PITTSBURGH — David Johnson has been a familiar face on Pittsburgh televisions for 40 years, but this chapter of a now legendary career almost didn’t happen. In a sit-down interview with his Channel 11 co-anchor Lisa Sylvester, David admitted he had no idea he would ever be in Pittsburgh this long.
Thursday at 5:45 p.m., Channel 11 will be taking a look back at some of the biggest stories David covered throughout his career.
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“Well, I got a call. I was a nightside reporter at Channel 2 in Atlanta and it was the general manager who said, ‘We’ve seen you and we think you could be an anchor. You could be weekend or noon anchor if you want,’ and I didn’t know anything about Pittsburgh other than the Steelers and the Pirates.”
David grew up in Florida and said at that time, he had an “outsider’s view” of Pittsburgh.
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“They have steel mills. It’s smoky. It’s awful. It’s dirty. So, I said ‘no!’ to the first phone call, but then Nancy, my wife, said, ‘If they call back, take the interview.’”
WPXI managers did call David back, and also agreed to have him fly to visit Pittsburgh with Nancy.
“We came through the Fort Pitt tunnels, and it wasn’t a particularly pretty day, but you know, boom, there’s the city and we both said, ‘Oh my gosh, why didn’t they tell us about this,’” said Johnson.
For David, it was love at first sight, but there were some bumps along the way.
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“I had accepted the job, and then was at a bar with a good friend of mine who worked at a rival station in Atlanta, and so we’re talking about Pittsburgh, and of course there’s a Pittsburgher at the end of the bar. He overhears us, and he says, ‘Oh, where are you going?’”
“I said, WPXI, and he asked what newscast. He really knew a lot (about Pittsburgh television). I said the noon news, and he kind of chuckled. He took a hit of his drink, and he said, ‘Patti and Daddy are going to kick your a--!”
That’s how David found out he would be anchoring a newscast scheduled in the same time slot as legendary KDKA father and daughter news duo Patti and Bill Burns.
David spent four years anchoring the noon news, then, he would pair up with a photographer to report. He spent time learning the city---its politics, its diverse neighborhoods and heritage--- until a sudden and unexpected promotion.
“The anchorman at the time got into this argument with the news director,” recalled David.
“He was from Texas, and he wanted to go back to Texas. They wouldn’t let him, so they put him on overnight cut-ins, and the news director called me and said, ‘You’re doing the 11 tonight.’”
David describes the feeling as “crazy.”
“I really had to wrap my head around it. Being 32, everybody else had gray hair on the other stations. Really, well-known names. I thought, you know, wow, they’re taking a chance on me. I’m this young whippersnapper kid from Florida,” he said.
That was summer of 1989. David never went back.
“I’m very grateful.”
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One year later, Peggy Finnegan joined David on the anchor desk. David and Peggy went on to anchor together for 30 years, becoming the longest-running anchor duo in Pittsburgh history. When his on-air partner retired in 2020, David remained as a warm and friendly face onscreen for Pittsburgh viewers---and a calming presence behind the scenes.
When asked what he’ll miss the most, David replied, “The people.”
“I’m going to miss walking into a newsroom and feeling the vibe. When there’s that big buzz, it’s a big story. It’s breaking news, and you can feel it right away. Even when it’s not a big news day, there’s something special about a newsroom. I’m going to miss walking around talking to people,” he said.
“I worked here for 40, but five years in various TV stations before this so it’s really all I’ve known. Newsrooms have been my home and my other family. Channel 11 is my TV family. I cherish them and I’m going to miss it.”
David Johnson’s last day on the air will be this coming Friday, Dec. 13.
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