Monday, March 17, 2025, 10:24PM |  42°
MENU
Advertisement
WTAE-TV general assignment reporter Kylie Walker will soon be leaving Channel 4 for a new job at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City.
1
MORE

Kylie Walker exiting WTAE-TV for new job in Oklahoma City

Kylie Walker

Kylie Walker exiting WTAE-TV for new job in Oklahoma City

A mixture of fast food and family lured Kylie Walker away from Pittsburgh.

Well, it was those two factors combined with Hearst helping out one of its own that led the 27-year-old WTAE-TV general assignment reporter to recently accept another reporting and anchoring gig at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. Her last day at Channel 4 will be July 8.

Walker made the news of her imminent departure official on social media Tuesday afternoon.

Advertisement

Hearst, which owns both WTAE and KOCO, knew Walker wanted to move closer to her childhood home in Dallas. So, the company steered her in the direction of Oklahoma City.

New WTAE-TV weekend sports anchor Emily Giangreco reports from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Joshua Axelrod
WVU grad Emily Giangreco joins WTAE as new weekend sports anchor

“Hearst has been amazing in providing me with opportunities in the company to do what I really want to do, which is telling great stories and making an impact with those stories,” Walker told the Post-Gazette.

Not only was she impressed with KOCO’s talent and setup, but also she immediately fell in love with the area upon seeing fast-food favorites like Whataburger and Torchy’s Tacos that had not been available to her for a quite a while. Most importantly, though, relocating from Pittsburgh to Oklahoma City puts Walker closer to her family, especially her 86-year-old grandmother.

“She is my best friend,” Walker said. “She is the person I’m waking up in the morning and am on the phone with. ... She’s so excited to have me back home and I’m excited to be closer to her, my friends and immediate family.”

Advertisement

Walker graduated from Texas Christian University with a journalism degree in 2017. She got a crash course in local broadcast journalism during her two years reporting for ABC 57 in South Bend, Ind., before joining WTAE in 2019. She quickly realized how dedicated Pittsburghers were to “making sure they’re tuned in to what’s going on in their neighborhoods.”

Her favorite stories that she got to cover here all generally involved emphasizing “the strong community in Pittsburgh,” including the recent feature she did on the local photographer who runs the keeppittsburghdope Instagram page. Walker said she has always admired how unique each Pittsburgh neighborhood is and how much they look after each other.

“It’s a tight-knit community,” she said. “They are each other’s champions and really lift each other and they’re stories up. If we didn’t know about a story that was happening, you can bet that some neighbor was going to send it in on their behalf. I think that support system these neighbors have for each other is super special.”

She thanked the people of Pittsburgh for being her support system when she moved here with no prior knowledge of the city or anyone in it. Walker fully intends to visit Pittsburgh again, especially because she never got around to attending a Steelers game at Heinz Field.

Former WJLA-TV reporter Kristen Powers is joining WTAE-TV as the station's new weeknight 11 p.m. anchor.
Joshua Axelrod
New WTAE-TV anchor Kristen Powers ready for Pittsburgh after 3 years covering D.C. chaos

Walker’s WTAE colleagues will “always be my second family” and she urged Channel 4 viewers to stick with the station as it continues to “dig deep on stories that are important to them.” She also wanted to thank all the “newsies in this market” who kept her on her toes for three years as she did her best to make sure they were informed about the most important local happenings.

“Thank you so much for your support over these last three years,” she said. “It has meant the world to me. Thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me no matter the story and opening yourself up to me and my co-workers.

“We work so hard to bring you all great content. I’ll definitely miss you guys.”

Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.

First Published: June 21, 2022, 9:26 p.m.
Updated: June 22, 2022, 10:23 a.m.

RELATED
Longtime WTAE-TV sports anchor and reporter Guy Junker reports from the student section at a University of Pittsburgh basketball game.
Joshua Axelrod
WTAE sports anchor Guy Junker retiring in April after 44-year sports TV career
SHOW COMMENTS (12)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 15: Mason Rudolph #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
1
sports
Gerry Dulac: If Aaron Rodgers goes elsewhere, what are Steelers' next QB options?
Pedestrians walk through rain showers in Schenley Plaza in Oakland Sunday, March 16, 2025.
2
news
Officials confirm 6 tornadoes hit Pittsburgh region as severe storms left widespread damage
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.
3
sports
Paul Zeise Live: Are Steelers getting used for leverage by Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Juszczyk and others?
Rob Hirst and Danielle Cain are opening their Hey Babe bar-lounge inside the Maverick Hotel in East Liberty.
4
life
Two hospitality veterans are bringing new life to former Ace Hotel lobby with Hey Babe
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek (15) runs in celebration after recovering a fumbled kickoff by the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in the Northshore. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 27-14.
5
sports
Brian Batko's Steelers chat transcript: 03.17.25
WTAE-TV general assignment reporter Kylie Walker will soon be leaving Channel 4 for a new job at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City.  (Kylie Walker)
Kylie Walker
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story