Big Celebrity Tribute for 25 years on New York Television
America’s “First” TV Anchor of Greek Heritage
FOX-TV Signs Anastos to a Mega-Million Dollar Contract
By: Nick Katsoris
TV news legend, Walter Cronkite, calls him, “A great anchorman with high standards and style.” Talk show host, Regis Philbin, says, “He’s a classy guy who wears the best ties on television.” And, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani declares, “In New York City, he’s considered a Greek-American idol.” These top personalities are all singing the praises of Ernie Anastos, an Emmy award winning TV anchor, who is celebrating 25 years on New York television and has earned the distinction as America’s first Greek-American anchor. Ernie also recently signed a huge multi-million dollar contract to move from CBS to FOX 5 starting July 1st, where he will anchor New York’s number one-rated evening news. To honor Anastos, more than 1500 invited guests and celebrities will gather on May 21st at a spectacular gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York, hosted by FOX-TV “American Idol” star, Paula Abdul. Also part of the evening will be former ABC “Good Morning America” host Joan Lunden and “CSI Miami” star Sofia Milos.
------------- The evening’s entertainment spotlights Greece’s pop music superstar, Anna Vissi, who will sing her #1 Billboard dance hit “Call Me,” along with legendary hit recording artist, Jay Black of Jay and the Americans, who will honor Ernie with many of his hit songs including, “Only in America.” --------------- The charity affair is sponsored by the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to students across the country including the annual Ernie Anastos Scholarship for Broadcast Journalism. This year the HTSF will be awarding 34 scholarships to students from 19 states. Throughout the evening, the gala celebration will also be accented with personal tributes to Ernie from a who’s who of celebrity friends including; The View’s Meredith Viera, Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart, NBC’s Brian Williams, TV host Regis Philbin, CBS’s Walter Cronkite, NBC Today Show’s Matt Lauer, Actress Mary Tyler Moore, Actor Kevin Kline, NBC Sportscaster Bob Costas, CBS Late Night’s Paul Shaffer, Entertainer Kathie Lee Gifford, CBS Sportscaster Greg Gumbel, Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, CBS Sportscaster Jim Nance, CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo and many others. Ernie Anastos’ career is highlighted by 28 Emmy awards and nominations, including the prestigious Edward R. Morrow award for excellence. “He is an outstanding journalist who is the epitome of good style and professional standards,” says famed CBS news anchor, Walter Cronkite. “Ernie is a great anchorman and a good friend. I am proud of his many contributions to broadcast journalism.” Throughout the years, Ernie has gained wide popularity within the city’s uniquely diversified community. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani says, “Ernie’s stature in the community speaks for itself and he’s in people’s living rooms every night on TV. So, New Yorkers feel he’s part of their extended family.” Indeed, New Yorkers can relate to Ernie and so can his friends. Perhaps that’s what 25 years on New York television will earn you, but it’s more than longevity. In this great melting pot, Ernie’s ethnicity blends well with his professional style and personality. Longtime friend, Regis Philbin says, “Even through all the difficult news he manages to make us feel secure. He has a warm smile and makes you feel comfortable.” As a seasoned TV anchor, he has covered the gamut of major news stories from live coverage of breaking news to political conventions. On September 11th, Anastos anchored CBS 2’s award winning coverage of the World Trade Center attacks. He has also traveled inside Cuba and met with Fidel Castro with exclusive reports on the 45th anniversary of the Cuban revolution. Other assignments have taken him to the Vatican in Rome, and to the war-torn countries of El Salvador and Nicaragua. Ernie has also reported live from London on the tragic death of Princess Diana and won an Emmy nomination for his reporting on the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr. In addition, he is a notable author of a book covering the history of teen life in America, and currently, Ernie is writing a series of children’s books with a news theme, scheduled to be released next year. Selected by the International Who’s Who of Intellectuals, he is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Northeastern University with graduate studies at Columbia University and holds an honorary doctorate degree in humanities. Born in a small town in New Hampshire, but with dozens of relatives and family in the New York area, Anastos considers himself a true New Yorker. It’s truly a success story that starts with a big dream and a loving family brimming with Greek pride. Over 80 years ago his grandfather came to America from Greece to become an early pioneer priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. A generation later, his father became a successful travel executive associated with Aristotle Onassis and Olympic Airways. Following in those inspirational footsteps, Ernie Anastos also fulfilled his dream of becoming a distinguished television news legend in New York City, the media capital of the world. A pioneer himself, Ernie has achieved the distinction as the first Greek-American TV anchor in the country. His early love of broadcasting further inspired him to independently acquire and operate his own group of radio stations in upstate New York and New England. “It all started when I was just a kid with my family and dreaming about being a broadcaster,” recalls Anastos. “It was a very Greek home. I could smell my mother’s cooking and see my grandfather’s face with his priestly white beard. There was the fragrance of incense… and the sound of church bells next door. I also remember our home filled with friends and relatives celebrating holidays, all the time,” says Anastos. “What’s really interesting,” says Ernie, “is that everybody around me was a storyteller…sharing family yarns and Greek mythology. It was like watching a stage performance with plenty of drama in their voices, along with gestures and facial expressions. I loved it! So, I guess these wonderful early experiences became a part of my personality… and that’s how I became a TV anchor, a storyteller.” Ernie’s passion for broadcasting carried over into grade school where, at age 13, he started a current events club and even built a little radio station in the basement of his home. “I grabbed some wood and other materials and put together my own broadcast studio,” Ernie fondly remembers. “I found some turntables and microphones and wired it all up so that my family would listen to me upstairs in the house.” By the age of 15, Ernie’s determination got him a job as an announcer at a local station. “I knocked on the door and asked, ‘Would you hire me?’” He quickly ended up hosting a talk show interviewing teenagers about social issues and current events. That was his very first introduction to on-air broadcasting, setting the groundwork for great things to come. Interestingly, many years after his success in New York, he went back and bought the same radio station that gave him his first break. “What a full circle for me,” says Anastos. “It’s a love story.” TV’s Joan Lunden, who worked with Ernie at ABC says, “He has a wonderful gift to connect with people, it’s a sincere and natural style, everybody loves Ernie.” In the late 1970’s, millions of radio listeners indeed loved Ernie as he advanced to WRKO-AM, the number one radio station in Boston, followed by a top position in Chicago at WFYR-FM under the guidance of radio programming giant, Bill Drake. Although Anastos was a success in radio, he wanted to make the transition to television, and so he made what was probably the most daring move of his career. Ernie gave up his very comfortable radio job and temporarily set up quarters at his parent’s home in Nashua, New Hampshire looking for his break into TV news. “I visited every television station in New England, knocking on doors and hoping that someone would take a chance and hire me,” says Ernie. “It was the only way I knew how to get things done; hard work, enthusiasm and believing it’ll happen.” Well, it turned out to be a dream come true and history in the making when he landed his first TV anchor position in 1976 at WPRI-TV in Providence, Rhode Island. Today, in celebrating 25 years on New York television, Anastos is credited with leading the way for other broadcast journalists of Greek heritage. His initial success in Providence, catapulted him to the top position in the nation’s largest TV market, New York City. In 1978, he was named anchor at WABC-TV solidifying his mark in broadcast history as the country’s first Greek-American anchor. “He was the first anchor on the air carrying a Greek name and part of that early wave of ethnic change in the media. says Alexis Christoforous, host of CBS MarketWatch. “He gave us inspiration. I admired him and he became my role model.” Throughout his life, Ernie has also been greatly influenced by the role models in his family, his parents and especially his grandfather’s legacy. In 1923 at Holy Trinity Church in Lowell Massachusetts, Reverend Anastasios made history when he was ordained among the first 100 Greek Orthodox priests in the U.S. He became a pioneer of the Orthodox faith in America. “My strong and lasting impressions came from my Greek family, the impact of church and a sense of purpose in life,” says Anastos. “I was taught that the most important things in life were faith, family, friends, integrity and reputation.” Today, he happily shares these feelings and personal values with his wife of many years, Kelly, and their two children Nina and Phillip. Respectful of all races and nationalities, Ernie points out how he upholds many traditions that are part of his own Greek culture in America. “I can speak, read and write Greek, thanks to my family. I especially like to follow my grandfather’s customs at home with prayer and the sweet scent of incense on holidays to remind me of my faith and family,” says Ernie. His spirituality is underscored through his active presence within the Greek Orthodox Church. He holds the title of Archon, the highest honor bestowed on a lay person and is also a member of Leadership 100, supporting various church programs around the world. Perhaps, one of his most personal gifts to the church is a beautiful Byzantine white chapel that overlooks the Aegean Sea on the Greek island of Samos. Built for the local residents and named after St. Fanourios, the chapel has also become a favorite tourist attraction where people of all ethnic backgrounds offer their prayers. So now, Ernie Anastos heads into the next stretch of his marathon career as the lead anchor for FOX-TV 5 News in New York. He brings with him, not only a sterling reputation as an Emmy award winning anchor, but vivid and personal memories of growing up in a Greek-American home. “When I’m on television reporting the news,” says Anastos, “I still warmly remember those early years in the basement of our family home, practicing and dreaming of becoming a broadcaster. In a way, it’s my comfort and happiness… it keeps me forever young.”
