TV Q&A: Did a WPXI reporter exit?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: I think WPXI-TV’s Lonni Rivera is a freelancer, but I haven’t seen her in quite a while. Is she on vacation or maybe I am just missing her when she is reporting? Has she left WPXI?

— Evelyn, West Mifflin

Rob: Over the summer I heard there were layoffs behind the scenes at Channel 11. As part of an effort to rein in costs for on-air talent, part-timer Lori Houy and freelancer Lonni Rivera would no longer be called in as regularly. Not long after, Houy announced her retirement, though she said at the time, “That didn’t include me. … They never said anything about cutting hours or anything like that.”

Rivera, who returned to freelance at Channel 11 in 2023, has not posted her reports for Channel 11 to her Twitter feed since late August. Neither Rivera nor WPXI news director Scott Trabandt responded when I shared Evelyn’s question.

Q: Does WPXI still produce shows for PCNC? I was flipping through channels and noticed what looked like a live newscast airing around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, right before the 6 p.m. NBC newscast. If they do, why don’t they advertise these shows? Are there any other live broadcasts?

— Harry, Plum

Rob: As far as I know, WPXI does not produce any original programming for PCNC anymore outside of some newscasts and I’m not even positive about those. I sent Harry’s inquiry to WPXI executives. You’d think they’d want viewers to know about their programs on PCNC by responding, but they did not reply — the definition of publicity malpractice.

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Q: I saw on KDKA-TV’s website that Dave Crawley is still pictured and appears as if he is still with KDKA. I have not seen him on KDKA newscasts in years. When other reporters leave or get let go, their pictures are taken off the website. Why do you think Dave Crawley is still listed? Is he working behind the scenes?

— Nancy, Greensburg

Rob: I suspect that pictureless bio remains on KDKA.com for legal reasons.

Recall, Crawley was injured back in 2017 while performing a stunt on the Red Bull Flugtag, an attraction at the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

He went on disability. Later, Crawley filed an age discrimination lawsuit against KDKA and parent company CBS (now Paramount Global) but the lawsuit was thrown out by a federal judge in 2022, finding that Crawley was unable to prove that the station had discriminated against him based on his age. The judge left open a possible avenue for Crawley to file a claim over retaliation for filing for workers’ compensation in state court, but it’s unclear if that ever happened. Crawley’s last known lawyer and Crawley’s wife, who in recent years spoke on Crawley’s behalf, did not respond to requests for an update.