Ernie Anastos

Ernie Anastos
Born (1943-07-12) July 12, 1943
Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.
Residence North Castle, New York, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater Northeastern University
Occupation Anchorman
Years active 1976–present (television)
Spouse(s) Kelly Anastos
Children 2

Ernie Anastos (born July 12, 1943) is an American news anchor. He anchors the news at 6 p.m. on Fox 5 NY WNYW in New York City, where he brings viewers unique and positive news stories. He formerly was the anchor of the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts on Fox 5 NY with Dari Alexander. As of 2017, every March 21, it is Ernie Anastos day in New York City. Ernie was awarded, honored and commended by Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City.

Anastos is a Hall of Fame Broadcaster and has won more than 30 Emmy awards and nominations, including "Best Newscast in New York" and the Edward R. Murrow Award for broadcast excellence. The New York Times recently described him as "the ubiquitous anchorman."

Career

After graduating from Northeastern University, Anastos worked as a news man at 98.5/WROR in Boston, as Ernie Andrews. In 1976, Anastos moved to television, becoming an anchor at WPRI-TV in Providence.[1] In June 1978, WABC-TV in New York hired Anastos[2] and he became anchor of the 11:00 pm Eyewitness News broadcast in November, a position that opened when Larry Kane left the station after one year and returned to Philadelphia.[3] He anchored that broadcast with Rose Ann Scamardella until 1983 and later replaced Storm Field as Kaity Tong's co-anchor at 5:00 pm. Except for a brief period beginning in 1983 when WABC hired Tom Snyder to be anchor, Anastos helmed the 5:00 and 11:00 pm newscasts until 1989, co-anchoring at 5 and 11 with Tong and Roz Abrams at 5 from 1986 to 1989.[4]

Anastos left WABC to take an anchor position at WCBS-TV, beginning June 12, 1989.[5] He was brought in as a replacement for Mike Schneider, who had left to join ABC News, for the station's early evening and 11:00 pm newscasts and eventually supplanted Jim Jensen as WCBS' lead anchor.

Anastos left WCBS in mid-1994 to join NewsTalk Television, a fledgling cable operation owned by Multimedia Communications. Shortly thereafter he began hosting a gardening show on Lifetime, called Our Home.[6]

In 1997, Anastos returned to the anchor desk and was hired by WWOR-TV to replace Sean Mooney as co-anchor of its 10:00 pm newscast. Four years later he was back at WCBS, brought in to replace Stephen Clark as the lead anchor.[4] He left for second time in 2005, after signing a five-year, $10 million contract with WNYW-TV.[4] At Fox 5, he was partnered with Rosanna Scotto, from 2005-2009 for the news at 5 and 10p.m. until Scotto was moved to Co-host Good Day New York with Greg Kelly. It was announced that Dari Alexander would anchor with Anastos on the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.[4] On July 2, 2012, he was moved off the 10 p.m. newscast and replaced by Good Day New York cohost Greg Kelly, who has since moved back to his prior role and been replaced by Steve Lacy. In June 2014, Ernie became the Anchor of the 6pm newscast, leaving the 5pm newscast with Dari Alexander, having Steve Lacy fill the position. [7]

Anastos has anchored coverage of the World Trade Center attacks.[8] He also traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro reporting on the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.[8] He covered Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor's official trip to El Salvador and Nicaragua, and reported on the death and funeral of Princess Diana from London.[8] Anastos also was nominated for an Emmy for his reporting on the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr. from the site of his plane crash near Cape Cod.[8]

Anastos has worked as a news anchor and reporter for CBS This Morning,[8] CBS Late News, and substitute host for ABC's Good Morning America.[8]

Anastos has become well known for a pair of gaffes on live television. In 2007, he directed viewers to visit "myfoxny don cock" instead of "myfoxny dot com", which is the website for WNYW.[9] Then in 2009, following meteorologist Nick Gregory's weather forecast one evening where he made a joke playing off an old Perdue Farms advertising campaign, Anastos said, live on the air, "It takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, Nick. Keep fucking that chicken."[10]

Anastos appeared in season eight, episode 10 of the television show 24.[8][11][12] He has been on air since the mid 1970s. In 2014, he joined the board of trustees at New York Institute of Technology.[13]

Writing

Anastos authored a book on the lifestyles of youth in America. His book, Twixt: Teens Yesterday and Today, traces American teenagers' influence on social and political attitudes.

He has also been a regular columnist for Family Circle.

Awards

He has won 28 Emmy Awards and nominations, and was nominated for the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in writing.

He has been profiled in the International Who's Who of Intellectuals.[8] A Phi Kappa Phi honoree, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern University in Boston, where he is a member of the university board.[8] He has additional graduate studies at Columbia University[8] and holds an honorary doctorate degree. In May 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Manhattanville College.

On March 21, 2017, Ernie was honored by New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, to have March 21 named Ernie Anastos Day in New York City.

Radio ownership

A Saratoga Springs, New York-based radio station WJKE. The partnership, known as the Anastos Media Group, soon bought several other stations in the Capital District of New York State and later entered the eastern New England media market. The daily operations of the group were handled in part by Anastos' daughter Nina (b. 1970). Effective September 7, 2012, the stations—WABY, WQAR, WUAM and its translator W291BY, and WVKZ—were sold to Empire Broadcasting Corporation for $1.2 million.

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, Michael (January 31, 2010). "The Importance of Being Ernie". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  2. ↑ "The Local Line". Chicago Tribune. June 1, 1978. p. 26. Retrieved January 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Anchors Selected by ABC". The Asbury Park Press. November 5, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Huff, Richard (June 30, 2009). "Fox 5 anchor Ernie Anastos heads into final year of $10 million contract". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  5. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/17/arts/anastos-to-join-wcbs-as-co-anchor-june-12.html
  6. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/new-home-anastos-hosting-lifetime-daytimer-article-1.707101
  7. ↑ Starr, Michael (June 28, 2012). "Ch. 5 shake-up: Ch. 5 surprise: Ernie out at 10, new a.m. guy". New York Post. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ernie Anastos". WNYW MyFoxNY. Archived from the original on 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  9. ↑ Video: Ernie Anastos Drops F-Bomb Chicken Combo On Air Archived 2010-01-08 at the Wayback Machine..
  10. ↑ "Keep Fucking That Chicken: Ernie Anastos, News Anchor, Curses On Air (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. September 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ Ernie Anastos on IMDb
  12. ↑ "Full cast and crew for '24' Day 8: 1:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m. (2010)". Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  13. ↑ http://article.wn.com/view/2014/02/25/Ernie_Anastos_Named_to_Board_of_Trustees_at_NYIT_New_York_In/
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