Walters Sweeps Lewinsky Interview

After months of waiting for the go-ahead from independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, Barbara Walters taped an interview with Monica S. Lewinsky at a tightly guarded TV studio in New York City.

Officially, the network had nothing to say about it, but an ABC executive speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed that Walters conducted the interview over the weekend.

Walters and ABC News President David Westin have scheduled a news conference today to talk about the interview, which is expected to air over 90 minutes in prime time March 3--the final day of a sweeps rating period, which is used to set local advertising rates.

The date remains tentative, as the network might decide to broadcast the interview sooner, the executive said.

Guards were posted outside the studio Saturday while Lewinsky talked with Walters.

Walters’ Lewinsky interview is considered the biggest TV coup of the presidential scandal, although its impact may have been diminished by Lewinsky’s videotaped testimony during the televised Senate impeachment trial.