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WHEREAS, Lynne Hayes-Freeland, a native Pittsburgher, first African American woman to host a weekday radio show on KDKA Radio, and longest running KDKA-TV broadcaster, will be retiring after 45 years in the broadcasting industry; and,
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WHEREAS, Lynne began her broadcasting career as the producer of the Roy Fox Show on KDKA-Radio in 1976, moving on to KDKA-TV a year later where she held a variety of positions including field producer for Evening Magazine, and producer of a variety of other public affairs programs including Weekend Magazine Vibrations and the station’s annual Children’s Hospital Telethon; and,
WHEREAS, in 1989, Lynne moved to the KDKA-TV news department as a general assignment reporter, while also serving as the host of KDKA-TV’s “Waiting Child” segment for more than 15 years, a bi-weekly program designed to find adoptive homes for special needs or hard to place children, as nearly 70% of the children featured on the segment were adopted; and,
WHEREAS, some of Lynne’s most memorable guests on her TV show have included Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Oprah Winfrey and Minister Louis Farrakhan; and,
WHEREAS, Lynne is currently the host of the Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show, a community and public affairs program that is instrumental in bringing community issues to the forefront; and,
WHEREAS, other notable endeavors include her work with Dollar Bank as the face of their successful “Mortgages for Mothers” initiative, a home buying seminar designed to help women in the Pittsburgh area become first time home buyers, her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and her services on the boards of several non-profit organizations;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes Mrs. Lynne Hayes-Freeland’s contributions in creating a major communications platform that has been crucial in spreading the word about issues that impact the quality of life of the African American community;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare October 12, 2021, to be “Lynne Hayes-Freeland Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.