Ellina Abovian was born in Yerevan, Armenia and brought to the United States when she was a year old. Her parents, both Russian and Armenian, gave up everything to move Ellina and her brother to have a future.
Growing up in an immigrant family in Glendale, Calif., watching the evening news was an integral part of her day.
Ellina became an accomplished journalist at 9 years old by starting the “Windsor Chronicle,” a newspaper chronicling the daily ins and outs of her apartment building. It ran four issues before she retired her pen and pad for a Super Nintendo. Her early years of journalism sparked Ellina’s desire to tell people’s stories.
Ellina earned a broadcast journalism degree from California State University, Los Angeles. After college, she worked for CBS Television and LA2DAY.com in areas of production, marketing and online publishing.
The inevitable move from the Los Angeles market took Ellina to San Luis Obispo to work as a “one-man-band” journalist. She eventually traded the Central Coast for the Central Valley and worked in Fresno covering the California drought, wildfires and various animal cruelty cases.
Ellina joined the Fox 5 San Diego team and is doing what she loves. She starts each day with eager anticipation of where her next storytelling opportunity will take her in America’s Finest City.
You asked…
If I wasn't in TV news, I would…
…vie for Anthony Bourdain’s job.
What is something no one knows about me?
I’m an absolute old soul. Everything from my taste in music, movies and people unquestionably belong in another time.
On my days off, I can be found…
catching my breath midway up the Torrey Pines hiking trail or scoping out a new restaurant with my husband.
My most memorable TV moment:
One year during Thanksgiving I attempted a seemingly “effortless” standup at a grocery store with a 40-pound turkey … turns out the bag had a hole and I left covered in turkey juice from the waist down.
I give back to my community by:
Earlier in 2014; I hosted a genocide commemoration ceremony alongside two California congressmen in Fresno. Armenians are a very small group of people; it’s an honor to be in a position where I can help shine light on important issues.
Dinner for 5 - who's invited?
Audrey Hepburn, Thomas Keller, Cher, Seth MacFarlane, and Bill Maher.
If I had free time, I would:
Travel more. Paris and London are my favorite cities but I would be happy to go anywhere. I don’t think there is anything better than traveling. Learn more languages … I speak Armenian, Russian and French but I think Spanish would be appropriate next.
My guilty pleasure is:
red wine and bad TV; at the end of a long day, it’s the perfect combination.
