The Press: Britain's Barbara

When Barbara Walters joins ABC'S Evening News next fall, she will be the highest-paid woman ever to anchor a national news program—but not the first in the world. For more than a year, Angela Rippon, 31, has been the Barbara Walters of the British Broadcasting Corp.'s evening newscasts. There is one major difference between the two women: while Walters will get $1 million a year for her efforts, Rippon makes the standard BBC reporter's salary of less than $14,000, not counting a $127 annual clothing allowance.

Like her American counterpart, Rippon was brought in to help raise the ratings of her...