| Uma Pemmaraju | |
|---|---|
| Born |  Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Anchor/Host for Fox News |
| Website | Biography on FoxNews.com |
Uma Pemmaraju is an anchor and host on the Fox News Channel cable network.
Contents |
Biography
Pemmaraju was born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India and moved to San Antonio, Texas with her family (including two brothers) when she was a child.
Education and Early Career
Pemmaraju received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Trinity University (Texas) in San Antonio, where she began her career in journalism (first at the San Antonio Express-News while still attending Oliver Wendell Holmes High School, then at KENS-TV). She has won multiple local Emmy awards over the course of her career in local news, both in Dallas and around the Northeastern United States. At Boston's WBZ-TV, she hosted a local children's program and was a tipster for Evening Magazine. Later, she joined the WBZ news department and was cited as Best Anchor by Boston Magazine.
Tenure at Fox News Channel
Pemmaraju signed on in 1996 as a charter member of the on-air team for the Fox News Channel, which first went on the air on October 7 of that year. She worked as an anchorwoman (both longform and news update), host of special programming, and hosted several shows during her first three-year stint at FNC, from 1996-99. She secured many exclusive interviews including an extended conversation with the Dalai Lama. She returned to Fox News in 2003, having come over from Dallas television station KTVT (CBS). For her second tour of duty with FNC, she was brought aboard as a news update anchorwoman and a substitute host for various programs, as well as hosting a number of special programs for the network. Among the programming that she recently hosted were two specials entitled A Special For Young People (which originally aired on December 24 2005 and July 2, 2006, respectively), both of which looked at the accomplishments and achievements of prominent high profile news makers who offer their insights and reflections on what it takes to become a success, confront challenges and make a difference. She continues to host shows during breaking news coverage.
Community Activities
She also devoted her efforts to helping a number of charitable organizations, including serving on the boards of "Big Sisters of Boston", "The Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston", The Wang Center for the Performing Arts. She received a number of awards for her community work including a Matrix Award from Women in Communications, Woman of Achievement award from Big Sisters of America, Award of Merit and Distinction from the Mexican Government for efforts to help earthquake victims.
Other Information
Pemmaraju is a vegetarian. Her family's spiritual advisor was Swami Satchidananda, who became well known serving as the opening speaker at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
