Former WTVD anchor Ervin Hester, first African-American anchor in the southeast, has died

ABC11 reported on Thursday the passing of Ervin Lee Hester, Sr., a former WTVD anchor who made history in the early 1970s as the first African-American anchor in the southeast.

Hester, who was 81, died Thursday morning.

Hester was a Durham native who grew up in Granville County before moving back to Durham to graduate from Hillside High. He worked at WTVD as a reporter and weekend anchor and hosted a community affairs program called “Reel Perspectives” as well as a magazine show called “Primetime.” Hester left WTVD in 1996.

He was inducted into the NC Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1996 — the first African-American to receive that honor. He was inducted into the Hillside High Hall of Fame in 2014.

This story was originally published October 25, 2018 at 5:45 PM.