UP alumna newest news anchor in New York

A University of the Philippines alumna will soon grace the television screens of viewers in New York and New Jersey. Frances Rivera, a popular anchor at NBC-affiliate WHDH-TV (7) Boston, will join the Tribune-owned WPIX Morning News on Ch. 11 in the second half of August. “For me, this isn’t a professional move. This is a personal move," she said in one interview, according to the Filipino Reporter. Rivera, an Emmy Award winner, cited personal reasons for giving up her high-profile job in Boston, where she is considered a stylish fashionista. She said she wants her 11-month-old daughter Tessa to be close to her mother and brother, who live in New Jersey. In New York City, Rivera will be paired with WPIX veteran Sukanya Krishnan, an Indian-American, for the 7-9 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 CW Television Network-affiliate KTLA (Los Angeles), also to be with his family. “Frances’ experience and talent will be great assets to our award-winning morning newscast... We’re looking forward to having her join the team later this summer," the Filipino Reporter quoted a WPIX spokesperson as saying. Rivera will soon be joining WCBS’ Kristine Johnson and Hazel Sanchez, and WABC’s Nina Pineda, as New York’s most prominent Filipino-American TV journalists. Boston Rivera had co-anchored WHDH’s early evening and late newscasts since 2006, and is Boston’s only Asian-American lead news anchor and one of the few nationwide. She joined Boston’s WHDH in 2001 as a reporter and weekend anchor, and later as morning news anchor. Prominent publications including The Boston Globe had announced her departure. “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. Rivera’s work had been honored by the prestigious Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New England chapter). In 2006, she was appointed to the number-two anchor position for the WHDH’s top-rating early evening news. When the then-main anchor left, Rivera was made co-anchor of the highly competitive 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts. She also helmed a weekly cooking segment called “The Dish," where she would venture to a New England eatery and demonstrate how to cook a meal. She is also active in numerous charities in and around Boston. In March 2009, WHDH paired her with fellow female anchor Kim Khazei to become the lead anchor team for the station’s 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts. It made them the first female lead anchor team in Boston, the country’s seventh largest market. Filipino heritage The Filipino Reporter cited one interview where Rivera credited her Filipino heritage as “the source of her adventurous spirit and dedication to community." “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," she had said. Rivera was three when she and her family, including two brothers, immigrated to Austin, and later to Dallas, Texas. She returned to the Philippines to finish her studies and earned a degree in Journalism from UP Diliman. She returned to the US after graduation and worked with KWTV (CBS) in Oklahoma City. Rivera also worked with KFDX (NBC) in Wichita Falls, Texas, and 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 2003, Rivera married Stuart Fraass, a Boston mortgage broker. — JE, GMA News