Bonnie Henry: Tribulations of a pioneer newswoman

I'd never use that word to describe a man. But then, Green — one of the first female newscasters on Tucson TV — is used to the ol' double standard.

While Green was working for KVOA-TV, Channel 4, General Manager Gordon "Doc" Hamilton once asked her, "When are you gonna get pregnant and leave?"

"I told him I had no plans to do that," says Green.

No indeedy. Instead, she gutted it out for more than two decades on Tucson television, delivering everything from the news to commercials to station announcements — all live.

"I know one time I said, 'This is Channel 2, Fourson,' " Green says with a laugh.

Not that it was all a barrel of yuks for Green, who started her TV career in the early '60s as Miss Kitty, back in Kansas City, promoting prizes for Kitty Clover potato chips. "It was a live show — 150 kids."

At the same time, Green was working on a master's degree in speech communication and teaching three classes at the University of Kansas.

By the mid-1960s, she and her geologist husband landed in Tucson, where she was hired by KVOA in 1965.

There, she anchored "The Woman's Report," 5 to 5:15 weekday afternoons.

"I did live interviews and a little bit of news," says Green, who chatted it up with everyone from the locals to Paul Newman, who was in town filming a movie.

"I loved it," says Green. She also ran the audio booth and pitched everything from Avon to Formula 409.

Less loved was her stint on "Dialing for Dollars," when she randomly called people to offer a prize if they were watching the show. "I hated it. I felt like I was intruding."

Male chauvinism was rife, says Green, who remembers being forbidden to touch the video-editing equipment.

Her salary was also less than those of the men. "I had a base fee of around $250 a month and $10 for every commercial spot on 'The Woman's Report.' "

Unhappy about her salary, Green eventually "went up the street" to KOLD-TV, Channel 13, starting on New Year's Day, 1973.

There she anchored the 5 p.m. weeknight news, aided by a female consumer reporter and a female weathercaster. General Manager Paul Plunkett called them "the all-girl news team."

"It began to bother me a bit," says Green, who eventually asked Plunkett why he didn't call the 6 p.m. newscasters "the all-boy news team."

Plunkett had no answer for her. Even so, says Green, "it was wonderful when Paul Plunkett was there."

But then the ratings started to slide. Outside consultants were brought in. Plunkett retired and was replaced by General Manager Jay Watson.

"He called me in, sat me down and asked, 'How old are you?' " says Green. "I told him I was 38. He said, 'You've got five years left in this business.' "

In 1979, Green, who had co-anchored at various times with Hank Hubbard and Lou Waters, was replaced by Kathy Randall.

"I was moved around constantly," says Green, who did morning and noon newscasts, then went to consumer reporting.

Finally, says Green, "my pride got to me." She quit at the end of 1987.

"It was hard to leave," says Green, who took on a series of jobs, most in public relations.

Today she volunteers for several worthy causes. She also watches the news, but she pays no attention to those delivering it.

And yes, she still gets stopped by TV viewers who remember her, if only to ask, "Didn't you used to be Sue Green?"

Despite the ups and downs of being one of Tucson's first anchorwomen, Green still treasures her experiences.

"I got to know Tucson and the people so well."

On StarNet: Do you have a question for Bonnie Henry? The Star columnist will be available for a live online chat from 11 a.m. to noon today. Log on at any time between now and the chat to submit your question at go.azstarnet.com/livechat