|
You
won’t
just
see
WSVN’s
Craig
Stevens’
handsome
mug
on
television.
The
openly
gay
news
anchor
is
often
out
and
about
participating
in
many
high-profile
events
in
the
area.
For
the
past
six
years,
Stevens
has
lent
his
celebrity
to
promoting
AIDS
Walk
Miami.
It’s
an
event
that
Stevens
feels
passionate
about.
“It’s
an
important
event,”
he
says.
“It’s
an
issue
that
has
to
be
talked
about
and
is
such
a
huge
part
of
the
culture.”
Stevens
says
that
he
started
off
as
an
M.C.
for
the
event,
which
he
still
does,
but
he
is
now
even
more
involved.
Channel
7
got
behind
the
event
and
is
now
one
of
its
sponsors.
“We
have
a
whole
team
that
does
the
walk,”
he
says.
The
anchor
says
that
he
may
take
his
dog,
Jack,
along
for
the
walk
this
year. “Even
though
last
time,
he
had
an
accident
right
in
the
middle
of
it,”
he
says
and
laughs.
Stevens’
family
will
be
in
town
for
the
walk
and
will
also
participate.
Stevens
came
to
Florida
17
years
ago.
“I
didn’t
know
a
soul
here,”
he
says.
He
says
the
people
of
the
area
welcomed him.
In
fact
the
warm
reception
he
received
inspired
him
to
give
back
as
much
as
he
could,
he
says.
“I
feel
like,
‘You
welcomed
me,
I
can
welcome
you
back,’”
he
says.
“I
feel
it’s
the
least
I
can
do.”
Through
the
years,
he
has
been
involved
with
several
nonprofits,
including
Habitat
for
Humanity.
As
a
board
member
of
the
Suncoast
Chapter
of
the
National
Academy
of
Television
Arts
and
Sciences,
he
also
chairs
a
committee
that
mentors
young
television
professionals.
Stevens
started
working
his
way
up
in
the
world
of
journalism
back
in
1987,
when
he
was
still
in
college.
He
started
in
the
mailroom
at
NBC
News
in
Washington,
D.C.
Stevens’
co-workers
used
to
tease
him
because
he
always
wore
a
tie
to
the
job,
while
pushing
a
mail
cart
around.
“They
say
to
dress
for
the
job
you
want,
not
the
job
you
have,”
he
explains.
Within
his
first
year,
he
was
promoted
to
answering
phones
in
the
studio.
When
he
graduated,
he
began
doing
research
and
became
a
production
assistant
for
“NBC
Nightly
News
with
Tom
Brokaw,”
“Today”
and
“Meet
the
Press.”
An
NBC
affiliate
in
Fort
Myers’
wooed
Stevens
to
the
area
to
become
a
reporter
and
substitute
anchor
back
in
the
early
1990s.
He
was
then
hired
at
WSVN,
where
he
has
been
ever
since.
“I
compare
it
to
a
Cinderella
story,”
Stevens
says
of
his
rise
in
the
field.
The
anchor
didn’t
make
aconscious
decision
to
be
“out”
in
the
field.
“I
don’t
know
if
I
came
out,”
he
says.
“I
always
just
lived
my
life.”
Stevens
says
that
his
sexual
orientation
has
never
been
an
issue
for
him
career-wise.
“I
never
had
to
dance
around
it,”
he
says.
“I’m
fortunate
to
work
at
a
company
where
that’s
OK.”
He
says
that
the
diversity
of
the
newsroom
has
always
been
an
advantage.
He
recalled
a
recent
script
reference
to
someone
“admitting
to
being
gay.”
Stevens
let
others
in
the
newsroom
know
that
he
didn’t
like
the
way
the
item
was
worded.
“It
was
something
that
a
lot
of
people
in
the
newsroom
hadn’t
thought
of,”
he
says.
Regarding
the
station’s
coverage
of
gay
issues,
Stevens
says
he
doesn’t
think
“gay”
plays
into
the
decision
making
about
what
to
cover.
“It
depends
on
the
needs
of
the
day,”
he
says.
For
example,
this
week,
with
the
shootings
at
Virginia
Tech,
the
news
team
hasn’t
been
able
to
focus
on
much
else,
he
says.
Stevens
says
that
his
favorite
part
of
the
job
is
getting
out
in
the
community
and
participating
in
events.
“I’m
chained
to
the
building,”
he
says.
“I
like
it
when
we
can
get
out
and
be
a
part
of
a
special
event.”
He
recently
signed
a
new
contract
to
be
a
part
of
the
Channel
7
news
team
for
another
three
or
four
years.
“I’m
lucky
that
I
work
in
an
area
where
I
have
a
supportive
environment
and
the
respect
of
my
colleagues,”
he
says.
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