Pittsburgh’s first female TV news reporter Eleanor Schano dies at 88

A Pittsburgh broadcasting icon and pioneer has passed away.

Eleanor Schano was Pittsburgh’s first female solo news anchor at WPXI, back when it was known as WIIC.

She was also the city’s first female television news reporter, weathercaster and commercial announcer.

Robert Yuna, who produced the noon newscast on Channel 11 with Schano as the anchor, told our news partners at TribLIVE.com: “Eleanor was always prepared, well-turned out and as perfect as possible,” he recalled. “Also, very smart, usually much smarter than her male coworkers. Not a dumb blonde by any means. She also wrote very well and was fearless.”

Schano’s daughter sent Channel 11 some notes she found on her mother’s iPad.

You can read them below:

"Many people have said I have elevated reinvention to an art form. I have reinvented myself so many times. The reason is simple. It’s important to know when it’s time to move forward. Best to be ready before a door closes. One definition of success is being prepared when the opportunity presents its self

I knew early on that I wanted to be a news reporter. Even though at the time there were no women in television news. It was an all male fortress. With the thinly veiled sign. No women need apply.

It was a time when women were culturally deprived and intellectually pigeon holed into basically three professions. Teacher nurse or secretary

Women like me stood alone. No role model. No mentor. Just sheer determination and perseverance.

Not enough time to tell you the horror stories surrounding what it took to finally become the only. “chick” in the newsroom. I was only assigned to t he weather and a fluff story here or there. The only way for me to reinvent myself as a hard news reporter was to seize the opportunity and one day I did. When a victims of a motorcycle gang rape was being taken into the police station for the arraignment I was alone on the newsroom. No reporters around whe I grabbed a photographer and covered the story getting an exclusive interview with the victim who wanted to tell her story. I got that interview inthe ladies room. It led the evening newscast and won several awards.

Thus I became the first general assignment female news reporter in the region

Fast forward. Reinvented myself again. One more time bing prepared whe the opportunity arrived. Title 9 in the 70s. The FCC was threatening to remove the license of tv stations if they didn’t show some diversity at the tv news anchor desk. It was my dream job and I was ready.

Then guess what happened. I had tOo many birthdays and as any woman over the age of 40 will tell you. Its not easy for a woman to grow older on tv.

Time for another re invention. Before they told me. I had already decided that I had to move on and the opportunity came along to become a host of my own tv talk show.

The thing that’s scarier than change is standing still. At some time in every womans career there will be a crossroads. A decision to turn one way or the other. Often the best move is to forge on

Looking back. I felled conventional wisdom Once early on when I was warned if I wanted a prime position I had dare not get pregnant. Well I did three times. Having to hide my condition. And be back to work after wo weeks vacation

I will continue to reinvent myself. Wondering what I will be morphed into next. Which brings me to the other topic I was asked to speak about retirement. Since I have never worked a day in my life. That how much passion and purpose I still have for my profession. Retirement is not an option."

—  Eleanor Schano

Schano died Monday at 88-years-old of COVID-19.

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