Diann Burns Biography
Diann Burns, is a former TV news anchor from Cleveland, Ohio. She’s won nine Emmy Awards for her work in television. You might recognize her from her time as a prime-time weekday anchor for two different Chicago TV stations. She’s also been in some big movies and TV shows.
Burns started her career as a writer for a newspaper called The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio in the late 1970s. She then moved to New York to study journalism at Columbia University and finished her master’s degree in 1981.
After that, she worked for a TV station called WPIX until 1983. In 1983, she started working for another TV station called WCMH as a reporter and was later promoted to news anchor in 1984. From 1985 to 2003, she was the news anchor for the 5pm and 10pm news at WLS-TV in Chicago, which is owned by ABC.
She was the highest-paid news anchor in Chicago during that time. In 2003, she moved to WBBM-TV and was the news anchor for the 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm news until 2008. WBBM-TV is owned by CBS. ABC is a part of The Walt Disney Company’s Disney-ABC Television Group.
READ: Alan Krashesky Biography, Age, Family, Wife, Net Worth, WLS-TV and Retirement
Diann Burns Age
Burns was born on September 29, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio. He is 64 years old as of 2023.
Diann Burns Family
Burns is a Methodist preacher’s daughter. For much of her life, surrounded by extended families, she remembers the love and kindness she got growing up. Before moving to Cleveland, where Burns stayed through college and young adulthood, her immediate family moved several times while she was a child, briefly living in Pittsburgh and then Cincinnati.
Diann Burns Husband
She was married to Marc Watts. The couple married in 1995. Burns and her now teenage son resided in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The power couple announced in the fall that they were moving for California, where Watts can find more career chances, and their son can play baseball year-round.
Diann Burns Lincoln Park
Former Chicago news anchor Diann Burns and her husband sold their Lincoln Park mansion for a whopping $4.525 million (just $300K below the list price). The home was built for just $2 million in 2003, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Diann Burns Education
Burns earned an undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University in politics and mass media, and a master’s degree from New York City’s Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Diann Burns Net Worth
Burns has made her fortune from her role as a Journalist $4 Million.
Diann Burns Work(WLS-TV, ABC, CBS)
Burns started her career as a print journalist in Cleveland Ohio for The Plain Dealer in the late 1970s until 1980. During that time, she traveled to New York and finished her master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University in 1981. From 1981 until 1983, she worked at WPIX. In 1983, she arrived at NBC-affiliated WCMH television working as a general assignment reporter. There she was named news anchor in 1984.
From 1985 until 2003, she worked as the 5 pm and 10 pm weekday news anchor at American Broadcasting Company (ABC) owned and operated WLS-TV Chicago. There she was Chicago’s highest-paid television news professional before joining WBBM-TV in 2003 as the weekday 5 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm news anchor, until leaving WBBM in 2008. WBBM is owned and operated by CBS (CBS Worldwide, Inc.). ABC is a division of The Walt Disney Company’s Disney-ABC Television Group.
Diann Burns Charity
Burns and her charitable foundation awarded record scholarships to go to college for underprivileged learners. She is the spokeswoman for Chicago’s Pediatric Aids. She also works with Girls in the Game, an organization that encourages health and fitness as a way of educating girls to persevere and gain career confidence.
Burns is active with the Ronald McDonald House, the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Northern Illinois Chapter, and The Support Group, an organization that provides tutoring and social services to help high school students with school work and home life. To the benefit of numerous other causes, particularly organizations that focus on children and education, she lends her time and talent.
Diann Burns CBS 2
Burns anchored for 5, 6, and 10 pm newscasts and special live reports, exclusive interviews. She has radio, daily, as well as public appearances. Diann has created special, promotable segments that boosted ratings, including: “Dinner with Di,” a successful segment, featuring families and star chefs on prime-time news.
“Grow Your Garden,” a spotlight segment on innovative ideas and financial benefits for going “green.”
Diann Burns WPIX TV
Burns broke into the business as a freelance on-air reporter. She is also a special reports producer, conducting the interviews. Burns writes the scripts for anchors and reporters, as well as the newscasts. Diann has first report launched her career in the business.