mannings, which featured interviews with women.
In 1957, Ramey was hired as a newscaster by KPIX-TV
, San Francisco's first television station. The station was one of the first to create a half-hour news program at mid-day, and they made further history by casting one of the first female newscasters (Ramey) on the program. She was variously referred to as "Channel 5's Gal on the Go", "Girl on the Beat", and "Woman on the Beat". She left KPIX in 1967.
Ramey estimated that she had interviewed some 1,200 personalities in the course of her career, including several US Presidents and an astronaut. Her most memorable interview was with Eleanor Roosevelt
, who was Ramey's own inspiration as a girl.
After 1967 Ramey avoided further full-time broadcasting work. She served as a Bay-area correspondent with the Voice of America
, worked part-time at local PBS
station KQED-TV, and volunteered with Bay-area charities and projects. During the late 1960s, she worked as a reporter on KGO-TVs Newsbeat nightly newscast.
to film a story about conditions there. The visit led to their setting up a local television station within the prison (SQTV), prison-sponsored with much of the production work performed by inmates.
for television journalism. She was inducted into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
In 1965, Ramey was named "Honorary Inmate" by the residents of San Quentin State Prison.
In 1968, Ramey received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana State University.
In 1982, Ramey received a commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for her outstanding contributions to broadcasting. That same year SF Mayor Diane Feinstein issued a proclamation commending Ramey for "her dedication and invaluable contributions to the broadcasting industry and . . . on her truly impressive and distinguished achievements." She also received the Outstanding Achievement in Broadcasting Award from the American Women In Radio and Television, Golden Gate Chapter, and several other awards from professional societies.
In 1958, Ramey married Richard "Dick" Queirolo (Q-Rolo), a sheet-metal contractor and artist. She assumed her husband's last name after marriage, but remained Wanda Ramey in her professional life, and that is how she was known nationally. They had a daughter, Kristi Queirolo Steadman (born 1962) of Novato, California
married to Dan Steadman and son Richard Jr. (from a previous marriage of Richard Queirolo) of Highlands Ranch, Colorado
. Queirolo developed an interest in the mechanics of his wife's career, and after their marriage developed a vocation as TV cameraman, often working with and for his wife.
In 1963, Ramey was featured in a newspaper article titled "From Fashion Shows to Fires, Wanda Ramey Is KPIX's Woman-on-the-Beat". The article described Ramey as calm and reserved, petite and mild-mannered.... one of the few women in broadcasting who successfully manages to polish the rough corners off the hard news". It stated Ramey was chosen because of her flexibility and her ability to interview celebrities and political figures.
Ramey died of cancer
at her home in Greenbrae on 15 August 2009. Upon her death her family established a scholarship fund in her name (Wanda Ramey Scholarship in Communication) at Indiana State University.
Longtime friend (and godmother of Ramey's daughter) Phyllis Diller
said of Ramey:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television news reporter. She was married to Richard Queirolo and assumed his name, but continued to use her maiden name in her professional life.
Early life and education
Ramey was born in Terre Haute, IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, to parents Hiram and May Ramey. She attended school (graduated high school in 1941) and college in Terre Haute, receiving a BA degree in radio journalism from Indiana State Teachers College
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
in 1945.
After college graduation, she moved with her family to Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, due to a transfer in her father's company (American Express). She lived there for a while, then moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and began working, first at a recording studio and then in the movie theater division of Warner Brothers.
Broadcasting career
Ramey's first post-college radio employment was at radio station KPIK in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaSan Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
. After that, she returned to the Bay area and worked at several stations. In 1947, her job (for KSFO) was to interview celebrities at the Hearst Ranch
Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to...
near Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
.
In 1948, Ramey was hired as secretary to the program director of radio station KWBR in Oakland. She assumed the duties of program director (although with no increase in pay) when that post became vacant. After a year there, she moved to KROW, where she was able to be on the air.
By 1952, she was working at KGO-TV
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She first hosted Midday with Wanda, a short-lived news and interview show, then in 1954 she hosted The Woman Behind the Man (interviewing the wives of famous Bay-area men).
The KGO job did not last long. Vince Francis, KGO general manager, fired her by telling her that women did not do a good job as newscasters. It took her several months to find another broadcasting job, this time at KCBS (AM)
KCBS (AM)
KCBS is an all-news radio station in San Francisco, California, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX...
radio in San Francisco. On that job, her on-air name was Jane Todd. She hosted the program Meet Me at Mannings, which featured interviews with women.
In 1957, Ramey was hired as a newscaster by KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
, San Francisco's first television station. The station was one of the first to create a half-hour news program at mid-day, and they made further history by casting one of the first female newscasters (Ramey) on the program. She was variously referred to as "Channel 5's Gal on the Go", "Girl on the Beat", and "Woman on the Beat". She left KPIX in 1967.
Ramey estimated that she had interviewed some 1,200 personalities in the course of her career, including several US Presidents and an astronaut. Her most memorable interview was with Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, who was Ramey's own inspiration as a girl.
After 1967 Ramey avoided further full-time broadcasting work. She served as a Bay-area correspondent with the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, worked part-time at local PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
station KQED-TV, and volunteered with Bay-area charities and projects. During the late 1960s, she worked as a reporter on KGO-TVs Newsbeat nightly newscast.
Work with prisons
On New Year's Eve 1960, Ramey and her husband visited San Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
to film a story about conditions there. The visit led to their setting up a local television station within the prison (SQTV), prison-sponsored with much of the production work performed by inmates.
Honors and awards
In 1958, Ramey received an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for television journalism. She was inducted into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
In 1965, Ramey was named "Honorary Inmate" by the residents of San Quentin State Prison.
In 1968, Ramey received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana State University.
In 1982, Ramey received a commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for her outstanding contributions to broadcasting. That same year SF Mayor Diane Feinstein issued a proclamation commending Ramey for "her dedication and invaluable contributions to the broadcasting industry and . . . on her truly impressive and distinguished achievements." She also received the Outstanding Achievement in Broadcasting Award from the American Women In Radio and Television, Golden Gate Chapter, and several other awards from professional societies.
Personal
Ramey entered the broadcast world at a time when women were not often considered for serious reporting slots. Describing the young Ramey in San Francisco, TV personality Terrence O'Flaherty said "Miss Ramey, an intelligent and attractive young woman, is single and also very serious about her work."In 1958, Ramey married Richard "Dick" Queirolo (Q-Rolo), a sheet-metal contractor and artist. She assumed her husband's last name after marriage, but remained Wanda Ramey in her professional life, and that is how she was known nationally. They had a daughter, Kristi Queirolo Steadman (born 1962) of Novato, California
Novato, California
Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
married to Dan Steadman and son Richard Jr. (from a previous marriage of Richard Queirolo) of Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Highlands Ranch is a census-designated place in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 96,713 at the 2010 census; it is one of the most populous unincorporated communities in the United States...
. Queirolo developed an interest in the mechanics of his wife's career, and after their marriage developed a vocation as TV cameraman, often working with and for his wife.
In 1963, Ramey was featured in a newspaper article titled "From Fashion Shows to Fires, Wanda Ramey Is KPIX's Woman-on-the-Beat". The article described Ramey as calm and reserved, petite and mild-mannered.... one of the few women in broadcasting who successfully manages to polish the rough corners off the hard news". It stated Ramey was chosen because of her flexibility and her ability to interview celebrities and political figures.
Ramey died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at her home in Greenbrae on 15 August 2009. Upon her death her family established a scholarship fund in her name (Wanda Ramey Scholarship in Communication) at Indiana State University.
Longtime friend (and godmother of Ramey's daughter) Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
said of Ramey:
- "Having Wanda for a friend is like having a million dollars in your checking account."