Pam Surano Biography: KDKA Reporter, Diocese of Pittsburgh

Pam Surano is an American journalist and communications professional who joined the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh in March 2022 as a producer and assignment editor in Communications and Community Relations.

Before that, she spent several years at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and earlier worked at other regional stations, including WDTV, WJET-TV, WTOV-TV, and WYTV.

She has also continued to use her journalism background in diocesan storytelling, including writing for the Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine and related communications work.

In a 2023 interview, Surano said the role let her “do journalism” while working on school and faith-focused stories

Quick Facts

• Age: 57 years old (born in 1969)

• Nationality: American

• Ethnicity: Caucasian

• Residence: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Current Role: Producer/Assignment Editor, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh

• Children: Mary, Jimmy, and Michael

Early Life and Family

Raised in Fords, New Jersey, Pam grew up alongside her siblings, including a sister and a brother named Andrew Wass. While she remains open about her siblings, she maintains strict privacy regarding her parents to respect their personal lives.

Pam was previously married to her ex-husband, Maloney. Though divorced, the pair maintains a cooperative, supportive co-parenting relationship for their three children: Mary, Jimmy, and Michael.

Mary’s Accident and Recovery Journey

On August 30, 2020, Pam’s life shifted profoundly when her daughter, Mary—then a high school student—suffered a traumatic accident on a backyard trampoline while performing flips, landing awkwardly on her head and neck.

The injury resulted in a spinal stroke and paralysis from the mid-chest down.

Mary underwent intensive treatment and rehabilitation at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute in Lexington.

Rallying around her daughter, Pam helped establish the nonprofit organization “Miracles for Mary” to assist with recovery efforts, secure medical equipment, and help introduce specialized advanced technology (such as the FDA-approved Exoskeleton device) to local care networks.

Through intense determination, faith, and physical therapy, Mary achieved significant milestones, including learning to drive with adapted hand controls and working toward her ongoing mobility goals.

Professional Career

Broadcast Journalism

Pam’s career in broadcast news spans decades and various regional stations:

• WDTV (West Virginia): Began her professional journalism career in January 1993.

• WJET-TV (Erie, Pennsylvania) & WTOV-TV (Steubenville, Ohio): Served as a morning anchor and reporter.

• WYTV (Youngstown, Ohio): Worked as a television anchor and health reporter, collaborating closely with local medical networks on the “Tell A Friend” health series.

• WPXI, NPR, & KQV: Worked behind the scenes as an assignment editor and contributed as a radio reporter.

• KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): Joined as a freelance reporter in June 2018, covering prominent local human-interest stories (such as the viral coverage of Kyree’s Valentine’s wish). She spent four years reporting for the CBS affiliate before stepping away from the daily news desk.

Transition to the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Following her daughter’s accident and a deeply personal spiritual awakening, Pam felt a calling to align her career directly with her faith.

In March 2022, she left commercial television to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh as a Producer and Assignment Editor for Communications and Community Relations.

In this role, she highlights uplifting community narratives, contributes stories to the Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine, and shares messages of faith.

Community Involvement and Faith

Deeply rooted in her spiritual life, Pam is an active volunteer and participant in church programs:

• Mission From Mars: Serves meals to unhoused individuals on Sunday mornings in Pittsburgh’s North Side.

• Parish Leadership: Has served as an interim lector at St. Alexis Church in Wexford and completed a theology series through the Greensburg Catholic Diocese.

Sources

• Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh – Official Staff Directory

• K-LOVE News Feature: “Former Pittsburgh Reporter Steps Away To Follow Her Faith”

• TribLIVE: KDKA reporter’s daughter recovering after trampoline accident

• Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine Archives