90.5 WESA Station News

What have you always wondered about Pittsburgh? Are you curious how your neighborhood originally received its name? Or maybe how Pittsburgh formed its unique dialect? Or maybe you've always wanted to know what happened to all of our street cars and inclines? From serious to silly, we're here to help.

*Not all pledge drive thank you gifts will be available at all times. Tune in daily for specials!

PITTSBURGH— Pittsburgh’s NPR news station, 90.5 WESA, will be the recipient of a 2020 Report for America grant to place a reporter in Johnstown, Pa.

We review our program schedule twice each year with an ear towards improving our overall service. We are excited to announce several new additions to our weekday evening and weekend lineup. We are adding two new programs on weekday evenings: On Point from NPR and WBUR at 8 p.m. and Think with Kris Boyd at 10 p.m. You can still catch 1A Plus with Joshua Johnson, it will move to 9 p.m. And the full two hours of 1A will still air from 10 a.m.

WESA is about to go into its new fiscal year and several generous WESA Leadership Circle members are encouraging you to invest in local reporting that is meaningful to you. They will do that by matching your contribution dollar-for-dollar.

90.5 WESA reporters, hosts, editors and producers have garnered awards in several competitions recently, including the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow awards, Pennsylvania Associated Press Media Editors Awards, Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Awards , Western PA Press Club Association Golden Quill Awards, and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Robert L. Vann Awards. The categories run the gamut from breaking news to public affairs to technology, and showcase the station's hard news and enterprise reporting. Here is a listing of this season's awards:

NPR host and special correspondent Melissa Block, one of NPR's most familiar and beloved voices, comes to Pittsburgh on March 19 for a conversation about the past, present and future of journalism—part of the Media Innovators Speaker Series at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. 

WHAT: A public forum on the future of energy, presented by StateImpact Pennsylvania, The Allegheny Front and 90.5 WESA

WHEN: January 29, 2019, 6:15 p.m.

WHERE: Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15219

REGISTER: This event is free to attend, but space is limited. Please register here.

PITTSBURGH – Season ticket packages are now on sale for the Media Innovators Speaker Series, featuring journalists from National Public Radio and The New York Times Magazine.

WESA.fm is undergoing maintenance during the evening of Friday, Oct. 12, and through mid-afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 13. In the case of any breaking news, you can find updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also tune in to 90.5 FM to catch us on the airwaves and find our live stream online here.

Thank you for your patience!

-90.5 WESA Digital Team

The Confluence production team is looking for a currently-enrolled undergraduate or graduate student  intern interested in learning to produce its new hour-long daily news program.

On July 19, 2018, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and its Board of Trustees announced  the election of a new Chairman and Officers to the organization.  Elected at the Spring Trustees Meeting in New York City on June 29, 2018, Terry O’Reilly, President, CEO, Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, was named Chairman.  

WESA General Manager John Sutton announced today that The Confluence, which airs Fridays at noon, is going on hiatus for the remainder of the summer. The program will return Monday, August 27th at 9 a.m. as a daily one-hour news and discussion show. WESA’s Kevin Gavin will continue to host The Confluence. WESA’s Megan Harris and Kiley Koscinski will produce the program.

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania announced the winners of the 54th Golden Quills Awards on May 24th, 2018 at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. The competition recognizes professional excellence in print, broadcast, and digital journalism, including photography and videography in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Below is a list of winners and finalists from Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, including 90.5 WESA, The Allegheny Front, and 91.3 WYEP. 

The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation’s 30th annual Robert L. Vann Media Awards, held May 3 at the University of Pittsburgh, highlighted the power of diverse storytelling and exceptional journalism. Three 90.5 WESA reporters were among the winners.

RADIO PUBLIC AFFAIRS

● An-Li Herring 90.5 WESA

Black Girls, Who Often Have History of Trauma, Are 11 Times More Likely to Encounter Justice System

RADIO NEWS FEATURE

90.5 WESA reporter Margaret J. Krauss's report, Snagging Amazon HQ2 was recently recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Regional Award in the hard news category by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). 

Finalists have been named in the Press Club of Western PA’s 54th Golden Quill Awards, recognizing professional excellence in journalism. More than 15 journalists and producers from WESA, WYEP, and Allegheny Front are finalists in the Radio/Podcast category for spot/breaking news, features,  science, education, arts and entertainment, sports, environment, documentary, public service and more. The complete list of finalists is available here.

Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station Leads Statewide Radio In First Place Awards

Join 90.5 WESA, Ira Flatow and the SciFri crew as they report on the amazing science news and stories happening right here in Pittsburgh, Saturday May 19, 2018 at Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead.  The event will be recorded for future broadcast on Science Friday. Tickets are $29-$49, available now!
CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS  OR CALL 877.987.6487

Feb. 15, 2018 

Dear Friends of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting,

January 10, 2018—Pittsburgh, PA:  90.5 WESA News Director Patrick Doyle today announced that the company has hired  veteran arts journalist Bill O’Driscoll as its Arts and Culture Reporter.

“We're excited that Bill O'Driscoll is joining our newsroom to cover arts and culture," Doyle said. "He's been reporting on the arts community in Pittsburgh for two decades, and his depth of knowledge about local organizations, both large and small, is unsurpassed."

PITTSBURGH, PA, JAN. 9, 2018— Effective January 15, 2018, Larkin Page-Jacobs will step away from her position as local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on WESA, and will become the station’s full-time Managing Editor. Christopher Ayers will assume host duties for All Things Considered, and Kiley Koscinski becomes Morning Edition Producer.

PITTSBURGH, PA, JAN. 9, 2018—Christopher Capato has been named Director of Finance for Pittsburgh Community Broadcast Corporation (PCBC), owner and operator of public radio stations 90.5 WESA and 91.3 WYEP.

May 26, 2017; PITTSBURGH, PA— Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting (including 90.5 WESA and 91.3 WYEP, as well as The Allegheny Front) has had an award-winning season, with recognition from the Pennsylvania Associated Press, Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Robert L. Vann Awards and culminating last evening with awards at the Pennsylvania Press Club Golden Quills Awards.

I promised to keep you informed on the status of Federal funding for Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, and there is some good news to share.

 On May 5, the President signed the $1-trillion-dollar compromise appropriations bill that averted a government shutdown through September... and secures our Federal funding--and that of the entire CPB-funded public media system--at current levels until September 30, 2019.