WATCH: DiStefano Joins NewsdayTV As 'Great Opportunity', 'More Sleep'

MELVILLE, NY — After 17 years at News 12, Elisa DiStefano got an offer she couldn't refuse. The popular personality is part of the fledgling NewsdayTV, run by her former boss Patrick Dolan.

"Newsday has given me a great opportunity to be part of something new," DiStefano told Patch.

Beyond that, DiStefano is excited to "let my creativity expand in ways that I had been able to before."

She will get plenty of work at the NewsdayTV new Studio 2, where they accommodate live streaming events in front of an audience of nearly 200.

"I will have the privilege of hosting," DiStefano said.

The versatile News 12 alum will also go into the community to tell stories "in a multimedia, multi-platform kind of a way," she said.

While she will always treasure her time at News 12, including the friendships that endured and her relationships with viewers, she is not missing the early morning shift, waking up at 1:45 a.m.

"That certainly was a factor, having some more sleep, and more time with my family," DiStefano said, who, with her husband, own two Point Lookout restaurants.

"Our house has been crazy," DiStefano, who has two young children, said. "So to be able to slow it down a little bit at home and be there more is something that was really important to me."

Watch the full interview below.