WPXI’s Alby Oxenreiter on the mend

Channel 11 sports anchor Alby Oxenreiter has been off the air for several weeks and WPXI-TV released a statement on his whereabouts Wednesday.

“Alby is now at home recovering from open heart surgery, which he had one month ago,” the statement said. “He developed a major blood infection that traveled to his heart. The surgeon replaced two heart valves, but other complications from the surgery have delayed his recovery. Alby is making progress, but a full recovery will be a long road ahead.”

Oxenreiter has been confiding in colleagues about his recovery since a long run in intensive care following his surgery.

WPXI executives had not responded to questions about Oxenreiter’s recovery for several weeks prior to the social media post.

Oxenreiter joined WPXI-TV as sports director in 2006. Prior to that he filled the same role at WPGH-TV when Channel 53 had its own in-house newscast. Prior to his work at WPGH, Oxenreiter worked at WTAE-TV. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, Oxenreiter attended Villanova University studying communications.

You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location