Fil-Am anchor perks up mornings of NY-NJ viewers

An Emmy-winning Philippine-born and UP-educated news anchor in Boston, Massachusetts, will soon be a familiar face among morning TV viewers in the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut).

Frances Rivera, the popular main anchor of NBC-affiliate WHDH-TV (Ch. 7) of Boston, is heading to New York — America’s largest TV market — to join WPIX Morning News on Channel 11 starting late this month. WPIX is owned by the Tribune Company.

“New York-tri state has a heavy population of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans estimated at over 300,000,” said Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre who relayed to me this exclusive story.

Frances, who co-anchored WHDH’s early-evening and late newscasts since 2006, is Boston’s only Asian-American lead news anchor and one of the few nationwide. Her last day there will be mid-August.

“That’s a badge that I am proud to wear anywhere I go, and it makes me appreciate the opportunity that I have and the opportunity that was given to me by Channel 7 (Boston),” she said in one interview.

According to Edmund, various prominent publications, including the Boston Globe, blared her departure, while her followers expressed sadness.

“She has always been part of my family’s nightly viewing habits and we will miss her dearly,” wrote one fan. 

Frances, who finished journalism at the University of the Philippines, cited personal reasons, including the loss of her father and father-in law, for giving up her high-profile job in a city where she’s also hailed as one of the most stylish fashionistas. 

She said she wants her baby daughter Tessa (now 11 months old) to be close to her mother and brother who live in New Jersey.

“For me, this isn’t a professional move. This is a personal move,’’ Edmund quoted Frances as saying.

Frances’ work was honored by the prestigious Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New England chapter). 

In New York City, Frances will be paired with WPIX perky veteran Sukanya Krishnan, an Indian- American, for the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. block of the breakfast news show. That will make them the country’s first Asian-American anchor team in a morning news show. Rivera will replace Chris Burrous, who moved to KTLA, also to be with his family.

“Frances’ experience and talent will be great assets to our award-winning morning newscast,” a WPIX spokesperson was quoted as saying. “We’re looking forward to having her join the team later this summer.”

Edmund learned that Frances was three years old when she and her family, including two brothers, migrated to Austin, Texas (they later moved to Dallas). She went back to the Philippines for her college degree at UP. She returned to the US after graduation and joined KWTV (CBS) in Oklahoma City. She later worked with KFDX (NBC) in Wichita Falls, Texas, and then spent four years in New York City working behind the scenes at CBS News on This Morning show. She also spent a year with the network’s political unit on the campaign trail, following the major events for CBS’ national coverage of the 1996 presidential election. At that time, she was also a freelance co-host and reporter for the nationally syndicated PBS program Asian America.

In 2001, Rivera jumped to Boston’s WHDH as a reporter and weekend anchor, and later morning news anchor. She married Stuart Fraass, a Boston mortgage broker, in 2003.

In 2006, she was appointed to the No. 2 anchor position for the WHDH’s top-rating early evening news. When the then-main anchor left, Frances was made co-anchor of the highly-competitive 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. 

 She also helmed a weekly cooking segment called The Dish in which she would venture to a New England eatery and demonstrate how to cook a meal. She’s also active in numerous charities in and around Boston.

To boost ratings, WHDH paired her up with fellow female anchor Kim Khazei in March 2009 to become the lead anchor team for the station’s 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. It made them the first female lead anchor team in Boston, the country’s seventh largest market.

In one interview, Frances credited her Filipino heritage as “the source of her adventurous spirit and dedication to community.”

In another article that profiled her, she said, ”The satisfaction at the end of the day that comes from learning and knowing a little bit more about our community and the world than I did before coming in to work — and being part of the team that brings that knowledge to you at home.”

Frances will soon join WCBS’ Kristine Johnson and Hazel Sanchez, and WABC’s Nina Pineda, as New York’s most prominent Filipino-American TV journalists.

Edmund said that LP Pelayo, sports editor of The Filipino Reporter where Edmund is news editor, described Frances as a Rufa Mae Quinto look-alike.

“She’s easy on the eyes,” says LP. “I’ll definitely watch her while having breakfast.”

On a personal note, Edmund said in his letter to Funfare: “By the way, napahanga talaga ako ni Migz Zubiri when he resigned as Senator; napatunganga talaga ako sa harap ng TV kasi I realized na uso pa pala ang delicadeza sa Pilipinas. Frankly, I have lost faith in our leaders noon pa. But seeing Migz step down because of election irregularities made me realize that there’s hope in my dear Philippines. I just hope that people won’t forget Migz because he is a good legislator. And now, we just found out that he’s a good person, too. He’s of a rare breed.”

Yes, Edmund, I agree with you. I voted for Migz in 2010 and I will vote for him again if and when he runs in 2013.

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