14 Years and Still Going
/These days, it's hard to find a marriage that last 14 years, finding an Anchor team that has been together that long is even harder.
WSVN (Miami) Anchors Craig Stevens and Belkys Nerey have been sitting alongside each other for 14 years.
“Craig and Belkys are TVs ‘married couple.’ They tease, agree and disagree like any couple,” said Connie Hicks, a former WPLG reporter who is now an assistant professor of journalism at Barry University in Miami Shores. “After 14 years, they have that easy relationship and compatibility that station managers and news directors hope for, because the audience sees comfortable, reliable and trusted news anchors, in their homes, gyms, bars and websites.”
Nerey joined WSVN in 1994 as a general assignment reporter. In 1997, she started co-anchoring the station’s popular entertainment gossip show, “Deco Drive.”
Stevens replaced Rick Sanchez as lead anchor in 2001.
When Stevens’ co-anchor, Laurie Jennings, left two years later, management thought he would pair well with Nerey.
“They have this dynamic chemistry together. I think that is hard to find,” said Alice Jacobs, WSVN’s vice president of news. “Craig is kind of a student of the world, and I think Belkys is a student of pop culture, and I think when you bring those two things together, I think it’s the whole package.
“There are moments in a newscast where you can show personality, and I think they do that very well,” Jacobs added. “How many news anchors end their newscasts with ‘Ciao ciao!’”
Nerey refers to Stevens as the “ying to my yang.”
Added Stevens, “The fun part about working with her is that you never know what’s coming, and that creates great TV,” he said. “That has forced me to go with the flow for a minute. And she is so good at that and that has helped me improve at that, too.”
Unlike rivals that switch up their anchor desk every few years, WSVN hasn’t changed its anchors because of ratings and a stable management team.
The station’s programs are traditionally the most-watched, English-language newscasts in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami TV market.
In the July ratings, the station’s weekday 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts won among the coveted 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen figures.
“When you have a winning team, you don’t need to make a change,” said Jacobs.
You humble FTVLive editor worked with both Craig and Belkys, before the duo started anchoring together and we can say this.
Belkys looks the exact same as she did when we worked with her. As for Craig? Not so much. A lot of gray hair has popped up on Craig since those days.
But, I will say that Craig is one of the nicest people and true professionals in this business.
See....and you guys think FTVLive only focuses on the negative. Ha!
H/T Sun-Sentinel