Ernie Anastos Biography | The Legendary Voice of New York Television News

1. Early Life and Family Background

Ernest Anastos was born on July 12, 1943, in Nashua, New Hampshire. He grew up in a Greek-American household and carried the values of his heritage — hard work, warmth, and community — throughout his entire personal and professional life. His upbringing in New England was modest and grounded, and it gave him a humility and a genuine connection to ordinary people that would later define his on-air style and set him apart from many of his contemporaries in the competitive world of New York television.

From an early age, Ernie was drawn to storytelling, communication, and public life. He was a naturally sociable and curious person, the kind of young man who wanted to understand the world around him and share what he found with others. Those instincts drew him toward journalism, and he pursued that calling with the same consistency and dedication that would later characterize his broadcasting career.

2. Education

Ernie Anastos graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology — an academic background that proved enormously useful to a journalist whose career was built on understanding people, communities, and the social forces shaping American life. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society and later served on the university’s board, maintaining a lifelong connection to the institution that gave him his academic foundation.

Later in his career, he pursued additional studies at Harvard Business School, completing a curriculum focused on leadership and management. He also held honorary doctorate degrees from Marist College, Sacred Heart University, New York Institute of Technology, Manhattanville College, and Curry College — recognitions that reflected the esteem in which the academic community held his contributions to journalism and public life.

3. Early Career in Radio and Regional Television

Ernie Anastos began his broadcasting career not on television but in radio, working as a news reporter at Boston radio stations WRKO and WROR. Those early years in radio taught him the fundamentals of clear, precise communication and gave him the storytelling discipline that would later make him one of the most polished anchors on New York television. In 1976, he made the transition to television, becoming an anchor at WPRI-TV in Providence, Rhode Island. His work in Providence was strong enough to attract attention from much larger markets, and in June 1978, one of the most important calls of his career came — WABC-TV in New York hired him as a reporter. By November of that year, he had become the anchor of the prestigious 11:00 pm Eyewitness News broadcast. New York had a new face, and it would prove to be one of the most enduring in the city’s broadcasting history.

4. The WABC Years and Rise to Prominence

Ernie Anastos spent eleven years at WABC-TV anchoring the Eyewitness News broadcasts, and it was during this period that he became a genuine institution in New York television. He was a calm, authoritative, and deeply human presence during some of the most significant news events of the era. Among the most memorable moments of his WABC tenure came on December 8, 1980, when he was anchoring the evening broadcast as the station confirmed the news that John Lennon had been shot and killed outside his Manhattan apartment. Anastos delivered that devastating news to millions of New Yorkers with the composure and sensitivity that defined his entire approach to the anchor desk.

He remained at WABC through May 1989, building an audience of devoted viewers who trusted his judgment and valued his presence. Colleagues from that era have described him as a generous mentor and a warm presence in the newsroom who went out of his way to support younger journalists finding their footing in the industry.

5. WCBS, WWOR, and a Celebrated Return

After leaving WABC in 1989, Anastos joined WCBS-TV — Channel 2 — where he anchored through the mid-1990s, adding another major New York flagship to his impressive resume. He then stepped away from full-time anchoring to focus on his Anastos Media Group, a company he had established that owned and operated radio and television stations across upstate New York and eastern New England. He also hosted the Lifetime network program Our Home during this period, demonstrating his versatility as a broadcaster beyond the hard news format.

From 1997 to 2001, he anchored at WWOR before making a celebrated return to WCBS as the lead anchor of the 5 pm, 6 pm, and 11 pm newscasts. His return coincided with one of the most devastating moments in American history. On September 11, 2001, Ernie Anastos was at the WCBS anchor desk as the terrorist attacks unfolded, guiding millions of stunned and frightened New Yorkers through one of the darkest days the city had ever endured.

6. Fox 5 and the Final Chapter of His Anchoring Career

In 2005, Ernie Anastos made his final major move, joining WNYW Fox 5 on a five-year, $10 million contract — a deal that reflected the enormous value the industry still placed on his name, his experience, and his connection to New York audiences. He anchored at Fox 5 for fourteen years, making it the longest single stint of his career, and continued to deliver the kind of trustworthy, warm, and professionally excellent broadcast journalism that had made him a household name across four decades.

It was during his Fox 5 tenure, in September 2009, that the most notorious moment of his career occurred. During a lighthearted on-air exchange with the weatherperson, Anastos appeared to inadvertently use a crude phrase that shocked viewers and went viral almost immediately. He apologized the following day, the station neither fired nor fined him, and he later addressed it with characteristic grace and good humor, acknowledging it as an unusual chapter in an otherwise distinguished career.

In June 2019, Anastos made the decision to step away from anchoring duties at Fox 5 to enroll at Harvard Business School to study leadership and management. He remained active in broadcasting after his departure, launching the nationally syndicated radio and television program Positively America on WABC-AM radio and WPIX-TV, a show designed to share uplifting stories and inspire audiences. His final public broadcast appearance was on March 3, 2026, when he posted a video of himself outside the Daily News Building in Manhattan, speaking passionately about the importance of truth in journalism and the need to protect it.

7. Books, Awards, and Recognition

Beyond his broadcasting career, Ernie Anastos was a published author who wrote books for young readers, including Twixt: Teens Yesterday and Today and Ernie and the Big Newz, works designed to inform, educate, and inspire children and teenagers about journalism, current events, and the world around them. He was deeply committed to youth education and saw his books as an extension of his broader mission to communicate positively and purposefully with his audience.

His awards and recognitions were extensive. He received over thirty Emmy Awards and nominations, including the Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in broadcast writing. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, was named New Yorker of the Year by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and received a National Father of the Year Award. He was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame. On March 21, 2017, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio honored him by officially designating March 21 as Ernie Anastos Day in New York City — a tribute that said everything about the place this remarkable man had earned in the life and culture of the city he loved and served for so many years.

8. Personal Life and Legacy

Ernie Anastos was married to his wife Kelly, with whom he shared a family that included a daughter named Nina, who was actively involved in managing his Anastos Media Group radio stations. He was known by all who worked with him as a genuinely warm and generous person who made everyone around him feel valued and encouraged. CBS News New York journalist Marcia Kramer recalled how he would slip her a rose or throw a pencil at her before a broadcast to ease her nerves when she was transitioning from print to television. Colleagues described a man who was always elegantly dressed, always ready with a smile, and who treated every colleague and every viewer with the same genuine care and respect.

Ernie Anastos died of pneumonia at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, on March 11, 2026, at the age of 82. Tributes from across the journalism world, the political community, and the general public flooded in immediately. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called him a trusted voice, a role model in the craft of journalism, and a man who deeply earned the respect and admiration of an entire city. He was, in the words of The New York Times, the ubiquitous anchorman — a man whose presence in New York living rooms across more than four decades made him not just a journalist, but a friend.

Conclusion on Ernie Anastos Biography

Ernie Anastos lived a broadcasting life of extraordinary length, quality, and impact. From the radio studios of Boston to the anchor desks of WABC, WCBS, WWOR, and Fox 5, he never once lost the warmth, the integrity, or the love of storytelling that drew him to journalism in the first place. He was the first Greek-American national news anchorman, a Hall of Fame broadcaster, a children’s author, a businessman, and above all, a genuinely good man who believed in the power of truth, positivity, and human connection. New York television will not see his like again.

FAQs About Ernie Anastos Biography

1. Who was Ernie Anastos? Ernie Anastos was an American Emmy Award-winning television news anchor and journalist born on July 12, 1943, in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was best known for anchoring the evening news at four of New York’s biggest flagship television stations — WABC, WCBS, WWOR, and Fox 5 WNYW — over a career spanning more than four decades. He was the United States’ first Greek-American news anchorman and received over thirty Emmy Awards and nominations throughout his career.
2. When did Ernie Anastos die? Ernie Anastos died on March 11, 2026, at the age of 82. His wife Kelly confirmed that he passed away from pneumonia at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. His death was first reported by WABC, the station where he had begun his New York broadcasting career back in 1978.
3. What stations did Ernie Anastos work for? Over his long career, Ernie Anastos worked at radio stations WRKO and WROR in Boston, WPRI-TV in Providence, Rhode Island, and then four major New York television stations: WABC-TV where he spent eleven years, WCBS-TV where he anchored twice, WWOR from 1997 to 2001, and WNYW Fox 5 where he worked from 2005 to 2019. He also launched his own nationally syndicated program Positively America on WABC-AM radio and WPIX-TV.
4. What awards did Ernie Anastos win? Ernie Anastos received over thirty Emmy Awards and nominations, including the Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in broadcast writing. He also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, was named New Yorker of the Year by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, received a National Father of the Year Award, and was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame. On March 21, 2017, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio named March 21 Ernie Anastos Day in New York City.
5. Was Ernie Anastos married? Yes, Ernie Anastos was married to his wife Kelly. The couple had a daughter named Nina, who helped manage his Anastos Media Group, which owned radio and television stations across upstate New York and eastern New England. Anastos was widely known as a devoted family man and his wife Kelly confirmed the news of his passing to The New York Times.