21. Boomer Esiason

Few Long Islanders in the media are as openly proud to be from Long Island as West Islip native Boomer Esiason. It’s part of his appeal—Boomer is an unpretentious everyman who also happens to be rich and famous. The Boomer and Carton in the Morning show might seem an unlikely success story—when it first arrived, in 2007, it seemed another experiment destined to be remembered only as a footnote. Today, it has a devoted following and has become the sound of Long Island’s mornings. Esiason has also become a leading national figure in the fight against cystic fibrosis: He has established the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which raises millions of dollars to battle the disease. He and his wife, Cheryl—who today live in Manhasset—have been involved in a laundry list of other community organizations. And as his voice gets louder, his considerable power grows.