Kris Anderson is a weekend morning anchor and weekday morning reporter at WHDH-TV NBC 7 in Boston. He is also a consumer reporter for the stations "Solve it 7" franchise, for which he recently won a New England Emmy Award.
Before joining WHDH in 2013, Kris spent almost 11 years at WREG-TV CBS 3 in Memphis, TN where he was most recently the weekday morning and noon anchor. Kris got his on-air start as a sports anchor at WOAY-TV in Oak Hill, WV. After three years, he was promoted to evening news anchor, and six months later took the anchor job in Memphis. Kris began his news career as an intern at WHDH sister station WSVN-TV in Miami as an intern.
A native of Miami, FL, Kris is a 1999 graduate of Florida International University where he studied communications.
1. What kind of phone do you have, and what are your favorite apps?
iPhone 6plus... go big or go home! haha The phone is big, but it fits perfectly in my suit jacket pocket, and I love having such a huge screen! Other than the 7News app and the usual social media apps, I really rely on the Waze app to help me navigate the confusing roads around the Boston area. It's really great at rerouting me to the shortest route when traffic is bad. I also like Snapseed, which is a photo editing app. You can add some cool filters and turn a regular picture into something amazing! Also, Relator and Zillow because my family and I are house hunting!
2. Favorite and least favorite news topics to cover (besides violent crime)?
I love my weekly consumer segment "Solve it 7" because it allows me the chance to help people who have nowhere else to turn. It's a great feeling to see someone smile as a result of our hard work, and it's also rewarding that we get to hold these businesses accountable for their actions. I was honored, humbled and thrilled that we won an Emmy for the segment after only doing it for a few months.
Least favorite would be any bad story involving a child or children. As a father, nothing makes me smile more than a wonderful story about kids doing awesome things, but the stories about someone harming a child or a tragedy involving a child are always tough to report on.
3. If you weren't working in TV news, what would you be doing?
I love animals and always wanted to either be a zoo keeper or a farmer growing up. I still plan on buying a bunch of land and building my own small zoo with lions and tigers and bears (oh my) once I win Mega Millions or Powerball of course.
I'd also love to star in a sitcom or host a late night talk show! I love interviewing interesting people and getting the chance to showcase my personality and sense of humor..plus, everyone tells me I look like Jimmy Fallon!
4. What was your favorite cartoon growing up?
Scooby-Doo, Transformers, GI Joe, Inspector Gadget, Smurfs, Jetsons, Flintstones, Tom & Jerry..wow, so many! Tough to pick just one. I loved cartoons growing up, and still watch them with my twin sons.
5. When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?
Two things - first is head outside with my twin sons and play catch, ride bikes or something active. The other would hanging on the couch with my wife and watching HGTV or Food Network. We love house and cooking shows.
6. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
It's a toss up between two great options. First would be a tour of Italy. My great-grandparents migrated from Italy to Ellis Island and then initially settled in Boston. I would love to take my time and explore all of the historic sites, gourmet food and beautiful scenery. Second would be an African safari. Again, I love animals and I would love to see these amazing creatures in their natural environment. We are going to take both trips eventually, but waiting for the kiddos to get a little older.
7. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
That's a tough one, but I think I would invite Pope Francis. He seems so genuine and easy to talk to and probably has countless amazing stories he could share. Plus, we both love pizza so the dinner menu would be easy!
8. Do you collect anything?
Clothing! Suits, dress shirts and ties! I have been anchoring for about 15 years now and literally have more than 100 suits, at least 150 dress shirts and well over 200 ties! Drives my wife crazy because we quickly learned that old New England houses don't have big closets! We had to make a few trips to Ikea in Stoughton to buy some wardrobes to keep all my clothing in.
Also, anything artistic that my kids create. They could scribble on a scrap sheet of paper and I would still save it. I have boxes full of their artwork and schoolwork dating back to preschool.
9. What are the top 3 played songs on your iPod?
So, I actually don't have an iPod, and don't have a single song saved on my iPhone. I am a radio listener and use the Pandora app on my phone to jam out in the dressing room at work while getting ready in the morning. My wife is a personal trainer, fitness instructor and zumba instructor - she has thousands of songs on her iPad so she's in charge of the music in our family. I go to her Zumba class every Thursday night - a kind of date night! We pick the songs together and both love to dance.
10. What is one of your favorite quotes?
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It's a simple quote, but one I try to follow. I always try and have an upbeat outlook on things, and try and treat people with kindness and respect. It's so much easier to make someone smile than to make them frown.
11. What was the last experience that made you a stronger person?
My brother and I were raied by a single mother, and we weren't close with my father because he wasn't around. He passed away about a year and a half ago and it was tough because my sons never got a chance to get to know their grandfather. I tried to learn from his mistakes and it has helped me become a loving, dedicated dad to my two boys. It was a negative part of life that I turned into a positive... and it definitely made me a stronger person.
More about Kris Anderson
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