John Quiñones
American television anchor (born 1952)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Quiñones (born May 23, 1952) is an American journalist and host. After earning a degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he became an ABC News correspondent for 20/20, Nightline and Good Morning America. He gained prominence hosting the show What Would You Do? since 2008. He has received numerous accolades including seven Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.
May 23, 1952
Columbia University (MA)
John Quiñones | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Quiñones May 23, 1952 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | St. Mary's University (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
| Occupations | Journalist, broadcaster, television host |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Known for | Host of What Would You Do? |
| Spouses | Nancy Loftus
(m. 1988; div. 2009)Deanna White (m. 2010) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
John Quiñones was born in San Antonio, Texas, on May 23, 1952, to Bruno H. and Maria Quiñones.[1] He is of Mexican descent.[2]
While attending Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, Quiñones was selected to take part in a federal anti-poverty program, Upward Bound, which prepared inner-city high school students for college.[1] As an undergraduate at St. Mary's University, Quiñones was a member of the Sigma Beta-Zeta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. After graduating from St. Mary's with a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communication, Quiñones earned a Master of Arts degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.[3]
Career
Quiñones is an ABC News correspondent known as the anchor of “What Would You Do?” and “Primetime.”
Quiñones worked as a radio news editor at KTRH in Houston, Texas from 1975 to 1978[3] and also worked as an anchor and reporter for KPRC-TV. He later reported for WBBM-TV in Chicago. In 1982, Quiñones started as a general assignment correspondent with ABC News based in Miami.[3]
According to communications attorney Mark Lloyd, "Quiñones told the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) audience that he got his start because a San Antonio community organization threatened that if the stations didn't hire more Latinos, the group would go to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and challenge their licenses."[4]
He traveled to Cape Canaveral in January 1986 to cover the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Quiñones reported live on the ABC News Special Report that began about 5 minutes after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.[5]
Awards and honors
- George Foster Peabody Award, 1999, ABC News, New York, New York, "ABC 2000" (also known as ABC 2000 Today)[3]
- ALMA Award from the National Council of La Raza[3]
- CINE award for his report on suicide bombers in Israel[3]
- Gabriel Award[3]
- 7-time Emmy Award winner[3]
- World Hunger Media Award and a Citation from the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award[3]
- Pigasus Award, 2005, ABC's Primetime Live, for its credulous "John of God " special, about Brazilian "psychic surgeon" João Teixeira[6]
- National Hispanic Media Coalition's Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016[7]
Bibliography
- John Quiñones (2009). Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices. Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-173360-4.
- John Quiñones (2015). What Would You Do?: Words of Wisdom About Doing the Right Thing. Kingswell. ISBN 978-1484726204.
- John Quiñones and María Elena Salinas (2024). One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN 978-1368107013.
