Former WRAL and CNN anchor Bobbie Battista has died at 67
Former WRAL anchor Bobbie Battista, who gained national fame at CNN, died Tuesday morning in Davenport, Iowa.
CNN reported the death Tuesday, citing a family spokesman. According to reports, Battista, 67, had battled cervical cancer for four years.
“Bobbie was the consummate trouper in her struggle with cancer, she was courageous and fearless in her battle and thoughtful for all the others in her life even as she fought through the pain,” Battista’s husband, John Brimelow, said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. “My dear partner of 25 years of marriage has cut her earthly bonds and is now in peace.”
Battista — her given name was Barbara Ann — was on-air at WRAL from 1976 to 1981, when she left for CNN. CNN reported that Battista started as a secretary at WRAL in 1974, and became an on-air host in 1976. In 1977, she was made co-anchor with Charlie Gaddy.
Battista was one of the original anchors at CNN Headline News when the network launched in 1981. She moved to CNN in 1988, hosting the programs “TalkBack Live,” “CNN WorldDay,” “CNN NewsDay,” “CNN NewsHour,” “CNN Daybreak” (during Gulf War), “CNN PrimeNews” and “CNN WorldNews.”
The obituary on the CNN website noted that on the occasion of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Battista recounted some of the historic stories she covered in her 20 years at the cable news network.
“Whether the Challenger explosion, the assassination attack on Reagan, the Gulf War, certainly this terrorist attack. Those were memorable from the anchor desk,” Battista said.
Battista became famous enough to be impersonated on “Saturday Night Live” by Nancy Carell (Nancy Walls).
When asked in a 2009 interview with CNN about a fact fans may not know about her, Battista revealed that she once went on a date with Steve Perry, the lead singer of Journey.
Battista won many awards while at CNN, including the George Foster Peabody Award, and was voted the Best Newscaster in Cable Guide magazine’s annual reader’s poll in 1986. She was nominated for a CableACE award for Best Newscaster in 1995.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 12:04 PM.
