Joan Richman, a female television-news executive in an era when there were few women in positions of power, died April 2 of cancer at her home in Lumberville, Pa . She was 64.
In 1976, she became the first woman to serve as executive producer of the CBS Evening News. In 1981, she became the vice president and director of special events for the network, overseeing coverage of political conventions, elections, and other news events. She started her career as a researcher clipping newspapers for CBS News.
CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather said in a statement, "Joan Richman may have mentored and brought along as many name correspondents, producers and news executives–men and women–as has anybody in the history of the craft."
Andrew Heyward, president of CBS News, added, "It’s difficult for the many women thriving in broadcast journalism today to imagine the battles Joan Richman fought and won on their behalf,"
Walter Cronkite, who worked with the Emmy-winning Richman on the Apollo space program telecasts, called Richman "an extraordinary leader in all the fields of our trade."
