Ernie Anastos, longtime New York TV news anchor, dies at 82

Ernie Anastos, the veteran anchor who made career stops at most of New York City's major TV stations — and became one of New York's most popular TV news figures in the process — has died.

WABC/7, where he worked form 1978 until 1989, has reported on its website that "news of his passing was confirmed to Eyewitness News by those close to his family." No cause of death was given. He was 82.

Per the Ch. 7 bulletin, "he has won more than 30 Emmy Awards and nominations and received the prestigious Lifetime Emmy Award."

Once among New York's best-known and popular anchors, Anastos joined WABC/7 in 1978 as a replacement for Larry Kane - himself a nationally known anchor in Philadelphia whose stint at Ch. 7 lasted but a year - and later co-anchored the 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts with Kaity Tong, now at WPIX/11. In 1989, he jumped to WCBS/2, then left there a few years later for an on-air role at the now-defunct "NewsTalk" cable network. Following a quick stop at WWOR/9, he returned briefly to Ch. 2. He joined Ch. 5 in 2005 as co-anchor of the 10 p.m. broadcast, leaving that channel in 2020.