Ruth Ashton Taylor Obituary

Ruth Ashton Taylor, the pioneering journalist who shattered gender barriers as the first female TV reporter on the West Coast, inspiring generations of women in serious news coverage, has passed away at the age of 101.

Her daughter, Laurel Conklin, confirmed that Ashton Taylor died on Thursday in San Rafael, California.

Beginning her career at CBS Radio alongside Edward R. Murrow in the 1940s, Ashton Taylor returned to her hometown of Los Angeles in 1951, marking a historic milestone as the first woman on the West Coast to work in television news at KNXT-TV (now KCBS).

In 1958, Ashton Taylor briefly departed to serve as a college public information officer. However, she returned to KNXT in 1962, joining a program produced by TV personality Ralph Story and co-hosting The Ruth and Pat Show on radio with comedian Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney on Green Acres) for approximately a year.

Transitioning exclusively to television in 1966, Ashton Taylor became a general assignment reporter and co-hosted a weekend news interview show. Her remarkable career continued until her retirement in 1989, after which she remained an occasional contributor, covering stories in the Sacramento area well into her 70s.

Remembering her tenacity, her former CBS colleague Joe Saltzman, now a professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, noted on Facebook, “I remember how she was always fighting to break the then-conventional role of every female reporter: to cover the ‘women’s angle’ for every story. She won the fight and became one of the best broadcast reporters in local news history.”

Ashton Taylor’s contributions to journalism were widely recognized. In 1982, she received the Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and in 1990, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ruth Ashton Taylor’s legacy is etched in the annals of journalism history, a testament to her groundbreaking spirit and enduring impact.