PIFA Awards Gala 2016 Emcee: Rita Cosby

Rita Cosby is one of the most recognized and respected broadcasters in America and has been quoted and profiled by hundreds of media outlets across the country and overseas. Born in Brooklyn, she is a renowned Emmy-winning TV host, veteran correspondent and multiple best selling author, who anchored highly rated primetime shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a special correspondent for the top-rated CBS syndicated newsmagazine, Inside Edition, does frequent hosting and reporting for CNN/HLN, and hosts “The Rita Cosby Show” on the legendary WABC Radio, the most listened to talk station in America.

She was the youngest senior correspondent in the country for a national TV news organization when she extensively covered the White House, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon, breaking many major stories in Washington, DC. In 2015, she was also named WABC’s Political Editor and Host of “Election Central with Rita Cosby,” which consistently features interviews with top political newsmakers that are shared with all Cumulus/Westwood One stations across the nation. Heralded as one of the Most Influential Women in Radio in both 2014 and 2015 by Radio Ink Magazine, she was also honored in 2015, and again in 2016, with two prestigious Gracie Awards for “Outstanding Host” and “Outstanding Talk Show.”

Throughout her illustrious TV career, Rita has secured some of the biggest interviews, including exclusives with more than twenty world leaders, including five U.S. Presidents. In June 2014, she made international headlines when she interviewed Pope Francis at the Vatican about his historic Mideast Peace Summit. Honors for the three-time Emmy winner include the Matrix Award, Headliner Award and Jack Anderson Award for journalism excellence. She was also selected by Cosmopolitan Magazine as a “Fun and Fearless Female.” A recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award, she annually hosts the National Memorial Day Parade broadcast to all US military installations around the world.

She has written back-to-back New York Times Best Sellers. Her recent one, “QUIET HERO: Secrets From My Father’s Past,” details her fascinating discovery about her own father, a Nazi prisoner of war, who was saved by American troops. Having spoken at the United Nations, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon, her critically acclaimed book has become required reading at major US universities and used as a centerpiece for discussions on those dealing with Post Traumatic Stress and their families.