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Alec Gifford is the most experienced television anchorman in New Orleans. He joined WDSU NewsChannel 6 in 1955, at the dawn of the television era.

Gifford was born and raised in New Orleans and has deep roots in journalism. His father, Alexander Gifford, worked as a reporter for The Times-Picayune during the height of the Huey Long regime. His great-grandfather, Numa Dufour, published the French-language newspaper L'Abeille.

One highlight of Gifford's career was a one-on-one interview with John F. Kennedy the night Kennedy announced that he would run for president. But Gifford is probably best remembered for his coverage of Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

In 1966, Gifford signed on as an NBC news correspondent in New York City. But after a year in the Big Apple, he decided to return to the Big Easy. For the next 13 years, he served as the main anchor and news director for WVUE. In 1980, he returned to WDSU.

Gifford covers politics for the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. He also anchors the weekend public affairs interview show, "NewsChannel Closeup," on Sundays at 10, and hosts a morning cooking show, "Alec's Kitchen," Saturdays at noon.

He and his wife, Delores, have five children and eight granchildren.