Maria Stephanos, highly-regarded local journalist with more than twenty-five years of experience as an anchor and reporter in New England, is co-anchor of NewsCenter 5 at 6:00, 7:00 and 11:00 PM with Ed Harding, Chief Meteorologist Harvey Leonard, and Sports Anchor Mike Lynch. Maria also anchors The 10 O’Clock News on MeTV Boston with co-anchor Ben Simmoneau.

Maria joined WCVB Channel 5 from Boston’s WFXT-TV where she was a news anchor and reporter for nearly eighteen years. Before that, Maria was a reporter at WJAR-TV in Providence, RI. She began her career as a Statehouse reporter working for several local stations including WBUR in Boston. She has also reported for several NPR radio stations and WCBS Radio and WABC Radio in New York.

Over the course of her distinguished career, Maria has covered many of the most significant news events including: the plane crash of John F. Kennedy Jr., the Worcester Cold Storage fire, the Presidential recount vote live from Florida, the 9/11 attacks reporting from both Boston and Washington DC, Red Sox World series wins, Patriots’ Super Bowl wins, the deaths of Senator Edward Kennedy and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, the Boston Marathon bombings, the capture and trial of Whitey Bulger, and many more. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alpha Omega Society presented by former Governor of the Commonwealth, Governor Michael Dukakis.

A self-proclaimed “‘homer’ and proud of it,” Maria is a native of Groveland, MA and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mass communications. Maria resides in Foxboro with her husband Dale and their children. She enjoys cooking (especially Greek recipes), playing sports with her family, and vacationing in New England “anyplace there is water.”