The Cox Media Group-owned NBC affiliate serving Western Pennsylvania is preparing for a big change on its 5pm, 6pm and 11pm newscasts. On December 13, a 40-year veteran of the station’s news team will depart the station.
This means WPXI-11 in Pittsburgh is now planning for newscasts following the retirement of David Johnson.
“Although David will step down from anchoring, he will always be an important part of the Channel 11 family,” the station said in an announcement made Monday.
Johnson added, “I don’t know where to begin to thank the hundreds of people I’ve worked with here at WPXI-TV over the years.”
Johnson joined WPXI-TV in January 1985, arriving from sibling WSB-2 in Atlanta. He was part of the longest-running anchor team in Pittsburgh TV history, working alongside Peggy Finnegan before her retirement in 2020. Together they were named Broadcasters of the Year for 2016 by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, the first anchor team so honored. David has won an Emmy Award for his work at WPXI, as well as a number of Pittsburgh Press Club Golden Quills and other regional and local honors.
“It sounds cliché, but I really do want to spend more time with my family,” Johnson explained. “The following Monday, I will resist the ingrained inclination to put on a suit and drive to work. But I’m sure I’ll quickly get used to that!”
Johnson was raised near Daytona Beach, Fla., and is a University of Florida graduate. He’s worked at TV stations in on-air positions in Gainesville, and later in Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and Orlando.
