Vicki Mabrey 1957(?)–

Television journalist

Vicki Mabrey may have been the “fresh face” on one of television’s most talked-about news-magazine programs, but she earned her job as anchor-woman the hard way—by reporting standoffs and shootouts, floods, and internationally newsworthy events. The veteran journalist had the knack for being in the right place at the right time, leading to her coverage of some of the world’s biggest news stories. When the spinoff of the legendary television news magazine “60 Minutes,” entitled “60 Minutes II,” debuted in 1999, Mabrey became the first African American woman to introduce herself as the show’s trademark stopwatch began its 60-minute countdown.

The daughter of Barbara, a teacher, and Harold, a former civilian Army procurement officer, Mabrey is the oldest of three children. She also has two younger brothers, Lesley and Kevin. At the age of eight, Mabrey moved with her family from an inner-city neighborhood to Florissant, Missouri, then an all-white suburb of St. Louis. Instead of a welcoming committee, the Mabreys were greeted with a painted sign on their sidewalk that read, “White is right.” Mabrey was also the first African American student to integrate the local elementary school. By the time she was a senior in high school, more African Americans had moved into the town, and the McCluer High School student body contained students of both races.

Mabrey graduated cum laude with a degree in political science from Howard University in 1977. Within four years, she had gotten married and moved to Baltimore. Mabrey found work as a real estate marketer, but quickly changed careers when she saw a college classmate working in local television news. Mabrey convinced the local CBS affiliate to give her a job, and went through the AFTRA reporter training program at WUSA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C. In 1983, the station hired her as a production assistant. “I think of the opportunities my grandparents didn’t have,” Mabrey told Essence, “and I have to grab every one.” Within a year, she was working as an on-air general assignment reporter. She later became a Dallas-based correspondent for CBS News.

Mabrey’s placement in Dallas marked the beginning of her success in journalism. In 1993, she received a tip that something was going to happen near Waco, Texas. Mabrey traveled to Waco, and covered the standoff between federal agents and Branch Davidian cult members. During a 55 day span, she provided

At a Glance…

Born c. 1957 in St. Louis, MO; married and divorced; Education: Howard University, B.A. in political science, cum laude, 1977,

Career: Real estate marketer, Baltimore, MD, 1981-83; production assistant, WBAL-TV, Baltimore, 1983-84; general assignment reporter, WBAL-TV, Baltimore, 1984-92; Dallas-based correspondent, CBS News, Dallas, 1992-95; correspondent, CBS News, London, England 1995-98; correspondent, “60 Minutes 11/1999-.

Awards: Emmy Award for coverage of the Atlanta Olympic bombing, 1996; Emmy Award for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800, 1996; two Emmy Awards for reporting for CBS News’ coverage of the death of Princess Diana, 1997.

Addresses: Office —“60 Minutes II,” 524 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

often continuous on-air developments in the standoff. Mabrey was also sent to cover the severe flooding that devastated parts of the Midwest in 1993. The following year, she traveled to Haiti to provide coverage of the landing of American troops there after dictator Raul Cedras fled the country. The troops had entered Haiti to monitor the country’s transition to a democratic government.

To London and Beyond

In 1995, a producer at CBS recommended Mabrey for a job at the network’s London bureau. That year, CBS posted her in England as their London correspondent. In 1997, Mabrey covered the tragic car crash in Paris that killed Princess Diana. She won two Emmy awards for her coverage of the tragedy.

When CBS announced that it was producing a spin-off of its legendary news-magazine show “60 Minutes,” applications for the new show’s four resident correspondent spots quickly poured in. Mabrey e-mailed her request to “60 Minutes II” executive producer Jeff Fager. Although she thought that her chances of landing a spot on the show were slim, she was offered a position on “60 Minutes II.” Mabrey was elated. “This is the job every broadcast journalist wants,” she said in an interview with Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. However, she was saddened to learn that she would have to leave London and move to New York, where the show is taped. “I know I’ll shed many tears when I leave my little house in London,” Mabrey said in the same interview.

Every broadcast journalist may have wanted the “60 Minutes II” job, but Mabrey won it with her journalistic savvy and winning personality. Although she told People that Fager told her directly that she wasn’t hired because she was African American, “I’m not naive enough to say race didn’t play some part.” Fager had his own reasons for hiring her. “She’s warm, real, and you feel that as a viewer,” he told People. Although Mabrey has a warm personality, she is not afraid to tackle difficult issues. On the debut edition of “60 Minutes II,” Mabrey presented a report about children who died after receiving anesthesia at a dentist’s office. A few weeks later, she offered a critical report about the controversial diet drug fen-phen. “She’s not afraid to jump right into something,” Fager commented in People.

Before “60 Minutes II” debuted, many network veterans resisted the idea of a spin-off of CBS’ venerable news-magazine show “60 Minutes.” Although the “60 Minutes II” team consisted of well respected journalists, some critics refused to accept the new show. Lawrie Mifflin, writing in the New York Times, defended “60 Minutes II” and remarked that “there is nothing second-string about the on-air team assembled for the latest CBS News magazine program.” The show received favorable reviews, and eventually attracted a loyal following of viewers. Even though People criticized a few of the show’s flaws—citing Mabrey for unnecessarily ambushing a dentist in the first show—the magazine called “60 Minutes II,” overall, “a winner.”

Compared to her fellow correspondents on “60 Minutes II”—Dan Rather, Bob Simon, and Charlie Rose—Mabrey was the show’s “fresh face,” as Fager told the New York Times. However, she credits her lack of recognition as an advantage. While most of the senior correspondents at CBS have worked their way up through the CBS ranks, as Mabrey did, “No one really knows me.J’m not coming in dragging a reputation I have to uphold,” she told Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service.