Willow Bay

Willow Bay
Bay in 2014
Born
Kristine Carlin Bay

(1963-12-28) December 28, 1963 (age 60)
New York City, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania
New York University Stern School of Business
Occupation(s)Academic dean, former TV news anchor
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​
Children2

Willow Bay (born Kristine Carlin Bay; December 28, 1963) is an American television journalist, editor, author, and former model. In 2017, she became dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism[1] having earlier served as director of USC Annenberg School of Journalism.[2][3][4][5] She was previously a senior editor for the Huffington Post and a special correspondent for Bloomberg Television.[6]

Life and career

Bay was born in New York City, New York. She attended Dominican Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in New York, and graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, and earned her MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business.[7]

A former fashion model, she was represented by Ford Models.[8] She was a spokesperson for Estée Lauder cosmetics from 1983 to 1989.[9][10][11]

Bay served as a correspondent for NBC's Today Show.[12] She was a co-anchor of ABC's Good Morning America Sunday for four years, and a correspondent for ABC's World News Saturday and World News Sunday. From 1991 to 1998, she was co-host with Ahmad Rashad of NBA Inside Stuff.[13]

She was an anchor for CNN, hosting two primetime programs: CNN & Entertainment Weekly and CNN & Fortune, along with CNN's flagship financial news program, Moneyline.[14] She was a freelance anchor and correspondent for MSNBC and NBC News in 2005 and 2006. She was the executive producer and host of Lifetime Television's Spotlight 25.[15]

Bay is the author of a book titled Talking to Your Kids in Tough Times: How to Answer Your Child's Questions About the World We Live In (2003).[16]

At the Huffington Post, Bay served as a senior editor based in Los Angeles. She has helped manage the expansion of non-political content and new verticals for the site. In collaboration with Yahoo! News and the Huffington Post, she interviewed Warren Buffett and President Bill Clinton for the Newsmaker series.[17][18]

In July 2024, Bay and her husband, Bob Iger, agreed to take a majority stake in Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based National Women's Soccer League (NSWL) team, with a $100 million investment. On completion of the transaction, Bay will serve and control the board of ACFC and represent the club on the NWSL's board of governors.[19][20]

Personal life

Bay has two sons and two step-daughters with her husband, Bob Iger, the ex-chairman and current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, whom she married in 1995, following his divorce in 1994.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ "Veteran journalist Willow Bay named dean of USC Annenberg". annenberg.usc.edu.
  2. ^ "Willow Bay to lead USC Annenberg School of Journalism". annenberg.usc.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Los Angeles Times (March 26, 2014). "Willow Bay Named Director of USC's Journalism School". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ "USC News". 22 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Willow Bay in the USC Annenberg Media Center". YouTube.com. April 15, 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  6. ^ Flans, Lindsay (August 3, 2011). "Power Shopping: Willow Bay Talks Style". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ "Dean Willow Bay | USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism". annenberg.usc.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  8. ^ "Willow Bay | Estee Stories Blog | EsteeLauder.com". Estée Lauder Official Site. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  9. ^ "Estée Lauder Biography for Willow Bay". Estée Lauder. 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  10. ^ "Estee Lauder Commercial with Willow Bay from 1980s". YouTube.com. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Willow Bay Talks About Her Mentors: Estee Lauder, David Stern, and Arianna Huffington". YouTube.com. January 31, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Former GMA Co-Anchor Willow Bay Named Dean of USC Annenberg". www.adweek.com. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  13. ^ Patten, Dominic (2014-03-26). "Former TV Anchor Willow Bay To Head USC Journalism School". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  14. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie (1999-08-07). "Moneyline's New Look; Yes, Willow Bay Is an Ex-Model, but One With an M.B.A." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  15. ^ I-Chun, Chen (May 26, 2014). "HuffPo's Willow Bay will take over one of the country's top journalism programs". Biz Journals.
  16. ^ "Willow Bay | About USC". about.usc.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  17. ^ "Willow Bay | HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  18. ^ "Bill Clinton Tells Bloomberg TV's Willow Bay 'I Don't Know' if Hillary will Run for President". Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  19. ^ James, Meg (July 17, 2024). "Willow Bay explains why she and Bob Iger bought Angel City FC: 'Culture-defining moment'". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (July 17, 2024). "Disney CEO Bob Iger And Willow Bay Take Majority Stake In Angel City FC In Deal That Makes It The Most Valuable Women's Sports Team In The World". Deadline Hollywood.
  21. ^ "Willow Bay", The Pennsylvania Gazette
  22. ^ Bay, Willow. "Willow Bay profile". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2017.