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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Pete Scalia Returning To Cincinnati TV

Courtesy Pete Scalia
Oak Hills High School graduate Pete Scalia is a veteran of Cincinnati TV and radio.

Musician and former WLWT-TV traffic reporter joins WCPO-TV's 'Cincy Lifestyle' Team.

Oak Hills High School alum and former WLWT-TV traffic reporter Pete Scalia returns to his hometown airwaves as the features reporter for WCPO-TV's Cincy Lifestyle show 10 a.m. weekdays starting Friday, Sept. 3.

The journalist and musician moved his family back here earlier this year from Columbus, where he had anchored morning newscasts on WSYX-TV, WTTE-TV or WBNS-TV since 2011.

"I'm really excited. To get paid to do stories about cool things happening in my hometown, you can't beat that," he says.

Scalia, 48, replaces field reporter Allie Martin on the show hosted by Clyde Gray and Mona Morrow. The "marketing friendly program" is produced by Channel 9's sales department.

Scalia grew up in Delhi Township and attended Ohio University. While working as WLWT-TV's traffic reporter 2005-2008, he proposed live on the air to his future wife, Amy. She's the founder of Cincy Chic and a contributor to WKRC-TV, WSTR-TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group's digital platforms.

"Cincinnati has great music, arts, entertainment and culture," says Scalia, who has played keyboard around Greater Cincinnati with his father, Tony, in their band, Snidely Whiplash, for 30 years. Scalia also toured nationally as the keyboard player for the Freekbass funk band before joining Channel 5.

Scalia also has been a production assistant for WLWT-TV and WXIX-TV; the Bengals Radio Network stadium board operator; a WRRM-FM weekend DJ and morning show producer; a WSAI-AM studio producer for Dusty Rhodes and Nick Clooney; and editor of Cincinnati Profile magazine.

While working in Columbus TV, Pete was very public about his battle with severe rheumatoid arthritis which required both hips and both knees to be replaced ("my cartilage was completely gone") and deformed his feet and hands. Last year I wrote about him after he left WBNS-TV as he was launching #PSNeverGiveUp,a multimedia digital platform to inspire and entertain people by sharing uplifting "Never Give Up" stories.

Since then Pete, Amy and their three children moved from suburban Columbus to Greendale, Ind., to be closer to Amy's family in the Harrison area and his family on the West Side.

He was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis 18 years ago, at age 30. He had it under control for eight years, until he and Amy decided to start a family and he stopped taking a steroid called Prednisone. That's when his face got puffy and he started having mobility issues. After fertility issues, and three children, his symptoms are under control again.

He's ready to transition away from news to the sales department's lifestyle show.

"There's still a lot of good in the world, and I'm looking to share that," he says.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.