Andy Sheehan went for a run Saturday morning and, in essence, didn’t stop until well into the night.
Mr. Sheehan, an investigative reporter for KDKA-TV, lives in the neighborhood of the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. A phone call from Cathy Noschese, the station’s assistant news director who is currently serving as interim director, alerted him to trouble.
What followed was an evolving news event the likes of which had never been seen in Pittsburgh.
“We went [live on-air] at 10:35 a.m. and stayed until 8 p.m. We never ran commercials, never took a break,” said Jay Howell, KDKA-TV vice-president and general manager. “It was local the whole time.”
All credible news organizations do their best on-air to deliver breaking new coverage, with social media adding another layer of tweets and online updates.
It is here that television gets a chance to really shine. It can create a sense of immediacy, opening a window for viewers making it their go-to for as-it-happens events.
To be sure, all three local affiliates — KDKA, WTAE and WPXI — scrambled from the first alerts that day. We look here at KDKA, however, for a glimpse of what one station did right on a dark day. (Full disclosure: KDKA is news partner to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
Mrs. Noschese was north of the city when she received a call from the newsroom. A few minutes later, reporter Meghan Schiller, who was working that morning, texted her that there had been a possible shooting.
Brenda Waters was finished delivering the morning newscast. She and the crew were still in the Downtown newsroom when Mrs. Noschese, by now driving to Pittsburgh, ordered everyone to stay.
And so it began. Managing editor Corey Martin and executive producer Vicki Bigley arrived at the control room. Ms. Waters was joined by Heather Abraham, KDKA anchor and “Pittsburgh Today Live” host, who lives relatively close to the station.
They worked the desk while Mr. Sheehan and Ms. Schiller reported live from Wilkins Avenue and Murray, a block down from the synagogue at the corner of Wilkins and Shady Avenue.
Both looked as if they’d come from the gym: Mr. Sheehan wearing a white, Pittsburgh Marathon jacket as he did his remote, Ms. Schiller in a sports cap. He had literally run straight to the scene to meet his photographer, and never did get a change of clothing.
“Someone today said ‘How come he didn’t have a [KD] jacket on?’ ” Mr. Howell said. “I said ‘I’m sure he didn’t have time.’ The last thing we’re worried about on a day like this is, somebody isn’t wearing the brand.
“I’m just curious how he kept his phone charged.”
Mr. Sheehan, a former reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, appeared to work his law enforcement sources for information no one else had. He correctly reported he was hearing 11 fatalities, not 8, well before the official announcement.
“I’ve worked with Andy for decades and what I know from Andy is that he will never tell me that he can do with something unless he was completely sure,” Mrs. Noschese said.
Still working the story, including Monday’s arraignment for alleged killer Robert Bowers, Mr. Sheehan was unavailable for comment Monday.
#HAPPENINGNOW: Officers in tactical gear walking away from synagogue down Murray Avenue @KDKA pic.twitter.com/Tn3GwzbcFB
— Meghan Schiller (@MeghanKDKA) October 27, 2018
After a few false starts, the station was able to locate Mr. Bowers’ residence and sent reporter Ralph Iannotti there. Reporter John Shumway was dispatched to UPMC Presbyterian, where editors assumed the wounded would be treated.
On any given Saturday morning, there are perhaps a dozen people working on the newscast. Mr. Howell said there is no official count yet but “at least 40 people” contributed, “probably more.”
Anchors, reporters, editors, producers called in, wanting to work.
“We actually had to coordinate who was NOT to come in because we knew that the coverage would need to extend well past Saturday. We wanted to have people available on Sunday and beyond,” Mr. Howell said.
It speaks volumes that in a profession that places a premium on dispassionate reporting, the events in Squirrel Hill were so horrendous, and affected so many Pittsburghers, even some in the newsroom appeared shaken.
“It’s very personal to us,” Mrs. Noschese said. “We live in this city, we want to represent this city well. It’s important for us to do right by our station… this was a team effort and I am so proud of the people that I work with.”
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
First Published: October 30, 2018, 10:00 a.m.
