NYS Broadcasters Association to Welcome Walters, Anastos into 2007 Hall of Fame

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Ernie Anastos

• Barbara Walters

ALBANY, NY (05/30/2007)(readMedia)-- The New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) today announced that iconic journalist, reporter and interviewer Barbara Walters, along with veteran FOX 5 News television news anchor Ernie Anastos, have been named to NYSBA’s 2007 Hall of Fame.

The New York City-based pair join four additional Hall of Fame-bound nominees from the Albany, Buffalo, Rochester/Syracuse and Long Island markets, as well as previous downstate inductees, including Bill Paley (the "father" of CBS), Gabe Pressman (NewsChannel 4 anchor), Lev Pope (president and CEO of WPIX) and William O'Shaughnessy (president & CEO of Whitney Radio). They will be inducted during gala banquet ceremonies at NYSBA’s 46th Executive Conference slated for June 25-26 at the picturesque Sagamore Resort Hotel in Bolton Landing.

“It’s a great honor to welcome these two outstanding broadcast journalists to the Hall of Fame,” said NYSBA President Joseph A. Reilly. “Barbara Walters is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary newsmakers of our time. Her enterprising reporting and groundbreaking exclusive interviews with world figures have made her one of the most highly acclaimed journalists on television over the past 30 years.

“Since going into television more than two decades ago, Ernie’s dynamic TV news personality has helped him become one of New York City’s most respected anchors and reporters,” added Reilly. “His unique style, which conveys credibility, warmth and sincerity, has earned him countless admirers and numerous awards.”

A native of Boston, Walters appeared destined for success at an early age when she became the youngest producer with NBC-TV's New York station, WNBC-TV, in 1961. Over the next four decades, the Sarah Lawrence College graduate’s casual, yet probing interview style has offered audiences insight into what makes some of the world’s newsmakers tick, their humanity and vulnerability.

Walters’ numerous and timely interviews, which appear regularly on the weekly news magazine 20/20, The Barbara Walters Specials and, most recently, her Emmy award-winning ABC Daytime program, The View, read like a Who's Who of newsmakers.

She has interviewed every American president and first lady since Richard Nixon. Walters made journalism history by arranging the first joint interview with Egypt's President Anwar Sadat and Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin in November 1977. Another of her "firsts" was an hour-long primetime conversation with Cuban President Fidel Castro — an interview printed in half a dozen languages and shown all over the world.

The daughter of famed entertainment impresario Lou Walters, Walters has received national accolades for her work and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards during her storied career. This includes the Lifetime Achievement Award and Hall of Fame induction from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the President’s Award from the Overseas Press Club.

Like Walters, Anastos is also a highly respected member of New York City’s press corps. During his 25-year career, the seasoned anchor has worked at several television stations in the Big Apple, including WABC-TV, where he served as an anchor from 1978-1989 and WCBS-TV, at which he served two stints from 1989-1994 and from 2001-2005.

In his current position with WNYW FOX 5 News, a station for which he also worked behind the news desk from 1997-2000, Anastos anchors the 5 p.m. and top-rated 10 p.m. broadcasts with Rosanna Scotto. He has gained wide popularity within New York City's uniquely diversified community, nurturing a sense of trust and confidence among viewers.

Anastos, who owns radio stations in Saratoga Springs and eastern New York, has covered many major stories in the metropolitan area comprised of live coverage of breaking news, political conventions and special events. On September 11th he anchored award-winning news coverage of the World Trade Center attacks. The Northeastern University graduate has also traveled inside Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro as part of a series of special reports on the 45th anniversary of the revolution. Other assignments have taken him to the Vatican, El Salvador, Nicaragua and London, where he reported on the tragic death and funeral of Princess Diana.

Through the years, the Nashua, NH native’s outstanding writing skills have helped him win 28 Emmy Awards and nominations, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. His love of the written word also led him to publish a historical book on the lifestyles of youth in America (“Twixt: Teens Yesterday and Today”). He remains a regular columnist for Family Circle, the world's largest selling women's magazine.

For more information on NYSBA’s 46th Annual Executive Conference, call (518) 456-8888, or go to www.nysbroadcasters.org.

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Founded in 1955, the NYS Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) represents the interests of more than 600 television and radio stations in the NYS Senate and Assembly, the US Congress, and various other legislative bodies. NYSBA also offers a variety of services to help the broadcasters of New York State better serve their communities. For more information, call (518) 456-8888 or go to www.nysbroadcasters.org.

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