Ernie Anastos
Encyclopedia
Ernie Anastos is an American
Emmy Award
-winning New York City
television news anchor
. He was born in Nashua, New Hampshire
, and has worked for several television stations in New York City during his career.
, a radio station in Boston. In 1976, Anastos moved to television, becoming an anchor at WPRI-TV
in Providence. Two years later, WABC-TV
in New York hired Anastos; he would remain there until 1989, when he joined WCBS-TV
as the 5 PM and 11 PM anchor. He then worked at WWOR-TV
from 1997 until 2000, later rejoining WCBS in January 2001. While there he was paired up with Cindy Hsu, Dana Tyler, and once again with Roz Abrams when she joined in 2004 from WABC-TV
.He left WCBS for the second time in 2005, after signing a five-year, $10 million contract with WNYW-TV
("Fox 5"). At Fox 5, he is partnered with Dari Alexander
on the 5 PM and 10 PM newscasts.
Anastos has anchored coverage of the World Trade Center attacks
. He also traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro
reporting on the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution
. 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. 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
.
Anastos has worked as a news anchor and reporter for CBS This Morning, CBS Late News and substitute host for ABC
's Good Morning America
.
Anastos has become well known for a pair of gaffes on live television. In 2007, he once accidentally directed viewers to visit "myfoxny dot cock" instead of "myfoxny dot com", which is the website for WNYW. More famously, in September 2009, Anastos gained some notoriety through a video of him saying "keep fuckin' that chicken" live on-air while engaging in playful banter with weatherman Nick Gregory. The blooper became popular on YouTube
, was featured on The Daily Show
, and spawned the acronym KFTC. Anastos apologized the next night, saying he "misspoke".
Anastos appeared in season eight, episode 10 of the popular television show 24
. He has been on air since the mid 70s.
He has also been a regular columnist for Family Circle
.
He has been profiled in the International Who's Who of Intellectuals. 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. He has additional graduate studies at Columbia University
and holds an honorary doctorate degree. In May 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Manhattanville College
.
-based radio station WJKE (now WQAR
). 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 are handled in part by Anastos' daughter Nina.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
television news anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
. He was born in Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
, and has worked for several television stations in New York City during his career.
Career
After graduating from Northeastern University, Anastos worked at WRKOWRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
, a radio station in Boston. In 1976, Anastos moved to television, becoming an anchor at WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts that is licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
in Providence. Two years later, WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York hired Anastos; he would remain there until 1989, when he joined WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
as the 5 PM and 11 PM anchor. He then worked at WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
from 1997 until 2000, later rejoining WCBS in January 2001. While there he was paired up with Cindy Hsu, Dana Tyler, and once again with Roz Abrams when she joined in 2004 from WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
.He left WCBS for the second time in 2005, after signing a five-year, $10 million contract with WNYW-TV
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
("Fox 5"). At Fox 5, he is partnered with Dari Alexander
Dari Alexander
Dari Alexander is an American television anchor. She is co-anchor of WNYW's FOX 5 News at 5 and FOX 5 News at 10 newscasts, along with Ernie Anastos in New York City...
on the 5 PM and 10 PM newscasts.
Anastos has anchored coverage of the World Trade Center attacks
World Trade Center attacks
World Trade Center attacks can refer to multiple attacks on the World Trade Center in the U.S. city of New York:*1993 World Trade Center bombing, in which the complex was damaged*September 11 attacks, in which the complex was destroyed...
. He also traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
reporting on the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. He covered Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor's official trip to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and reported on the death and funeral of Princess Diana from London. Anastos also was nominated for an Emmy for his reporting on the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
from the site of his plane crash near Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
.
Anastos has worked as a news anchor and reporter for CBS This Morning, CBS Late News and substitute host for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
.
Anastos has become well known for a pair of gaffes on live television. In 2007, he once accidentally directed viewers to visit "myfoxny dot cock" instead of "myfoxny dot com", which is the website for WNYW. More famously, in September 2009, Anastos gained some notoriety through a video of him saying "keep fuckin' that chicken" live on-air while engaging in playful banter with weatherman Nick Gregory. The blooper became popular on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, was featured on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, and spawned the acronym KFTC. Anastos apologized the next night, saying he "misspoke".
Anastos appeared in season eight, episode 10 of the popular television show 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
. He has been on air since the mid 70s.
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
Family Circle
Family Circle is an American women's magazine published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation. It began publication in 1932 as a magazine distributed at supermarkets such as Piggly Wiggly and Safeway. Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting bought the magazine in 1962. The New York Times Company bought...
.
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. A Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
honoree, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern University in Boston, where he is a member of the university board. He has additional graduate studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and holds an honorary doctorate degree. In May 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...
.
Radio ownership
A Saratoga Springs, New YorkSaratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
-based radio station WJKE (now WQAR
WQAR
WQAR is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to Stillwater, New York and serving Saratoga County, New York and vicinity. The station is the flagship station of the Anastos Media Group and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower in Stillwater...
). The partnership, known as the Anastos Media Group, soon bought several other stations in the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
of New York State and later entered the eastern New England media market. The daily operations of the group are handled in part by Anastos' daughter Nina.