PITTSBURGH — Veteran Channel 11 News Anchor Peggy Finnegan has announced her retirement from the WPXI News desk, following a distinguished 30 year career with the station.
While Peggy is stepping down from anchoring the Noon and 5 p.m. newscasts, she will always be an important part of the Channel 11 family, and viewers will still see her as a part of special report coverage and community events throughout the year.
“WPXI is like a second home and family for me,” Peggy said. “I want to thank Channel 11 and our viewers for trusting me all these years to deliver the news. It’s a privilege I have never taken for granted. It is going to be very hard to say goodbye, but this pandemic is a reminder that life is unpredictable. Staying connected to loved ones, even if masked and socially distanced, is more important to me now than ever before. And that’s at the core of my decision to retire. In the balance between work and life, the scale has shifted decidedly to life. I look forward to sharing more time with my family and dear friends.”
Peggy joined WPXI in 1990, and her warm, sincere and professional delivery has guided Pittsburghers through the biggest moments in the city’s history over the past three decades; from the darkest days of Flight 427, September 11th, and the Tree of Life shooting, to the floods, blizzards, Stanley Cups, Lombardi Trophies, and everything in between. Peggy’s steady and compassionate voice has been trusted by millions of viewers to tell these important stories.
“In some cities, having a lengthy, prestigious career like Peggy’s would bring a certain arrogance, but that’s not Pittsburgh, and it’s certainly not Peggy,” said Kevin Hayes, Vice President and General Manager of WPXI. “The friendly, welcoming personality viewers see on TV is the same way she is in real life. Peggy is a true professional and it’s easy to see why she’s had such great success and longevity. Our city and our station are lucky she chose to call us home all these years.”
Peggy has also shared the most important stories of her personal life throughout her career at Channel 11, including her marriage to her husband and Pittsburgher, Michael Donnelly, the births of her four children and her inspirational battle with breast cancer.
Peggy’s 30-year partnership with anchor David Johnson easily makes them the longest running anchor team in Pittsburgh, if not the country. Together, David and Peggy have become woven into the very fabric of what it means to be from Pittsburgh. The team has earned prestigious journalistic awards for Channel 11, brought smiles and joy to city streets as anchors for the station’s annual holiday parade, and supported countless charitable causes and events, even winning $100,000 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire back in 2011.
“To have worked beside the same co-anchor for 30 years is unprecedented and honestly, our longevity has surprised even the two of us,” said Peggy. “So, it must be chemistry! On the other hand, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like David Johnson. He is an extremely talented newsman, and a dear friend who has been making me laugh for three decades. In a newsroom, trust me, laughter is a gift!”
Peggy’s last day anchoring the Noon and 5 p.m. newscasts will be December 18th. Channel 11 Anchor Lisa Sylvester will then join David at 5 p.m., along with 6 p.m., 11 p.m. and on Channel 11 News on Fox 53 at 10.
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