Pittsburgh TV Station To Launch New Nightly Sports Program

PITTSBURGH, PA — Sinclair Inc. is launching a daily program that will focus on comprehensive sports coverage in and around the Pittsburgh area.

"Pittsburgh Sports Tonight," debuts on Aug. 31 on WPGH Fox 53. It also will air on Sincliar-owned stations WJAC NBC in Johnstown/Altoona/State College and WTOV Fox 9 in Wheeling Steubenville.

Together, the stations reach more than 3.5 million viewers, creating one of the nation's largest regional television audiences dedicated to local sports.

The 30-minute show will air weeknights from 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh Sports Tonight will provide nightly coverage the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Riverhounds SC, Pitt Panthers, Penn State, West Virginia University, Robert Morris University, Duquesne University, as well as local colleges and standout high school athletics.

“Sports are woven into the fabric of our communities,” said Tim McCoy, vice president and general manager of WPGH FOX 53 Pittsburgh and WTOV FOX 9 Wheeling-Steubenville.

“From Friday Night Rivals to championship moments at the professional level, the passion for sports throughout our region is second to none."Pittsburgh Sports Tonight"will celebrate those stories every night while providing viewers with comprehensive regional sports coverage. We are excited to bring together an outstanding team of journalists dedicated to serving sports fans across the region.”

The show will be hosted by Jack Hillgrove, who surname should be familiar to any Pittsburgh sports fan. He is the grandson of legendary Pittsburgh broadcaster Bill Hillgrove, who was the play-by-play voice of the Steelers for decades and still serves in that role for the Pitt Panthers football and basketball teams.

The Waynesburg College graduate has spent five years as a sports anchor and reporter for WTOV9, and is a part-time talk show host at Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan.

Co-hosting the show will be Destiny Sanchez, who comes to Pittsburgh after two years as a sports anchor and reporter at WFMZ-TV in Eastern Pennsylvania, where she covered Philadelphia’s professional teams, local high school athletics, and anchored the station’s weekday 5:30 p.m. sportscast.

Ashley Wenskoski will be a sports anchor and reporter, a role she held previously for three years at CNY Central (WSTM/WKOF NBC3/CBS5/CW6) in Syracuse,.

Darren Zaslau will serve as the show's executive producer and also will be a sports analyst and reporter. He has spent the past five years at FOX 53 and 22 The Point as an on-air host, executive producer and digital content coordinator.