WNBC Anchor David Ushery Elected To N.Y. State Broadcasters Hall Of Fame

Recognizing his commitment to broadcast excellence, passion for community service and his work as a positive role model for New York’s youth, the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame has selected WNBC New York news anchor David Ushery for its 2020 Induction Class. One of the most recognized and respected news anchors in the Tri-State region, Ushery joins fellow anchor Chuck Scarborough, chief meteorologist Janice Huff and the late senior correspondent Gabe Pressman as members of the Hall of Fame.

Ushery anchors the 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. editions of News 4 New York. He also hosts The Debrief Podcast, taking listeners behind the headlines and interviewing the men and women who bring the news to their viewers. A member of the Silver Circle for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Chapter, Ushery was honored with a National Emmy and an Edward R. Murrow Award for WNBC’s continuing team coverage of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Passionate about service and helping those in need, Ushery has brought attention to the sacrifice and unique challenges facing local first responders. He has investigated the high rates of suicide among firefighters and placed an important spotlight on the emotional struggles faced throughout their lifetimes.

He also won a New York Emmy for his 2019 profile on 9/11 responder Michael Dorian, who was diagnosed with cancer following his service and later fought a challenging battle to secure the health benefits due to him under the law. Later that year, he conducted one of the last televised interviews with the late NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez, who helped lead the grassroots campaign which resulted in renewal of the federal Victim’s Compensation Fund.

For more than 17 years, Ushery has offered WNBC viewers a front row seat to the biggest news stories of the day.

Prior to joining WNBC in 2003, Ushery worked for 10 years at WABC New York where he rose from general assignment reporter to full-time anchor of the early morning and noon broadcasts and later became the primary fill-in anchor for the evening newscasts.

Ushery is the recipient of three honorary degrees, earning honors from St. John’s University (2014), St. Francis College (2018) and Fordham University (2019). He has received the McDonald’s Black Media Legends: Faces of Black History Award and the National Association of Black Journalists Award for his series of reports on children and violence. Ushery has also been named on of the “40 Under 40” by Network Journal and Black Professionals Business Magazine.

A Hartford-area native, Ushery graduated from the University of Connecticut and began his broadcast career at WFSB there, where he worked as the lead evening reporter. He also reported for the Hartford Courant and the Los Angeles Times. Ushery was 11 years old when he was selected from a search to host the Connecticut edition of Kidsworld, a nationally syndicated television show. One of his first interviews was with news icon Walter Cronkite, who was considered one of the most trusted men in America at the time. Ushery hosted Kidsworld until he was 18.