Tom Ellis

Tom Ellis is a Texas country boy whose broadcasting career spanned more than 5 decades and all began in 1954 at a little radio station in Fort Worth, KCNC, where they paid him 50 cents an hour to do the news.

In 1956, Tom went to The University of Texas in Austin and worked at KVET radio for $1.25 an hour. 1958 found Tom on-the-air at KWED in Seguin where Jack Roth heard him delivering the hour-long noon news, called immediately after the newscast and offered him a job at KONO Radio for $100 per week, but Tom held out — for $105.

Tom worked as News anchor, writer and reporter at KONO from 1958 to 1966. He would dig up news stories, write the stories, then report them live on air at every half hour and hour...plus instant reports of breaking bulletins if and when they occurred. He also went out into the field to investigate evolving stories, reporting live from the scene. Another part of his job was preparing and delivering three- to five-part documentaries on various events happening in the community and around the world.

When the news anchor at KONO-TV quit, Tom was offered the job. Jack Roth didn’t want to lose Tom to KONO-TV. So, for the next six years, Tom continued to work at KONO radio while he was paid an extra $15 a day to also anchor KONO-TV’s "12 Star Final" news at 10 p.m.

From 1960 to 1966 Tom received five First Place "BEST" awards from Sigma Delta Chi, the Professional Journalism Society, for news and feature writing and reporting… and received numerous citations from the Associated Press and United Press International for outstanding news reporting. In 1960 he was elected and served as President of the UPI Broadcasters Association of Texas.

Tom moved to Boston in 1968 where he enjoyed a long career in TV news. Today Tom says “I consider my time at KONO Radio to be tops among my fondest life memories. I loved my job, couldn't wait to get to work every day, and hated to leave.”