“They don't make them like Elaine Effort anymore.”
“Her friendliness, her generosity, collegiality.”
“She would share her wisdom.”
Elaine Effort, a pioneering journalist with a decades-long career in Pittsburgh, passed away earlier this week. For 38 years she worked as a reporter for KQV-AM 1410, reporting on crime, politics, the arts and anything else that she found to be newsworthy. She was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, a mentor to dozens of young journalists, a Girl Scouts leader, a mother and a grandmother.
Effort grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended the University of Michigan, where she met her husband, Edmund. She started at Pittsburgh’s KQV in the 1970s, where she stayed for the duration of her professional career. In addition to her daily reporting, she also produced a regular series called “Pittsburgh Profiles,” in which she highlighted the work of people in the city making a difference in their communities.
In the 1970s, a young reporting intern named Bob Mayo — who now works as a reporter for WTAE TV — “got to tag along” with Effort to Polish Hill where Democratic primary candidate Jimmy Carter was campaigning. While Effort broke away from the press pool to send in a live report to the station, Mayo said he was tasked with holding her microphone, probably a little too close to Carter’s “famous smile.”
“Elaine was kind enough to let me play that part in her story,” Mayo said. “And as I went on to work at other stations in Pittsburgh radio, we’d often be covering the same stories. She was always friendly and supportive of us.”
Christine Haines, a former KQV coworker, said she learned from Effort in the newsroom, and also valued her lessons outside of work.
"She truly was a mentor," Haines said. "She made that human connection with people. She always put anyone she was interviewing at ease. That was such a valuable thing to learn as young reporters."
In an industry that can feel competitive with breaking news and distinct coverage, Effort was always willing to help out a new reporter or share her boundless knowledge about Pittsburgh. Mayo said she was always dedicated to getting the story right.
“She cared very, very much about thoroughness,” Mayo said. “She had a broader sense of commitment to community, which was evident in her professional activities and outside of working.”
Effort was a leader in the Girl Scouts organization and spent time with dozens of young women, usually at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in East Liberty. That’s where Harold Hayes, the now-retired KDKA reporter, enjoyed seeing her outside of their professional affiliation, as Hayes’ daughters were Scouts themselves.
“They, now in their mid-30s, have had a very difficult time this week absorbing the fact that ‘Miss Elaine,’ as they called her, is no longer with us,” Hayes said. “That’s a testament to the impact she had beyond just the radio microphone.”
When Hayes and Effort did find themselves at the same news conference, Hayes said there was an unspoken rule among city and county officials (or whomever was holding the press conference) that it couldn’t begin until Effort had arrived. Often, he said, she was a little later because she had already been covering several other stories that day. But as nearly everyone knew, it wasn’t time to start until Effort had wheeled in her recording equipment. Even though radio reporting requires succinct soundbites and scripting, Hayes said Effort always stayed throughout the entire press conference, often asking the most poignant questions.
“Sometimes politicians — I know you’re shocked to learn — they will try to give you a pat answer. She wouldn’t accept that. She would always ask the next question to delve into what the real issue was,” Hayes said. “That was really a hallmark of her career in Pittsburgh on the radio.”
Her “Pittsburgh Profiles” series on KQV featured diverse voices, often from the city’s Black community. She interviewed entrepreneurs, politicians, community advocates — anyone trying something new or making a difference. Through the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation’s program for high school students looking to learn more about journalism, she mentored dozens of teens about the broadcasting industry. Ervin Dyer, a writer, editor and journalist and former president of PBMF, said she was always available to talk about stories with young reporters, and often wrote to them when she enjoyed something they’d produced.
“She would give you feedback,” Dyer said. “It was all about serving the community, to make journalism better for the community.”
Former KQV anchor and Effort’s colleague Alexandria Chaklos said she was dedicated to making sure their radio audience understood each story, no matter how complicated.
“She was always diligent, getting everything done and making sure everything was correct,” Chaklos said.
After retiring from KQV in 2017, Pittsburgh City Council honored Effort with a proclamation on Dec. 28. She’d go on to work for WESA from 2018-2019, producing the station’s “90.5 WESA Celebrates 90 Neighborhoods, 90 Good Stories” series. It features interviews with artists, health experts, gym trainers and quilters — just to name a few.
Through her decades of reporting, she earned multiple Golden Quill Awards and Robert Vann Awards and received the Legacy Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation.
Hayes said that reflecting on Effort’s decades of journalism, an old hymn comes to mind, “Brighten the Corner of Where You Are.”
“Wherever she was, she tried to brighten the corner,” Hayes said. “I think that’s her enduring legacy.”
WESA’s Katie Blackley worked with Effort at KQV from 2014-2015; Harold Hayes is a former board member of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation.
