Omaha broadcast pioneer Ninette Beaver has died. She was 90.
“I never thought it was a big deal for women to do anything,” Beaver said in an archived interview. “I just thought women could just do whatever – I know my grandmother thought that. I know my mother thought that. I was raised to think that. So, people would think that was really great that I could do something in television when there weren’t any other women – I was just doing something I knew how to do.”
She started her career at Omaha CBS affiliate KMTV in the 1950s. She also co-produced a documentary for NBC News. Her obituary described her “manner as a comfort to many she interviewed.”
She was consultant to Bruce Springsteen for his musical work “Nebraska” and for his current book “Bruce”.
Ninette contributed to hundreds of news stories for KMTV and NBC for more than forty years and was valued for her many contacts and willingness to cover stories anywhere at anytime.
“We at KMTV were sad to learn the news about Ninette,” said KMTV gm Christopher Sehring. “Although, I never had the honor of working with her, it’s clear that she established a set of journalistic standards that any of our reporters today would be proud to achieve.”