PITTSBURGH , Pa. — A new, region-wide sports show is set to debut Monday, promising a faster-paced, conversation-driven look at Pittsburgh sports.
“UPMC Pittsburgh Sports Tonight” will air every weeknight Monday through Friday from 7 to 7:30 p.m. on Fox 9 in the Wheeling-Steubenville market, broadcasting from PST headquarters.
The show features Jack Hillgrove, Destiny Sanchez, Ashley Wenskoski and Darren Zaslau covering the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and more, with an emphasis on discussion and debate in addition to highlights.
“Viewers should expect a show filled with energy, personality, debate,” Hillgrove said. “We may get into some arguments here and there, but you’re also going to get some reporting. We’re gonna be at practices. We’re going to be at games.”
Sanchez, a Long Island, New York, native and Penn State graduate coming to Pittsburgh from eastern Pennsylvania, said the city’s sports culture fits the show’s approach.
“This is one of the most passionate sports cities in America,” Sanchez said. “I think that a style show like this where we are embracing our personalities and embracing energetic takes is synonymous with Pittsburgh.”
Winskowski, a Syracuse graduate who has spent the past three years working in the Syracuse market, said she has long viewed Pittsburgh as a top sports town.
“People here care so much about not only just their teams and what’s going on in the stats, but also I think the conversation created around those teams and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” she said.
Zaslau, a former host and broadcaster at WPGH Fox 53 and a Pittsburgh native, said joining the show is personal.
“As somebody who grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from Matt Lebanon High School, who is a Yinzer, to be a part of a show like this, that is unique in this market, means so much to me and I’m so excited to see the growth,” he said.
The program will differ from a traditional highlight show.
“There’s gonna be four of us in studio most nights,” Wenskoski said. “It obviously is a sports set. We’re gonna have fun memorabilia from the Pirates and the Steelers and the Penguins and University of Pittsburgh. So I think it’s gonna look and feel very, very different than your average local newscast.”
“I want our viewers to say, man, ‘that was fast. I want more,’ ” Zaslau said. “We want people coming back the next day, and the next week, and the month. And we want people wanting more.”