Rick Dayton

Rick Dayton joined KDKA in September 2009 as a morning news anchor. He can be seen anchoring the KDKA-TV Morning News from 4:30am-7am on KDKA-TV and the KDKA-TV Morning News on Pittsburgh’s CW from 7am-8am on WPCW-TV alongside co-anchor Jennifer Antkowiak! In addition, Rick hosts Hometown High-Q, KDKA-TV’s Saturday morning high school quiz show.

While much of his morning is spent behind the anchor desk, Rick’s passion is being in the field — talking with people, getting to the bottom of each story.

Whether it is covering the President or local politics, the native of Grove City strives to figure out how news of the day impacts viewers in KD Country.

For more than two decades, Rick has been involved in many facets of the broadcast business. Before coming home to Pittsburgh, Rick spent seven years at WOWK in Charleston/Huntington, WV. He anchored the continuing coverage of the Sago Mine disaster, and the joyful return of Army private Jessica Lynch to West Virginia. He was on the scene covering the campus shootings at Virginia Tech and traveled with the West Virginia Mountaineer basketball team as they made an unlikely run through the NCAA Tournament to the Elite 8 in Albuquerque. He also shared the elation of Marshall Thundering Herd fans in Huntington and Hollywood, CA for the debuts of the feature film ‘We Are Marshall.’

Rick also has many years of experience covering sports. He spent seven years with Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh, North Carolina and was Sports Director of the North Carolina News Network. He called hundreds of college basketball and baseball games in the ACC. Rick also covered the National Hockey League for five seasons – including three as a broadcaster on the Carolina Hurricanes Television Network. Dayton hosted the syndicated radio shows Drive Time: The Golf Radio Show and Winston Cup Today. Dozens of national and regional awards have recognized his work.

Dayton first stepped behind a microphone in 1983 in his hometown of Grove City as a newscaster and DJ at WEDA-FM. He continued in radio through four years at The College of Wooster before choosing a career in sales after graduation. Five years later, his passion for journalism won out, and he moved back to the broadcast business.

Rick says one of the biggest honors of his career came when KDKA offered him the opportunity to come home to western Pennsylvania.

Rick and his wife Jenny have three sons. He manages to play a little golf now and then, but training horses and coaching youth sports takes up most of his free time. He and Jenny worked to restore a ski boat which has led to many enjoyable days on the water with family and friends.