CHANDI CHAPMAN
Was Courier ‘Woman of Excellence’ in 2021
It’s not uncommon for an intern to make a good first impression at their place of employment.
But former WTAE-TV (4) news director Bob Longo had to meet and greet Chandi Chapman, at the time a senior in college just looking for a snack in the WTAE lunchroom.
“He said to me, ‘Are you the intern that just wrote a package on the first day?’” Chapman recalled to the New Pittsburgh Courier.
In a bit of a shy manner, Chapman answered in the affirmative.
“He was like, ‘Wow! OK,” she remembered.
Chapman, then a senior at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, spent her first day as a WTAE intern heading out to report on a story, which includes getting “sound on tape,” video, writing a script, speaking it into a microphone, and then editing it all together into a “package” that can be aired on TV.
Interns usually don’t do all that on the first day.
But Chapman described herself to the Courier as “assertive,” “ambitious” and a person who “gets the job done.”
Today, Chapman is the solo weekend evening anchor for WTAE, a position that was announced in late January in congruence with other anchor roles at the station.
In the local TV news field, one has to have a certain level of tenacity and “stick with it” to move up in the ranks. For Chapman, that was no different. Upon graduation from New Castle High School and Pitt-Greensburg, Chapman worked as a desk assistant for WTAE, doing everything from running the assignment desk to producing newscasts. Wanting to be on the air, she left WTAE for nearby WYTV-TV in Youngstown, where she got her first taste of being in front of the camera as a reporter. Chapman then headed to WTOV-TV in Steubenville, where she got her first chance to be an anchor, along with reporting in the field. Myrtle Beach, S.C., was the next stop for Chapman, where she received numerous promotions and became the weekday anchor for WMBF-TV’s station’s 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts. Chapman then dominated mornings at WTVM-TV in Columbus, Ga., before heading back to Pennsylvania to work at independent station WFMZ-TV, which penetrated the Philadelphia TV market.
In 2017, current WTAE news director Jim Parsons mentioned to Chapman that a reporter position was open at the station. Chapman said it was the right time to return to her hometown region, as she was pregnant with her son at the time. In October 2017, Chapman officially joined the WTAE family for the second time, and it didn’t take long for her to rack up some Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Awards. In 2018, Chapman and WTAE producer Mary Davies claimed the Team Coverage Award for “Search for a Killer,” and won the Weather—News Single Story or Series Award for “February Tornado” with former reporter David Kaplan and chief meteorologist Mike Harvey.
Chapman has been seen by Pittsburgh-area viewers covering stories in a reporter role for the past four years, but anchoring is something that brings her even more joy.
With anchoring, “I know that I can tell a variety of stories and I’m talking directly to you,” she told the Courier in an exclusive interview. “I love reporting, but I’m reporting one story on that day; on the anchor desk, you just get a wide variety and I can show my personality.”
Chapman had been a fill-in anchor over the past few years, but she jumped at the opportunity when the station was looking for the right 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekend anchor. Viewers mentioned how Chapman was a “calming voice” on the anchor desk, and that they feel like she’s talking to them. Chapman said Parsons mentioned she has a “unique anchor style that is sincere.”
“I’m just so happy that people pick up on that, that I’m not fake,” Chapman added.
As WTAE’s weekend evening anchor, Chapman will be the face of the station following some notable ABC programming in the near future, including the Academy Awards (Sunday night, March 27) and the NBA Finals. And she’s doing this as the only Black woman on local news in that time slot. WPXI-TV (11) features Ryan Houston as its weekend evening anchor, and for KDKA-TV (2), it’s station staple John Shumway.
Chapman told the Courier she is proud to be a person that other young people, especially Black girls, can look up to, in her hometown region. She used to be that young girl, looking up to Black women television figures like Lynne Hayes-Freeland (KDKA), Patrice King Brown (KDKA) and Darieth Chisolm (WPXI).
Chapman also felt blessed to be honored as a Courier “Woman of Excellence” in December 2021, where 50 Black women were honored for their achievements in the Pittsburgh area. It’s the largest celebration of Pittsburgh-area Black women of its kind.
“My cheeks are still hurting from smiling,” Chapman said. “To be in the same room with the other women…that was amazing because I love the news, but that’s the reason I love the news, because I can give information to people, to the community. To be honored for something that impacts the community directly, that was very special for me.”
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