Sally Wiggin
Encyclopedia
Sarah Wiggin is a prominent television news anchor and personality in Pittsburgh.
A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan
, her family moved to Alabama
at the age of 7. She attended Emory University
for a year before transferring to the University of Alabama
, where she studied East Asian history and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a master's degree in Chinese history from the University of Michigan
and studied Japanese
at the University of Pittsburgh
.
She first worked for (then ABC
affiliate) WBRC-TV (now a Fox
affiliate) in Birmingham, Alabama
, where she won Alabama Associated Press
Award in 1980 for her feature series "Is Your Marriage on the Rocks?" She also worked as WSGN radio in Birmingham, Alabama
, where she shared an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, National Headliners Award, and National Sigma Delta Chi Award for her part in an investigative report on insurance fraud in 1977.
In 1980, she joined WTAE-TV
in Pittsburgh and became co-anchor of the weekend news in 1981. In November 1986, she was named anchor for the weeknight news. In that position, she was part of a successful team with Don Cannon
. In 1987, she won the United Press International
Best Special Award for her work on The Budd Dwyer Special about Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer's
on-air suicide.
Her only marriage, to a minor league baseball player, ended in divorce. Wiggin has stepped out of her anchor role to serve as a co-host for Pittsburgh Steelers
pre-game shows, as well as her regular appearances on WDVE morning comedy show. Wiggin's role with WTAE has shifted in recent years. She is less prominent as anchor, but does special reports and in-depth interviews for the station.
A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
, her family moved to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
at the age of 7. She attended Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
for a year before transferring to the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, where she studied East Asian history and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a master's degree in Chinese history from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and studied Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
.
She first worked for (then ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate) WBRC-TV (now a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate) in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, where she won Alabama Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Award in 1980 for her feature series "Is Your Marriage on the Rocks?" She also worked as WSGN radio in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, where she shared an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, National Headliners Award, and National Sigma Delta Chi Award for her part in an investigative report on insurance fraud in 1977.
In 1980, she joined WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
in Pittsburgh and became co-anchor of the weekend news in 1981. In November 1986, she was named anchor for the weeknight news. In that position, she was part of a successful team with Don Cannon
Don Cannon (news anchor)
Don Cannon was a prominent television news anchor in Pittsburgh.He worked at WTAE-TV from 1969-94. During that time, he became a "fixture of Pittsburgh broadcasting," and was partner with Paul Long and meteorologist Joe DeNardo. Later, he was teamed with Sally Wiggin. In 1999, he returned to...
. In 1987, she won the United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
Best Special Award for her work on The Budd Dwyer Special about Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer's
Budd Dwyer
Robert Budd Dwyer was an American politician in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served from 1971 to 1981 as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the state's 50th district...
on-air suicide.
Her only marriage, to a minor league baseball player, ended in divorce. Wiggin has stepped out of her anchor role to serve as a co-host for Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
pre-game shows, as well as her regular appearances on WDVE morning comedy show. Wiggin's role with WTAE has shifted in recent years. She is less prominent as anchor, but does special reports and in-depth interviews for the station.