Tom Llamas
Encyclopedia
Tom Llamas (ˈʎɑːmɑːs; ) is a reporter for WNBC
News 4 New York .
with the NBC News
Specials Unit during the 2000 presidential election and then moved to MSNBC
. In his first two years at MSNBC
, he worked on coverage of the September 11 attacks and the war with Afghanistan
. He later became an embedded political campaign reporter.
Over the course of two years, he traveled to over 40 states covering the Presidential campaigns of Senator John Kerry
and the Reverend Al Sharpton
, and the Vice Presidential campaign of Senator John Edwards
. He shot, wrote, edited and reported live daily for MSNBC, and wrote for msnbc.com.
-owned WTVJ
(NBC6) in Miami where he reported for the weekday newscasts.
At NBC6, he covered Pope Benedict XVI
's trip to Washington
, the Virginia Tech massacre
from Blacksburg
, the death of Anna Nicole Smith
in Nassau
, and was in Biloxi when Hurricane Katrina
hit the Gulf Coast. He also reported from Montego Bay
, Jamaica on the Princess Cruise Ship fire, and has covered 8 hurricanes.
In 2008, he became the first and only TV journalist ever embedded with the Coast Guard during a human smuggling interdiction at sea, winning an Emmy award for the piece.
.
Since his arrival Llamas has covered several major stories including the Miracle on the Hudson, the Times Square Bomb Scare and the earthquake
in Haiti
. His reports from Port-au-Prince
and the Dominican Republic
on the earthquake aftermath aired on Nightly News, Today, MSNBC
and Telemundo
.
during the 1960s.
He graduated from Loyola University
in New Orleans with Bachelor of Arts Degrees in both Broadcast Journalism
and Drama and Speech. While at Loyola, he participated in the savage beating of a fellow student, resulting in charges of aggravated burglary.http://www.wdsu.com/r/530166/detail.html He also completed a program at the University of Miami
's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies which focused on Raul Castro
and Cuban-American voters.
He lives in Manhattan
with his wife and their dog Archie.
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
News 4 New York .
Early career
Llamas began his career in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with the NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
Specials Unit during the 2000 presidential election and then moved to MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. In his first two years at MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, he worked on coverage of the September 11 attacks and the war with Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He later became an embedded political campaign reporter.
Over the course of two years, he traveled to over 40 states covering the Presidential campaigns of Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and the Reverend Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
, and the Vice Presidential campaign of Senator John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
. He shot, wrote, edited and reported live daily for MSNBC, and wrote for msnbc.com.
NBC6
In 2005, Llamas joined NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-owned WTVJ
WTVJ
WTVJ, virtual channel 6 , is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC television network, located in Broward County. WTVJ shares its TV studio and office facility with co-owned Telemundo station WSCV in Miramar, Florida, and its transmitter is located near Sun Life Stadium in north...
(NBC6) in Miami where he reported for the weekday newscasts.
At NBC6, he covered Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's trip to Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Virginia Tech massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
from Blacksburg
Blacksburg
Blacksburg may refer to:*Blacksburg, South Carolina*Blacksburg, Virginia...
, the death of Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, and was in Biloxi when Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
hit the Gulf Coast. He also reported from Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
, Jamaica on the Princess Cruise Ship fire, and has covered 8 hurricanes.
In 2008, he became the first and only TV journalist ever embedded with the Coast Guard during a human smuggling interdiction at sea, winning an Emmy award for the piece.
News 4 New York
Llamas once again moved to New York in January 2009 as a general assignment nightside reporter for WNBCWNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
.
Since his arrival Llamas has covered several major stories including the Miracle on the Hudson, the Times Square Bomb Scare and the earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. His reports from Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
on the earthquake aftermath aired on Nightly News, Today, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
.
Personal life
Llamas was born and raised in Miami after his parents fled from CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the 1960s.
He graduated from Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
in New Orleans with Bachelor of Arts Degrees in both Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
and Drama and Speech. While at Loyola, he participated in the savage beating of a fellow student, resulting in charges of aggravated burglary.http://www.wdsu.com/r/530166/detail.html He also completed a program at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies which focused on Raul Castro
Raúl Castro
Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008...
and Cuban-American voters.
He lives in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
with his wife and their dog Archie.