As a well-known Pittsburgh broadcast journalist, Chris Moore is no stranger to the history of Pittsburgh and the significant role that this year’s legacy honorees (Alma Speed Fox and Katie Everette Johnson) have played in it. That, along with his witty humor is why the New Pittsburgh Courier is pleased to welcome the notable producer and host as its celebrity host for the 2014 50 Women of Excellence Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 12.
“I am honored,” Moore said of his duty. “Any publication as legendary as the New Pittsburgh Courier, I’m honored to have my name associated with it.”
For more than five decades Moore has dedicated his talents to documenting the history of the African-American community and giving it a voice.
It was in 1980 that Moore joined WQED Multimedia. Since then he has produced, hosted and narrated numerous programs and documentaries. At WQED, Moore is best known for his work as the former host of “OnQ” and “Black Horizons,” the longtime running African-American focused public affairs television talk show that addressed issues of interest and relevance to the African-American community. He can currently be seen as the moderator of “4802,” the weekly show that discusses the top news issues of the week, as well as the host of the program “Horizons.” He is also a contributing producer to the show “Experience.”
Moore has also produced and narrated several documentaries such as “Wylie Avenue Days,” an Emmy Award-winning documentary on the Hill District, “Torchbearers” and “Jim Crow Pennsylvania” along with various military related programs including “Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania’s Tuskegee Airmen.”
In addition to his work at WQED, Moore was the creator and host of “Black Talk” on WCXJ, and currently hosts the live-call program on PCNC called “Pittsburgh Now” and “The Chris Moore Show” on KDKA-AM. There, he gives a “unique, informed and intelligent grasp of the issues.”
Moore said he does what he does because he truly enjoys it.
The Little Rock, Ark., native is a graduate of Grambling State University in Louisiana and a Vietnam Veteran. Moore has received numerous recognitions and awards for his many achievements throughout the years including the Urban League’s Ronald H. Brown Award for civic leadership and the 2013 Catholic Youth Association’s Bill Burns Award.
Along with his professional commitments, Moore also volunteers his time as a way to give back to the community. He is a member of the Fairview Park board and the founder and co-director of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation’s Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop, which gives high school students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field of journalism.
Moore’s better half is his wife, Joyce Meggerson-Moore, his queen of more than 35 years. While the two have no biological children, he has hundreds of “children” that he has worked with throughout the years that affectionately call him “Dad.”
When asked what he enjoys doing in his spare time, Moore jokingly remarked, “What is spare time?”
Moore said he would like to congratulate this year’s honorees and that he is very proud of them all.
