When Bryant Reed first arrived at KDKA-TV in January 2021, it took him a minute to wrap his mind around just how many newsworthy stories occur in Pittsburgh every day.
“At first, it was kind of a shock because of the amount of things that happen on a regular basis,” the 26-year-old Charlotte, N.C., native told the Post-Gazette. “Once I got adjusted to the pace a couple months in, it was all systems go and everything felt fine and fell into place.”
Next month, Reed will have to get used to how yet another news market operates when he begins his new job as a weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter at WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn. His last day as a KDKA reporter will be Friday, and he’ll be heading out for Connecticut next week. Reed announced his imminent departure from Channel 2 earlier Thursday on social media.
It’s been a ride, PA ????????: pic.twitter.com/erxcDjLXms
— Bryant Reed (@Reed_Reports) September 29, 2022
Reed had wanted to work in Pittsburgh since he was a kid visiting his family who lived here and participating in basketball camps at the University of Pittsburgh run by then-Panthers coach Jamie Dixon. He spent his KDKA tenure living with his 93-year-old grandmother, which proved to be particularly beneficial for both of them after his 91-year-old grandfather died two months after Reed moved in with her.
“I had the chance to spend time that’s invaluable [with her],” he said. “I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a broadcasting track from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Reed started his journalism career at WECT-TV in Wilmington, N.C. He spent two years in that relatively small news market, which is why he needed a short acclimation period for getting used to how fast and furious the news cycle in Pittsburgh can move.
He arrived in Pittsburgh during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when most of his colleagues were still working from home on a regular basis.
“It was different,” Reed recalled. “Reporting was the same, but it was kind of odd not being able to see any of my bosses or coworkers and communicating with people mainly through phone and sometimes Zoom. ... It took a second to get used to, especially starting in a new place, but it all worked out.”
Though Reed was ultimately in the Steel City for less than two years, he’ll never forget being one of the first reporters on the scene following the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse or covering the aftermath of a fire that destroyed a historic building on the South Side. He also loved getting to pitch in on last year’s six-part KDKA series “From Virus To Vaccine: COVID-19 & The Black Community.”
When asked what he’ll miss most about living in Pittsburgh, Reed’s first response was, “Not the winters.” As a big Steelers and Penguins fan, he’s a bit bummed about no longer having easy access to his favorite teams’ home stadiums. Reed is also a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and he’s sad to be heading out right before the Cardinals’ season-ending series with the Pirates at PNC Park.
In terms of the city itself, Reed thinks he’ll be wistful for the diversity of this area “from a nationality and neighborhood perspective.”
“You can hop from one place to another and go from Little Italy to Squirrel Hill in a moment’s notice,” he said. “Getting a literal taste of everything is one of the things I’ll miss the most.”
Despite starting his KDKA tenure during a particularly chaotic moment in history, Bryant said he felt welcomed by his colleagues and that he was able to form a connection with just about everybody there. He’ll always be grateful to Channel 2 for providing him “with the opportunities I needed to grow.”
It’s also not lost on Reed that Pittsburgh is “one of the few places that genuinely cares about news” in a world where that’s not always the case everywhere. He loved having the chance to connect with Pittsburghers through their television screens and on the street.
“It’s great to walk into a store and someone will randomly stop you and say, ‘Hey Bryant! I watch you every morning!,’” he said. “I’m going to miss Pittsburgh and the people.
“The Pittsburgh viewers have been awesome to me, and I hope I did right by them.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: September 29, 2022, 8:21 p.m.
Updated: September 30, 2022, 12:26 a.m.
