Rosanna Scotto honored her former Fox 5 New York co-anchor, Ernie Anastos, after his death. Anastos worked in New York television stations for many years. Scotto told Page Six in a statement about her connection to Anastos when she was starting out.
“When I was in college, I had the opportunity to be introduced to Ernie and ask him what it would take to get into the TV business,” said Scotto.
Rosanna Scotto, who is 67 years old, as per Famous Birthdays, recalled that Anastos was kind and gave her good advice about getting into the industry.
Ernie Anastos was a prominent New York news anchor who spent decades working in the Tri-State area. He died at 82 years old. Fox 5 shared a statement about his passing on Thursday afternoon.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Ernie Anastos, who died at the age of 82. An Emmy Award-winning journalist and beloved former Fox 5 news anchor, his voice, integrity, and lasting impact on New York journalism will never be forgotten,” Fox 5 said.
Ernie Anastos died early Thursday from pneumonia at Northern Westchester Hospital, as per CBS 2. His wife confirmed the news. Anastos had an illustrious television career and received 30 Emmy Awards and nominations. He covered big stories like the 9/11 terror attack and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rosanna Scotto posted a touching Instagram tribute for Ernie Anastos:
Rosanna Scotto later worked with Ernie Anastos at WNYW. As per the report shared by Page Six, she talked about anchoring the news with him.
“Lo and behold, a number of years later, I had the honor of anchoring with Ernie on the 10 o’clock news. He was a terrific newsman—compassionate and fair,” said Scotto.
Rosanna Scotto said she picked up a lot from Anastos during their years together.
“I loved working with him. We are all heartbroken to hear that he’s passed,” Scotto said.
Rosanna Scotto shared a tribute on Instagram, where she posted about her experience anchoring with Anastos.
“I enjoyed working with him, anchoring alongside of him on the 10 o’clock news. He was a good man and someone we really looked up to. We are all heartbroken,”
She included a video with her post showing their friendship over the years, from working on set to spending time together in New York City.
Rosanna Scotto described Fox 5 News transformation from “scrappy news team” to a competitive network:
Rosanna Scotto opened up to Gothamist back in 2007 about working at Fox 5. She said:
“It changed dramatically over the years. The Fox 5 News was a real gritty newscast. All they really cared about were the facts. That was it,”
Scotto described the early days at the station.
“We didn’t have to walk. We didn’t have to talk. We didn’t have to worry about how our hair was. There were nights I went on with out make up. Now that would be like a mortal sin,”
She said the newscast still prioritized accurate journalism but had become more polished over time.
“Now, we are still concerned about the facts, getting it right, breaking news, but there is also a little bit of glitz and glamour to our newscast and we are very competitive with the networks.”
“When I started here it was more like this scrappy news team that got major stories on every night, but it wasn’t like we really had any competition at ten o’clock. We were up against programming, but there was no other competition besides that,” added Rosanna Scotto.
Rosanna Scotto discussed balancing a news career with a family restaurant business:
Rosanna Scotto also shared details about her family’s restaurant, Fresco by Scotto, during the Gothamist interview. She was asked if she worked at the business and whether her Fox 5 coworkers teased her for going on the Today Show.
“Lots of teasing here. It is definitely two different hats and what is great about it is that I get to play with my family and do something totally fun,” shared Scotto.
Scotto said the restaurant showed people a different part of her life.
“It is great that people can see me in more than just one light, which is sitting behind a desk and reading some pretty heavy stories every night. They know that I have a family and that I like to have fun and I really like to cook,” added Scotto.
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Edited by Priscillah Mueni