TCA: ID Taps Barbara Walters for New Series

Investigation Discovery will team with veteran TV news personality Barbara Walters to create a new series focused on infamous political scandals.

The series, Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals, will premiere Nov. 2, Discovery Group president Henry Schleiff announced during the network's Television Critics Association Tour session Thursday.

“Journalist. Author. Television personality. In our lifetime, there is no other name more associated with headlines and stories that mesmerized readers and viewers than Barbara Walters. Indeed, only the incomparable Barbara Walters could deliver these original interviews and get the subjects to speak to her,” he said.

Schleiff also announced that the network will partner with iHeartRadio to develop a weekly news-driven radio series looking at headline-making cases.

The network will also team with the Southern Poverty Law Center for a new series And Justice For All focused on the diversity group’s case files, according to Schleiff.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.