No, WXIX-TV's news anchor Megan O'Rourke is not related to Tanya O'Rourke, WCPO-TV's longtime anchor. Let's get that out of the way right now.
Megan, who was a Fox 19 reporter in 2014-16, grew up near Xenia and spent most of the past 15 years working at Dayton TV stations. Tanya, who has worked at WCPO-TV for more than 27 years, grew up in Finneytown.
"It's a pretty unique last name, which makes it so wild," says Megan, who started at WXIX-TV Wednesday. She starts anchoring Monday, April 10.
"During my previous stint in the Tri-State I would get a lot of questions on social media asking if there was any relation. There is not, but I'm flattered that people try to make the connection," she says.
Starting next week, the 1999 Xenia High School and 2003 Miami University alum will co-anchor at 3 p.m. with Amber Jayanth (with whom she worked in Dayton) and at 5 p.m. with Tricia Macke. She'll report stories in the 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts, says Steve Hyvonen, news director.
Megan grew up on a farm about 10 miles southeast of Xenia. Her father was a dentist. She started her career at KIDT-TV in Idaho Falls in 2003, after earning a mass communications/media studies degree at Miami. She worked at Dayton's WDTN-TV 2005-2014, and at Sinclair's WKEF-TV/WRGT-TV since 2016.
In her two years at WXIX-TV, she reported on the morning show in 2014, and on the 10 p.m. news her second year in town. At night she was "the lead reporter and tended to focus on the hard news and breaking stories. Lots of crime and courts. The morning show was a great experience because I was able to have a little more personality and fun with storytelling," she says.
Covering Pope Francis' visit to Washington, D.C., in 2015 with photographer Mike Buckingham was one of the most memorable experiences of her career.
"It was a remarkable experience witnessing an historic event like that," she says. "While every story is impactful in its own way, some others that stand out were the deadly collapse of the Hopple Street bridge over I-75 and the police shooting death of Samuel DuBose in 2015. I kept a close eye on that case and trial even after I'd left Fox 19."
Since leaving Cincinnati seven years ago, Megan has kept in touch with Hyvonen, who needed an anchor when Chris Rivas left March 1. Hyvonen calls her "an aggressive, smart journalist" with warmth.She did her final Dayton newscast Friday, March 31.
"I'm not someone who likes to sit around and wait, especially when it comes to something I'm looking forward to," says Megan, who has married since leaving WXIX-TV. She has an 11-year-old stepson.
"I'm really looking forward to working back in the Queen City. I have always had a great fondness for all of my former Fox 19 co-workers and friends. I run into Rob Williams from time to time around Cincinnati, and periodically exchange texts with Dan Wells and Frank Marzullo. I'm also looking forward to being back with Amber Jayanth and Payton Marshall. We worked together in Dayton.
"I haven't seen Tricia since I left. She's such a busy mom, but I am really looking forward to reconnecting. I've always admired Tricia and her dedication to her family, Fox 19 viewers and the community."
