Lori Stokes
Encyclopedia
Lori Stokes is co-anchor of Eyewitness News
This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon alongside Ken Rosato
on WABC-TV
in New York City
. She joined the station on April 17, 2000 as part of an effort to increase ratings on WABC
's morning newscast.
in 1986. Then, in 1988, Lori worked as a reporter and substitute anchor for WBTV
in Charlotte
, North Carolina
. There for two years, she became popular with the viewers in that state.
Next, Ms. Stokes worked as a crime and street reporter for WBFF-TV, the Fox
Station in Baltimore
, Maryland
. Finally, Lori Stokes got hands on experience for full-time anchor as WJLA-TV
's lead female anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. She was there from 1992 through 1996.
Then Stokes went to MSNBC
at the time of its inception. She was one of the original anchors on the 24-hour cable news
television channel when they hired newcomer "girl in glasses" Ashleigh Banfield
to MSNBC
in 2000 and replaced Stokes on MSNBC'S Today in America also in 2000. During her tenure at NBC News
Stokes was a rotating newsreader for Weekend Today
.
During her tenure at the cable TV station, Stokes covered the Columbine High School Massacre
and the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
in 1999.
who, at the time, also co-anchored the station's 5 p.m. news with Roz Abrams and had previously co-anchored the morning news. The new pair, who replaced anchors Nancy Loo
and David Ushery
, did not work as well as WABC had hoped they would. Hanrahan was taken off the morning news in December 2000 and replaced with WABC-TV
's weekend sports anchor Steve Bartelstein
.
Stokes and Bartelstein proved to work well and eventually helped bring Eyewitness News This Morning back to the number one position it had enjoyed in previous years. The pair eventually took over anchoring duties for Eyewitness News at Noon, replacing Nancy Loo
and David Ushery
once again.
For a brief time in 2003, Stokes was removed from the noon newscast and replaced with Sade Baderinwa
. Stokes resumed anchoring the noon newscast when Roz Abrams left the station and was replaced by Sade Baderinwa
.
From Tuesday, March 13, 2007 to Wednesday, July 4, 2007 (Independence Day
), Stokes was the sole anchor of Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon. She was joined by a rotating roster of reporters from March until July when reporter Ken Rosato
was chosen to permanently replace Steve Bartelstein
. Rosato officially took over on July 9, 2007 as her morning and noon co-anchor. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5455168
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon alongside Ken Rosato
Ken Rosato
Ken Rosato is an American journalist. He attended Regis High School in New York City and then went on to get a bachelor's degree of TV and communication at New York University. Following his undergraduate studies, he received a master's degree in the foreign languages of Spanish and Italian...
on WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She joined the station on April 17, 2000 as part of an effort to increase ratings on WABC
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
's morning newscast.
Career
Lori Stokes began her journalistic career as the medical reporter and then weekend co-anchor at WCIA in Champaign-Urbana, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1986. Then, in 1988, Lori worked as a reporter and substitute anchor for WBTV
WBTV
WBTV, channel 3 , is the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is one of two flagship stations of Raycom Media. WBTV's studios are located off Morehead Street just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in north-central Gaston County, North Carolina...
in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. There for two years, she became popular with the viewers in that state.
Next, Ms. Stokes worked as a crime and street reporter for WBFF-TV, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
Station in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Finally, Lori Stokes got hands on experience for full-time anchor as WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
's lead female anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. She was there from 1992 through 1996.
Then Stokes went to MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
at the time of its inception. She was one of the original anchors on the 24-hour cable news
United States cable news
Cable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
television channel when they hired newcomer "girl in glasses" Ashleigh Banfield
Ashleigh Banfield
Ashleigh Banfield is a Canadian-American journalist who as of 2010 hosts Disorder in the Court, Open Court and Hollywood Heat on Tru TV , where she reports on domestic and pop culture issues...
to MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
in 2000 and replaced Stokes on MSNBC'S Today in America also in 2000. During her tenure at NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
Stokes was a rotating newsreader for Weekend Today
Weekend Today
Weekend Today is the unofficial title of the weekend editions of Today, an American morning news and talk show which airs daily on NBC.-History:...
.
During her tenure at the cable TV station, Stokes covered the Columbine High School Massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
and the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
in 1999.
Career in New York City
Stokes was paired with Robb HanrahanRobb Hanrahan
Robb Hanrahan is a television newscaster currently employed by CBS affiliate WHP-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining WHP he had spent time at WFOR-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida, where he co-anchored newscasts alongside Maggie Rodriguez for four years.He is...
who, at the time, also co-anchored the station's 5 p.m. news with Roz Abrams and had previously co-anchored the morning news. The new pair, who replaced anchors Nancy Loo
Nancy Loo
Nancy Loo is an American television newscaster who is currently a reporter/fill-in anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago. The news anchor was born in Hong Kong. Loo worked for WABC-TV in 1994 as a health reporter. She was promoted to Eyewitness News morning and noon co-anchor in 1996 and anchored first with...
and David Ushery
David Ushery
David Ushery is a veteran American television news anchor at WNBC News 4 New York, NBC’s flagship owned and operated station...
, did not work as well as WABC had hoped they would. Hanrahan was taken off the morning news in December 2000 and replaced with WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
's weekend sports anchor Steve Bartelstein
Steve Bartelstein
Steve Bartelstein is a former American television journalist.He was previously a news anchor in New York City, first at WABC-TV , a flagship station of the ABC television network, WCBS-TV , a flagship station of CBS and later in Chicago, Illinois at WBBM-TV , a television station owned and operated...
.
Stokes and Bartelstein proved to work well and eventually helped bring Eyewitness News This Morning back to the number one position it had enjoyed in previous years. The pair eventually took over anchoring duties for Eyewitness News at Noon, replacing Nancy Loo
Nancy Loo
Nancy Loo is an American television newscaster who is currently a reporter/fill-in anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago. The news anchor was born in Hong Kong. Loo worked for WABC-TV in 1994 as a health reporter. She was promoted to Eyewitness News morning and noon co-anchor in 1996 and anchored first with...
and David Ushery
David Ushery
David Ushery is a veteran American television news anchor at WNBC News 4 New York, NBC’s flagship owned and operated station...
once again.
For a brief time in 2003, Stokes was removed from the noon newscast and replaced with Sade Baderinwa
Sade Baderinwa
Folasade Olayinka Baderinwa, known professionally as Sade Baderinwa , is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor at New York's WABC Channel 7. She co-anchors the weekday 5 p.m...
. Stokes resumed anchoring the noon newscast when Roz Abrams left the station and was replaced by Sade Baderinwa
Sade Baderinwa
Folasade Olayinka Baderinwa, known professionally as Sade Baderinwa , is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor at New York's WABC Channel 7. She co-anchors the weekday 5 p.m...
.
From Tuesday, March 13, 2007 to Wednesday, July 4, 2007 (Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
), Stokes was the sole anchor of Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon. She was joined by a rotating roster of reporters from March until July when reporter Ken Rosato
Ken Rosato
Ken Rosato is an American journalist. He attended Regis High School in New York City and then went on to get a bachelor's degree of TV and communication at New York University. Following his undergraduate studies, he received a master's degree in the foreign languages of Spanish and Italian...
was chosen to permanently replace Steve Bartelstein
Steve Bartelstein
Steve Bartelstein is a former American television journalist.He was previously a news anchor in New York City, first at WABC-TV , a flagship station of the ABC television network, WCBS-TV , a flagship station of CBS and later in Chicago, Illinois at WBBM-TV , a television station owned and operated...
. Rosato officially took over on July 9, 2007 as her morning and noon co-anchor. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5455168
Trivia
- Lori Stokes is credited with being the first journalist to report the homicideHomicideHomicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
of fashion mogul Gianni VersaceGianni VersaceGianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Madonna, Elton John,...
. http://www.americandreamshow.com/Guests/LoriStokes/LoriStokes-02.htm Lori Stokes is also credited with being the first journalist to report the death of legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor. - Stokes has filled in for Robin RobertsRobin Roberts (newscaster)Robin René Roberts is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the co-anchor of ABC's morning show Good Morning America-Early life:...
as the newsreader on Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. - On October 19, 2006, June 1, 2007, and June 27, 2007 Stokes appeared on The View as a guest co-host.
- She has two children with her former husband, WNBCWNBCWNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
reporter Brian ThompsonBrian Thompson (reporter)Brian Thompson has been New Jersey Bureau Reporter for WNBC since 1998. Thompson, who has done extensive political reporting for several television stations throughout the United States, joined WNBC in 1996. He is the winner of one Emmy Award and many journalism awards.- Substitute...
. - Stokes typically fills in for Sade BaderinwaSade BaderinwaFolasade Olayinka Baderinwa, known professionally as Sade Baderinwa , is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor at New York's WABC Channel 7. She co-anchors the weekday 5 p.m...
on the 5 p.m. editions of Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
alongside fellow anchor Diana WilliamsDiana WilliamsDiana Williams is a news anchor at WABC-TV in New York City, where she currently co-anchors the 5 p.m. Eyewitness News broadcast with Sade Baderinwa and hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program Eyewitness News Up Close with Diana Williams, which airs on Sunday mornings at 11am...
when Sade is off. Lori has also covered for Liz Cho on various occasions alongside Bill Ritter. - Lori Stokes and Diana WilliamsDiana WilliamsDiana Williams is a news anchor at WABC-TV in New York City, where she currently co-anchors the 5 p.m. Eyewitness News broadcast with Sade Baderinwa and hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program Eyewitness News Up Close with Diana Williams, which airs on Sunday mornings at 11am...
were the first two anchors to anchor the news on the revamped Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
main studio on June 20, 2007. Both worked at WBTVWBTVWBTV, channel 3 , is the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is one of two flagship stations of Raycom Media. WBTV's studios are located off Morehead Street just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in north-central Gaston County, North Carolina...
at different times in the 1980s. - Stokes is best friends outside of work with meteorologist Bill EvansBill Evans (meteorologist)Bill Evans is an American meteorologist for WABC-TV, the ABC affiliate in New York City.-Early career:Evans' broadcasting career began at the age of 13 in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi on WDAL Radio and WTOK-TV...
, former morning/noon co-anchor Steve BartelsteinSteve BartelsteinSteve Bartelstein is a former American television journalist.He was previously a news anchor in New York City, first at WABC-TV , a flagship station of the ABC television network, WCBS-TV , a flagship station of CBS and later in Chicago, Illinois at WBBM-TV , a television station owned and operated...
and Metro Traffic Agent Joe Nolan. - Lori Stokes is the daughter of former U.S. Congressman Louis StokesLouis StokesLouis Stokes is a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives....
, and the niece of former Cleveland mayor Carl Stokes (who was the first African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
mayor of a major U.S. city). - Stokes is a relative of the late R&B celebrity Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
.