The Steelers making the postseason. Remembering a fatal plane crash. Life-saving weather updates.
Whatever the story, WTAE’s social media keeps 925K+ followers and subscribers up to date. My posts and video content grew those pages while reflecting the heartbeat of the region.
TikTok/YT Shorts/Reels
Since 2023, I’ve been the lead digital editor experimenting with WTAE’s new TikTok account. Alongside YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, these 9:16 social videos have been a way for the station to stand out in the media landscape and grow our reach, especially on IG.
Facebook/Twitter
With over 600K followers, Facebook remains WTAE’s biggest channel. Our content here is one of the main traffic-drivers to our website and is a main method of getting out important, life-saving updates. Both Facebook and Twitter/X also allow unique engagement with our audiences, like live video and polls.
When a Pittsburgh-area police chief died during a shoot-out in January 2023, I produced this Facebook Live to share our chopper coverage of the procession:
Every year, local amusement park Kennywood lights up for the Christmas season. I livestreamed our look at the park from our helicopter reporter’s vantage:
As a visual medium, TV news has a leg up in presenting itself through Instagram. My emphasis on creating content meant for the platform, such as reels, has led thousands of new followers to WTAE’s IG, including a 234% increase in new month-to-month followers between April and May 2024 (I talk about that a little more here).
Allen Warren 