Story & Photos by Robert Hester
When the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Park first opened in April of 2001, it quickly gained rave reviews as the best baseball park in America, a title the self-proclaimed “Jewel of (Pittsburgh’s) North Shore” still has to this day. As for baseball, it’s known as “America’s Pastime”. And one of biggest fans of the Pirates, PNC Park, and America’s Pastime is truly an All-American Girl who’s an All-American journalist in the making.
A native of the Pittsburgh, PA suburb of Saxonburg, Addison Albert has made a positive impact on viewers in the Ohio Valley on WTOV-TV 9 in Steubenville, Ohio since she arrived at the station in the summer of 2021. And like any athlete Addison, the coin a phrase, is an All-Star in her multiple duties at NEWS9, in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes. “I have an interesting position,” Addison said, “I am an anchor, a reporter, and I’m also a producer!” Her hard work on NEWS9 paid off at the end of 2023 when she was nominated as the Young Professional of the Year by the Follansbee (West Virginia) Chamber of Commerce.
Addison came to WTOV-TV in the Ohio Valley from Penn State in Happy Valley with a major degree in broadcast journalism. As she did before she became a journalist as a Penn State graduate, Addison was recognized for her journalism talents as a Penn State student. As an anchor for Penn State’s Centre County Report, located at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, she was a part of the first-place entry from the November 2020 election as a live reporter at the 2021 Student Keystone Media Awards as the Best Public Service Broadcast.
Another major accomplishment that went with her major degree in broadcast journalism was placing 8th in the top 10 entries of the Hearst Journalism Hard News Collegiate Competition. This accomplishment was meant for such a talented reporter like Addison who says she, at times as a reporter at NEWS9 is, “constantly being exposed to controversial and uncomfortable topics.”
Aside from reporting and anchoring news, something that’s in her comfort zone is entertainment. Addison is quite an entertainer in more ways than one. In addition to her major degree in broadcast journalism from Penn State, she also holds a minor degree in theater from Penn State. She’s an accomplished singer and thespian. Addison’s talents as an entertainer have opened many doors and accomplishments. She sang at First Night Pittsburgh's annual celebration and even accepted an opportunity to be trained for a week in New York City on, where else, Broadway as a recipient of the Henry Mancini Musical Theatre Award at the Jimmy Awards.
FUN FACT: When we did our photo shoot for this story, I got her to sing the first part of our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, while she was holding an American Flag!
As mentioned before, Addison has multiple duties at WTOV-TV NEWS9. The biggest and most challenging duty is co-anchoring the weekday morning newscast, NEWS9 Sunrise. “I wake up in the early hours of the night when most people are asleep,” Addison said about her experience being the co-anchor of NEWS9 Sunrise. What she can also say about her experience is that it’s not as “glamorous” as some of her audience believes she lives whether they watch her in the Ohio Valley on TV, and elsewhere on WTOV-TV’s website and mobile app. On the contrary, her life and career can take a toll on some to most people like her. However, she reminds herself that “I have been blessed to have the most positive, encouraging, and kind co-anchor [Bill Phillips, formerly of Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV] and morning crew in the business,”
Addison said as a verbal celebration, shout out to her NEWS9 colleagues, “If it weren’t for them and our constant laughter, those early mornings could start to be a lot harder.” As for her own sense of humor to get her through the constant grind of being a TV journalist on-camera, Addison said this, “I love to laugh on [NEWS9 Sunrise] so that folks know I don’t take myself too seriously.”
But whether it’s coming up with new, innovative ways to express herself as a journalist in the Ohio Valley, or cheering on the Pirates at PNC Park and the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium as a way to express herself as a die-hard sports fan in the City of Champions, Addison is a prime example of someone who works hard to be the best journalist she can be while having fun with her life and career off, and on-camera. “[Being a journalist] teaches me how to value only important information and hone in on working under pressure,” Addison said, “Others might disagree but I love a challenge and that is what this career gives me each and every day!”
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