Angie Moreschi can leave Pittsburgh knowing that she made a tangible difference in her hometown.
The McKees Rocks native only worked as a WPXI-TV investigative reporter for about three years and yet still managed to move the needle on multiple occasions. Her investigation into erroneous E-ZPass charges prompted the passing of state legislation to protect turnpike customers, and her reporting on nursing homes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic inspired the Pennsylvania Department of Health to change how those facilities are required to report COVID cases and deaths to the state.
Her last day at Channel 11 was Jan. 4. Moreschi already has packed up and moved to the Washington, D.C., area for her new gig as a national investigative correspondent. She wasn’t able to say where she will be working yet, but she’ll begin her new job on Jan. 23 and teased that Pittsburghers will still be able to watch her on the news.
“To come here and be able to do what I did on a local level and hopefully expand it nationwide, I’m super excited to get started,” she told the Union Progress. “I think it’s just an incredible opportunity.”
Moreschi is a Sto-Rox High School graduate who studied broadcast journalism and political science at Syracuse University. Her first stint in Steel City journalism began in 1992 when she was hired as a WTAE-TV anchor and reporter, where she worked with the likes of fellow Channel 4 alumni like Ken Rice and Don Cannon and is still good friends with Joe Rovitto, the former WTAE news director who hired her. She and Rovitto had lunch shortly before leaving Pittsburgh.
A few years later, Moreschi moved to Florida for a job at WFTS-TV in Tampa. She went on to hone her craft at WAVE-TV in Louisville, Ky.; WTHR-TV in Indianapolis; and two more Tampa stations before returning home as a WPXI investigative reporter in January 2020.
“It was amazing to come back, see people I grew up with and do stories with them,” Moreschi said. “It felt impactful to make a difference in the place where I grew up. … We did some really important work that I hope helped people a lot.”
Her exit follows the two other WPXI on-air talents who left the station late last year. Westmoreland County bureau chief Melanie Gillespie recently became a public information officer for the office of Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, and reporter and weekend anchor Ryan Houston is now anchoring for KATV-TV in Little Rock, Ark.
It wasn’t Moreschi’s intention to end her time at WPXI this soon. She wasn’t looking for a new job, but when she was contacted about this potential opportunity, the chance to report in “the nerve center of the country” was too enticing to pass up.
“It’s just a matter of continuing to do what I do … and hopefully having a wider impact,” she said. “D.C. is an exciting city. I love history and just the vibe of the city, which is pretty cool.”
When asked what she’ll miss most about living and working in Pittsburgh, Moreschi said that “people are my jam” and that it never failed to make her day “when you make a connection with folks here.” She emphasized that she’ll still come back home fairly often since D.C. is only a four-hour drive from Pittsburgh and she still has a ton of family and friends here.
She wished her now former WPXI colleagues well and said she’s “so glad we got to do some great work together.” As for her final message for the viewers who got to know her via their TV screens:
“See yinz later! Be well. Stay Pittsburgh strong.”
Joshua covers pop culture, media and more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Contact him at jaxelrod@unionprogress.com.