TV trailblazer Ed Ansin dies
Pushed flashy style at 7News
TV news maverick Ed Ansin, the owner of Boston’s WHDH for more than two decades and a “trailblazer” in the local market with fast-paced and flashy broadcasts, died on Sunday. He was 84.
Ansin is being remembered for changing the TV news landscape with innovative broadcasts, his dedication to local news, and his philanthropic efforts over the years.
His Sunbeam Television Corp. stretched from stations in Florida to WHDH Boston 7News, which he bought in 1993.
“Ed was a broadcast pioneer and a true leader, at WSVN, WHDH and WLVI, in the community, and in both the real estate and broadcast industries,” Paul Magnes of Sunbeam Television said in a statethat,” ment. “Besides his family, Ed loved nothing more than owning and operating his television stations. We are all so fortunate to have worked for a man who truly cared about his employees and the industry.”
WHDH was an NBC affiliate for more than 20 years under Ansin, but then the Peacock Network in 2016 decided it wasn’t renewing its contract with his station and moved to a new affiliate station, NBC Boston.
Ansin filed a lawsuit against Comcast to keep his network’s affiliation, but it was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge. As a result, he ran WHDH as an independent station, doubling down on local news programming.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday remembered Ansin for his “love” of local TV.
“I think we were way better to have somebody like that who cared so much about serving the people of a community, of a commonwealth, and focused like a laser on Baker said at a press briefing.
“His enthusiasm for what he did, and who he was serving, and what he thought local news was supposed to be all about will be terribly missed,” the governor said.
Mayor Martin Walsh tweeted, “Sad to hear of the passing of Ed Ansin who was a trailblazer in the Boston media market, leading @7News with a steady hand for decades and leaving a lasting mark on the entire television industry. He will be missed.”
Ansin’s philanthropy was also remembered, including his support of youth organizations and Emerson College, where his name adorns one of the college’s buildings.
“Emerson College is saddened to learn of the passing of groundbreaking television executive Ed Ansin,” Emerson President Lee Pelton said in a statement. “He made an indelible mark in the Boston media landscape and, as a longtime supporter of Emerson, his philanthropy continues to ensure our student journalists will thrive.”