The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Michelyn Hood, a Lincoln-Lemington native and Allderdice High School graduate who loves the excitement and professionalism of the television field, and who grew up watching local stations like KDKA-TV (2), is now a full-time host on the powerhouse television station.
“There was an open position for a correspondent (on KDKA’s morning lifestyle program, ‘Pittsburgh Today Live’), and a couple people from around the city saw it and said I would be a great fit for it, and I applied,” Hood told the Courier in an exclusive interview, March 5. She was officially hired on March 4.
Hood recently met with KDKA’s news director, Kathy Hostetter, and general manager, Jay Howell, for a series of interviews, and according to Hood, they both “liked that I had a connection to the community, a lot of energy and was pretty natural on camera. The relationships that I already have in the city all played a major part.”
“Pittsburgh Today Live,” which airs weekday mornings on KDKA from 9 to 10 a.m., has a little bit of everything—sit-down interviews with local entertainers, artists, authors, and entrepreneurs, on-camera cooking sessions with local chefs, as well as performances. Seasoned Pittsburghers remember “Pittsburgh 2Day,” a lifestyle-oriented show which aired throughout the 1980s, hosted by Patrice King Brown, a Sheraden native and Langley High School graduate, and Jon Burnett. When the show ended, Burnett transitioned to the weather department, and has been a popular figure in that arena for almost three decades.
King Brown, who is African American, successfully transitioned to the KDKA news anchor desk, and became a staple on KDKA’s 11 p.m. news for nearly two decades before retiring in 2011.
Hood, who also is African American, will serve as the “Pittsburgh Today Live” Lifestyle and Entertainment host, where she will conduct live and pre-recorded interviews with various people from many locations around the region.
But for Hood, it’s nothing new. She told the Courier she’s been a public advocate of Pittsburgh for the last five years as founder and host of “Pittsburgh Spot” (PghSpot.com), where she conducted interviews with a diverse array of Pittsburghers.
“I had some face recognition and that was good for them,” Hood said about the hiring process for the Lifestyle and Entertainment host position at KDKA. “And they didn’t want to fill this position with a reporter. It’s a talk show, so the goal is to have fun, and have a conversation.”
“Pittsburgh Today Live” also wants to dominate the online space with its videos, and Hood has extensive experience in that aspect as the engine behind PghSpot.com. The website regularly has thousands of visitors watching the video profiles.
Hood also was the national sales director for VisitPittsburgh for the past two years, responsible for bringing large conventions to the city. She played a vital role in bringing the NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) convention back to Pittsburgh in 2018.
Hood, who attended the University of Pittsburgh, was a New Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40 under 40 honoree in 2016. She told the Courier she will go by the name “Mikey Hood” on KDKA when she is officially introduced to the viewers on Monday, March 11, by “Pittsburgh Today Live” co-hosts Heather Abraham and David Highfield.
After the formal introduction, it’s off to scouring the region for those interesting entrepreneurs, movers-and-shakers, and personalities that have come to shape the Steel City.
“You get to learn about people…and typically it’s people who you would never get to know on an everyday basis,” Hood said. “The fun in it is learning and also exposing people to the city. It’s important to put a spotlight on them…if they’re doing something great for the city, then I’d like to highlight that.”
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