The Mirror

PBS Snags NBC’s Yang

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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The PBS NewsHour maybe just got a little less dry.

They’ve hired John Yang, who works for NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt in Chicago.

Yang, 58, will be a general assignment correspondent, with Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff still at the helm.

He joins the newscast on February 29.

Yang is no stranger to Washington. Before NBC, he was at ABC News, where he was a weekend White House correspondent. He also put in nearly a decade at The Washington Post, where he was a reporter and an editor.

As is always the case with a brand new hire, everyone is “thrilled” and “excited.”

“John has a keen eye for a great story and a deep appreciation for the issues and trends that impact our country and our world,” said PBS NewsHour executive producer and WETA SVP Sara Just. “His experience, insights and skills will be a tremendous asset to the NewsHour at a time that we are growing and expanding. We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Yang added, “I couldn’t be more excited to join Gwen, Judy and the entire talented NewsHour team. I’m inspired by NewsHour’s decades-old tradition of high-caliber journalism, telling the most important stories. I’m both humbled and eager to have the opportunity to contribute to that legacy.”

Fun facts about Yang: According to online reports, the openly gay journalist was born in Chillicothe, Ohio and is a graduate of Western Reserve Academy, a boarding school near Akron that is a three hour car ride from his hometown. He went on to graduate cum laude from Wesleyan University. A claim to fame: New England Patriots Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick graduated from the school 1975, the same year Yang graduated from high school.