Antoinette Biordi, a first-generation Italian American and one of Long Island’s most recognizable television anchors and reporters, is an inaugural honoree of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island.
Biordi is a four-time Emmy Award-winning reporter and anchor for News 12 Long Island. She has been a TV Reporter since 1997.
She began her career as a “one-man band reporter,” producing, shooting, writing, and editing daily stories for News Center 7 in Ithaca, NY. In 1998, she moved on to work as a reporter/anchor for WETM (NBC) in Elmira, NY. In 1999, Biordi worked at WNYT (NBC) in Albany, NY, and FOX 23 News in Albany. After five years in upstate New York, she jumped at the chance to be closer to home and began working as a freelance news reporter at News 12 Long Island before working full-time at News 12 Westchester in 2003.
In 2007, she earned her first New York Emmy Award in the category of Sports Coverage for a series called “More than Just a Game.” It was an inspiring story about physically challenged children who, despite their limitations, could beat the odds and excel in the Special Olympics. She also received two Emmy Nominations, one in the “Writing Composite” category and the other for a piece about adults who were physically challenged but overcame their most profound fear of the water to steer and control a sailboat on the Hudson River. During her time at News 12 Westchester, she also worked on a series called “Wasted Youth,” where she went undercover with police as they busted an underage drinking party.
As the story progressed, undercover surveillance video discovered that several convenience stores were selling beer to underage kids. A year later, she did a series called “Westchester Teens: Life in the Fast Lane,” where she exposed parents who were hosting underage drinking parties for their kids and their friends. The drinking epidemic continued the following year in a series called “When Mommy Drives Drunk,” as she found dozens of mothers were driving drunk with their kids in the car. That series, combined with her daily stories, won her several distinguished awards, including Edward R. Murrow Awards, Deadline Club Awards, New York Press Club, AP awards, AEGIS award, Gold Aurora Awards, New York Festivals, Telly Award, and a Videographer Award.
In 2010, Antoinette transitioned to News 12 Long Island, where she is now the Evening Weeknight Anchor. During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, she not only reported on the devastation of many south shore communities ravaged by the storm surge but also had the difficult task of telling countless heart-wrenching stories of survival and how many communities started to rebuild. Since then, Antoinette has reported on everything from court cases, crime, community issues, societal concerns, health, and wellness to heartwarming profile stories about the resiliency and tenacity of Long Islanders. In 2017, Antoinette won her 2nd NY Emmy after she did a two-part series about “Wiccan,” a growing religion in New York that featured practicing witchcraft on Long Island.
In 2020, during the pandemic, Antoinette continued to go out into the field and report on coronavirus cases and the impact COVID-19 had on communities. Two months into the pandemic, she started a series called “We’re Open” that highlighted businesses on Long Island that were forced to pivot to our new normal. Seeing the need to spotlight these businesses earned her another NY Emmy Award. Antoinette has been a positive force in business by representing News 12 at countless community events that have enhanced connections with Long Islanders. In 2022, Antoinette earned her fourth Emmy in the Business and Consumer News category for a series called “Road Trip Close to Home,” which features fun places to go and things to do in the tri-state area.
She was born in Brooklyn, moved to Corona, Queens, and then moved to Nassau County, Long Island. She continues to live in Nassau County with her husband, son, and dog Pepper. She teaches spin and boot camp classes in her spare time, is a certified health and wellness coach, loves to read, travel, workout, cook, make her homemade wine, and play several musical instruments, including the accordion.
Tickets and sponsorships are available for the event now. More honorees will be announced in the coming days!