The Best in the West

It is the late 1970s, a period when local television news is changing, but few notice. The Best in the West provides a passport into this world, a world where "journalism" and "journalist" were not yet suspect terms. From the anchorman the audience foolishly loves to the harassed producers, photographers and editors, it is an unlikely but winning team.

It is a male club of former newspaper and radio reporters chosen for their experience in getting the news. Only a few women have earned admission. Ellen Peters is one. Tough and cynical, she sees reporting as a job. For the idealistic newcomer Debbie Hanson, it is a vocation, a way to get the truth to the public. While Debbie tries to fit in, Ellen stands back and watches. She is, after all, a reporter.

Kathleen Walker of Tucson, AZ

Kathleen Walker spent ten years as a television reporter and producer, covering the evening news for network affiliates in New Mexico and Arizona. She moved on to freelance writing after her last position with PBS in Tempe, Arizona. The Best in the West is based on her experience in television news.

She did her undergraduate work in Latin American History at La Universidad de las Americas in Mexico City and earned her masters degree in Corporate and Political Communications at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

She resides in Tucson, Arizona.