Tom Ellis (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Tom Ellis is a Boston based journalist, he is well known throughout New England where he has served as anchor for three of Boston's network-affiliated stations. His career in television news spans more than 40 years.
Ellis was a correspondent for WNBC-TV
and an anchor for WABC-TV
– both in New York City, and for KONO-TV Channel 12 (now KSAT-TV
) in San Antonio
. Additionally, his broadcast career in radio included anchor/reporter duties for KVET-AM in Austin, Texas, KWED-AM in Sequin, TX, and KONO-AM/FM in San Antonio.
Ellis is the only individual in television history who anchored top-rated newscasts in 3 major markets: San Antonio, TX, Boston, MA, and New York -- and top-rated newscasts on all 3 network affiliates in Boston.
. Ellis hosted the Curtis Knot Hole Gang club, a thirty minute program before the Dallas Eagles and the Fort Worth Cats of the Texas league. During the program Ellis would interview local youth baseball players.
Ellis worked as a radio reporter at KWED a 1000 watt radio station in Seguin, Texas. In 1958, while he was working for KWED Ellis was heard by the owner of KONO radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station executive offered Ellis a news job in his San Antonio station for $100 per week. Ellis took the position after negotiating a salary of $105 a week.
Ellis was eventually made the permanent television anchor however he kept his radio job because the TV anchor job only paid $15 a night.
, a role he would hold alone, and during other periods alongside station veterans such as Jack Chase, through 1975. Ellis established himself as a dependable figure in regional journalism on WBZ and kept the (then) NBC
affiliate at top of the Boston news ratings throughout his tenure. His shining moments of glory in the eyes of viewers were his organization of team coverage during the 1972 presidential election and subsequent 1974 presidential replacement, when he won accolades for his performance. Ellis became so renowned that the station began issuing political campaign-style pins and bumper stickers featuring the faces of Ellis and then co-anchor Tony Pepper, encouraging viewership; the public stuck them all over the area.
Ellis originally left Boston in 1975 when he jumped at the offer to anchor for ABC's flagship affiliate WABC-TV in New York City. Tom added journalistic power to WABC's team and enjoyed three high-profile years in this stint. In the midst of his tenure at WABC, Ellis took on a role in the 1976 feature film Marathon Man
, which starred Dustin Hoffman
and Laurence Olivier
. Many of Tom's fans fondly regard his performance of a period TV announcer in the film.
Before Ellis could have possibly been considered for spots of ABC network news, he decided not to renew his contract with WABC in order to pursue other ventures before considering jobs on national television. Just as he was leaving in 1978, the country's #1 (ratings and acclaim-wise) ABC affiliate, Channel 5 WCVB-TV
in his old stomping ground of Boston, heard that the former heavyweight in Boston news was available.
Ellis' return to Boston with his addition at WCVB only meant better things for a station whose news department and commitment to local programming would soon garner it national attention. Although Curtis and Jacobson were initially responsible, it was Ellis' dominance and professionalism that shot WCVB up to a close second in the evening news ratings, right behind longtime principal leader WBZ. There was seemingly an eclectic repertoire between Tom and the rest of the staff, and even more so when Tom began frequently anchoring beside both Chet and Nat for a period beginning in 1980 - the catalyst for WCVB busting into the first place in 1981 (WBZ, for the record, hasn't been #1 ever since). This victory came on the heels of WCVB being voted by the New York Times as the "best TV station in the country." Ellis continued to attract attention and win awards for his interviews and work during key political campaigns as well.
Ellis had originally told management that he was renewing his contract with WCVB that year. At the last minute, however, he cut an under-the-table deal with Boston's re-launched Channel 7, WNEV-TV (now WHDH
), to become a lead-anchor boost for that station's re-organized news department. WCVB staff saw this as a slap in the face after the four excellent years he'd brought them, due to his shady actions. Channel 5 needn't have worried; Nat and Chet, sans Tom Ellis, kept WCVB at the top of the Boston news wars for well over a decade to come.
(formerly of WBZ-TV's Evening Magazine), hailed them as the "Dream Team" that would finally make Channel 7 the dead last of the Boston network stations no longer. Billboard, radio and TV advertisements over the summer of 1982 tugged at viewers by depicting Tom & Robin as saints, both professionally and with family & the community. The promotional effort was not that much different than political campaigns that Ellis had covered so often in his career. Initial viewer curiosity from the "official" NEWSE7EN launch night rose ratings temporarily, but unfortunately, victory was not in the cards for WNEV. While Ellis was still at the zenith of his game, professional and smooth as ever, co-anchor Young, who had no prior hard news experience, was seemingly out of her league and in sharp contrast with her seasoned co-anchor. Young remained as lead anchor through late 1983 while other "dream team" hires were discharged. WNEV, not willing to give up on its mission, kept Ellis, believing that weak ratings for NEWSE7EN were not due to his performance. Tom's new co-anchor became Diane Willis, a more adept and experienced anchor who put a more solid and balanced image to the station's lead team. Despite other changes, such as new marketing campaigns, additional turnover in certain positions, and a name change to "The New England News," it eventually became obvious that the "dream team" concept had officially backfired.
In 1986, Ellis and Willis were both let go by WNEV.
In the spring of 1989 Ellis took acting lessons at Brandeis University, and in New York where he studied voice, dialect, script analysis and advanced scene-study.
On August 11–12, 1989 after four months of lessons, Ellis made his acting debut at New York's Actors Institute "Home Brew,". Ellis would go on to play cameo roles in a number of different daytime soap operas and then break back into feature films. In 1991 alone, Ellis played an FBI Agent in the John Cusack
/James Spader
film True Colors
, and the natural role of a newscaster in 29th Street
, starring Danny Aiello
.
.
(NECN), which had only launched a few months earlier.
For nearly the next decade, Ellis was featured on weeknight newscasts, where he instantly regained a following and gave birth to new trademarks, including his common wearing of southwestern cowboy hats on the air, due to his longtime hobby of collecting them. Eventually, Tom would be cited for sparking a trend that would come to define the regional news channel, as it rose in dominance: it's employing of the elder statesmen of Boston TV news, who had since moved on from the network affiliated broadcast stations where they had made their names. Following Ellis to NECN were Margie Reedy (formerly of WXBY and WHDH), R.D. Sahl (who was Reedy's partner at WHDH, who co-anchored with her yet again on NECN and the channel's produced 10pm newscast for WSBK
), Maryanne Kane, and Chet Curtis, who joined in 2001 after a well-publicized divorce from Natalie Jacobson and departure from WCVB.
By 2000, Ellis had already repositioned himself to cover weekend evening news only.
In December 2008, Ellis left NECN.
Ellis has received numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Emmy and Peabody
awards. 1
Ellis was a correspondent for WNBC-TV
WNBC
WNBC, 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...
and an anchor for 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...
– both in New York City, and for KONO-TV Channel 12 (now KSAT-TV
KSAT-TV
KSAT-TV channel 12 is the local ABC affiliate television station in the greater San Antonio area. Its transmitter is located in Elmendorf, Texas. The station calls itself KSAT 12, pronounced as "K-Sat"....
) in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Additionally, his broadcast career in radio included anchor/reporter duties for KVET-AM in Austin, Texas, KWED-AM in Sequin, TX, and KONO-AM/FM in San Antonio.
Ellis is the only individual in television history who anchored top-rated newscasts in 3 major markets: San Antonio, TX, Boston, MA, and New York -- and top-rated newscasts on all 3 network affiliates in Boston.
Early life
Ellis grew up in the Big Thicket area of Texas. He is a 1958 graduate of the University of Texas.Early career
When he was 17 Ellis worked as a sideshow barker, earning $150.00 per week. Ellis first worked in television in 1951. Ellis was approached by a producer from New York to host a baseball pregame show for children sponsored by the Curtiss Candy CompanyCurtiss Candy Company
The Curtiss Candy Company was founded in 1916 by Otto Schnering near Chicago, Illinois. Wanting a more "American sounding" name , Schnering named his company using his mother's maiden name....
. Ellis hosted the Curtis Knot Hole Gang club, a thirty minute program before the Dallas Eagles and the Fort Worth Cats of the Texas league. During the program Ellis would interview local youth baseball players.
Ellis worked as a radio reporter at KWED a 1000 watt radio station in Seguin, Texas. In 1958, while he was working for KWED Ellis was heard by the owner of KONO radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station executive offered Ellis a news job in his San Antonio station for $100 per week. Ellis took the position after negotiating a salary of $105 a week.
Television News
In 1961 he was given the opportunity to go on television. The anchor at Ellis' station's affiliated TV station had abruptly quit. Ellis was asked by the news director to fill in as interim TV anchor until a replacement could be found.Ellis was eventually made the permanent television anchor however he kept his radio job because the TV anchor job only paid $15 a night.
WBZ Boston
His high-profile career in New England began in July 1968, when he became the new lead anchor at WBZ-TVWBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
, a role he would hold alone, and during other periods alongside station veterans such as Jack Chase, through 1975. Ellis established himself as a dependable figure in regional journalism on WBZ and kept the (then) NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate at top of the Boston news ratings throughout his tenure. His shining moments of glory in the eyes of viewers were his organization of team coverage during the 1972 presidential election and subsequent 1974 presidential replacement, when he won accolades for his performance. Ellis became so renowned that the station began issuing political campaign-style pins and bumper stickers featuring the faces of Ellis and then co-anchor Tony Pepper, encouraging viewership; the public stuck them all over the area.
Ellis originally left Boston in 1975 when he jumped at the offer to anchor for ABC's flagship affiliate WABC-TV in New York City. Tom added journalistic power to WABC's team and enjoyed three high-profile years in this stint. In the midst of his tenure at WABC, Ellis took on a role in the 1976 feature film Marathon Man
Marathon Man (film)
Marathon Man is a 1976 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by William Goldman. The film was directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, and Laurence Olivier. The original music score was composed by Michael Small....
, which starred Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
and Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
. Many of Tom's fans fondly regard his performance of a period TV announcer in the film.
Before Ellis could have possibly been considered for spots of ABC network news, he decided not to renew his contract with WABC in order to pursue other ventures before considering jobs on national television. Just as he was leaving in 1978, the country's #1 (ratings and acclaim-wise) ABC affiliate, Channel 5 WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by...
in his old stomping ground of Boston, heard that the former heavyweight in Boston news was available.
WCVB Boston
WCVB offered Ellis the chance to return to the market with not only a salary to rival WABC's, but to join the red-hot anchoring duo of Chet Curtis and Natalie Jacobson, which had been taking the market by storm in the late 1970s. Ellis, who had seen WCVB's husband-and-wife team rise to prominence, didn't think twice and signed-on with the station for an initial four-year contract. From 1978 to 1982, the three-person lead anchor team was set up so that Tom or Chet would alternate in the male anchor position (between the 6 and 11pm newscasts), with Natalie being the constant.Ellis' return to Boston with his addition at WCVB only meant better things for a station whose news department and commitment to local programming would soon garner it national attention. Although Curtis and Jacobson were initially responsible, it was Ellis' dominance and professionalism that shot WCVB up to a close second in the evening news ratings, right behind longtime principal leader WBZ. There was seemingly an eclectic repertoire between Tom and the rest of the staff, and even more so when Tom began frequently anchoring beside both Chet and Nat for a period beginning in 1980 - the catalyst for WCVB busting into the first place in 1981 (WBZ, for the record, hasn't been #1 ever since). This victory came on the heels of WCVB being voted by the New York Times as the "best TV station in the country." Ellis continued to attract attention and win awards for his interviews and work during key political campaigns as well.
Ellis had originally told management that he was renewing his contract with WCVB that year. At the last minute, however, he cut an under-the-table deal with Boston's re-launched Channel 7, WNEV-TV (now WHDH
WHDH
The call letters WHDH may represent:* WHDH : a television station in Boston, Massachusetts that currently exists...
), to become a lead-anchor boost for that station's re-organized news department. WCVB staff saw this as a slap in the face after the four excellent years he'd brought them, due to his shady actions. Channel 5 needn't have worried; Nat and Chet, sans Tom Ellis, kept WCVB at the top of the Boston news wars for well over a decade to come.
WNEV TV Boston
On September 13, 1982, Ellis officially became the new leading newsman at the new WNEV-TV's NEWSE7EN. The news of Ellis coming aboard at SE7EN, along with his new co-anchor Robin YoungRobin Young
Robin Young is an American television and radio personality. She has been a Boston, Massachusetts-based radio and television host since the mid-1970s when she hosted Evening Magazine for WBZ-TV....
(formerly of WBZ-TV's Evening Magazine), hailed them as the "Dream Team" that would finally make Channel 7 the dead last of the Boston network stations no longer. Billboard, radio and TV advertisements over the summer of 1982 tugged at viewers by depicting Tom & Robin as saints, both professionally and with family & the community. The promotional effort was not that much different than political campaigns that Ellis had covered so often in his career. Initial viewer curiosity from the "official" NEWSE7EN launch night rose ratings temporarily, but unfortunately, victory was not in the cards for WNEV. While Ellis was still at the zenith of his game, professional and smooth as ever, co-anchor Young, who had no prior hard news experience, was seemingly out of her league and in sharp contrast with her seasoned co-anchor. Young remained as lead anchor through late 1983 while other "dream team" hires were discharged. WNEV, not willing to give up on its mission, kept Ellis, believing that weak ratings for NEWSE7EN were not due to his performance. Tom's new co-anchor became Diane Willis, a more adept and experienced anchor who put a more solid and balanced image to the station's lead team. Despite other changes, such as new marketing campaigns, additional turnover in certain positions, and a name change to "The New England News," it eventually became obvious that the "dream team" concept had officially backfired.
In 1986, Ellis and Willis were both let go by WNEV.
Acting roles
The late 1980s and early 1990s were a period of transition for Ellis. He returned to New York for a brief period to handle radio news anchoring work, but, rather by accident, stumbled onto a secondary career path when he was asked to appear as a spokesperson in an Anacin aspirin commercial. Tom's widely circulated Anacin ad let him dabble in acting again.In the spring of 1989 Ellis took acting lessons at Brandeis University, and in New York where he studied voice, dialect, script analysis and advanced scene-study.
On August 11–12, 1989 after four months of lessons, Ellis made his acting debut at New York's Actors Institute "Home Brew,". Ellis would go on to play cameo roles in a number of different daytime soap operas and then break back into feature films. In 1991 alone, Ellis played an FBI Agent in the John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
/James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
film True Colors
True Colors (1991 film)
True Colors is a film written by Kevin Wade and directed by Herbert Ross. The cast included John Cusack, James Spader and Richard Widmark in his final movie role.-Plot summary:...
, and the natural role of a newscaster in 29th Street
29th street
29th Street may refer to:*Twenty Ninth Street *Twenty Ninth Street *29th Street - a 1991 film by George Gallo...
, starring Danny Aiello
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
.
WPIX NewsWorthy host
Around the time of his latest movie exposure, Ellis began another return to hard news full time when he signed on to anchor/host NewsWorthy, a weekly news and analysis show produced in New York and seen nationally on Superstation WPIXWPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
.
Return to Boston
On Sept. 8, 1992, Ellis returned to Boston TV as host of "Inside Edition Extra" on WHDH-TV (Ch. 7).New England Cable News
By mid-1992 Ellis was back on the New England news scene as he arrived at New England Cable NewsNew England Cable News
New England Cable News is a regional 24-hour cable news television network owned and operated by NBCUniversal serving the New England region of the United States. It is very similar to CNN in structure and style, but focuses more on regional news. The channel is also similar to Northwest Cable...
(NECN), which had only launched a few months earlier.
For nearly the next decade, Ellis was featured on weeknight newscasts, where he instantly regained a following and gave birth to new trademarks, including his common wearing of southwestern cowboy hats on the air, due to his longtime hobby of collecting them. Eventually, Tom would be cited for sparking a trend that would come to define the regional news channel, as it rose in dominance: it's employing of the elder statesmen of Boston TV news, who had since moved on from the network affiliated broadcast stations where they had made their names. Following Ellis to NECN were Margie Reedy (formerly of WXBY and WHDH), R.D. Sahl (who was Reedy's partner at WHDH, who co-anchored with her yet again on NECN and the channel's produced 10pm newscast for WSBK
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
), Maryanne Kane, and Chet Curtis, who joined in 2001 after a well-publicized divorce from Natalie Jacobson and departure from WCVB.
By 2000, Ellis had already repositioned himself to cover weekend evening news only.
In December 2008, Ellis left NECN.
Ellis has received numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Emmy and Peabody
Peabody
-Places:United States* Peabody, Indiana* Peabody, Kansas** Peabody Downtown Historic District, in Peabody, Kansas* Peabody, Massachusetts* Peabody, Cambridge, Massachusetts, a neighborhood* Peabody River, in New Hampshire-Institutions:...
awards. 1
External links
- http://www.boston.com/news/necn/About/bios/ellis/
- Tom Ellis on WGBH TV's "Greater Boston" with Emily Rooney.
- Howie Carr interview of Tom Ellis WRKO radio interview January 14, 2009.
- Tom Ellis WCAI radio interview, The Point NPR (2-17-2009).