Jill Del Greco

BIO

I joined the #1 news team in the Miami Valley in April 2006 and quickly felt right at home!

I began as News Center 7’s Springfield Bureau reporter, but took a promotion as the Dayton crime and courts reporter less than a year later. You can also see me anchoring from time to time on the weekends, and I’m a very active member of our iWitness7 online photography website.

I grew up about four hours from Dayton in Weirton, West Virginia, which is in the skinny sliver of the state – wedged between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Weirton is about an hour from Pittsburgh, so I am a very devoted Steelers, Penguins and Pirates fan. Many local Bengals fans have tried to convert me, but I have to stay true to my roots!

I began my news career at WOUB-TV, in Athens, Ohio, where I attended college at Ohio University. I graduated magna cum laude and took my first job as an anchor/reporter at WMFD-TV in Mansfield, Ohio. I later moved on to WHIO’s sister station in Steubenville, Ohio, to work as WTOV-TV’s Belmont County bureau reporter.

Most of my free time is taken up by volunteer work. I’m a member of The Junior League of Dayton, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and I’m a volunteer photographer for Five Rivers MetroParks. I’m also on the advisory board for the Dayton Ballet and a member of Generation Dayton.

Feel free to email me at jill.delgreco@whiotv.com with any news tips or story ideas. You can also follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/jilldelgreco.

Q & A

Where were you born? Steubenville, Ohio

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Weirton, WV, which is in the northern panhandle of the state. It’s right on the border with Steubenville, Ohio, and it’s about an hour from Pittsburgh, PA.

What was your favorite TV show then? Friends, Seinfeld, The Simpsons

What was the first thing you ever wanted to be? When I was younger I was crazy about Major League Baseball, and I wanted to be a sports anchor on ESPN! Eventually my interests shifted more to news, and that’s how I got into reporting.

How might someone have described you in high school? Very, very shy. I was also pretty smart – I was a co-salutatorian of my graduating class in 1998.

What was your first job? I worked several summers during college at an oil refinery! I worked in the administrative offices, so I wasn’t out drilling oil or anything, but I did have to wear a hardhat when I went outside – I still have it!

What was your first job in television? During my junior and senior years at Ohio University, I was the senior producer at WOUB, in Athens, Ohio. I helped run the news department, which puts out a 6pm newscast each night. I helped produce, report, and anchor and sometimes I even did the weather!

What do you like about your job? For me, there is nothing else I’d rather do. I love meeting new people every day, and I love telling their stories.

What do you not like about your job? Knocking on the door of a family who has just lost a loved one to tragedy. It’s hard, but essential in television news.

What might people be surprised to know about you? A lot of people tell me that I look a lot different in person than I do on TV. I’m also a shortie – only 5'2"’!!

What is the hardest thing you ever did? Say goodbye.

What would be a perfect day for you? My days are perfect when I get to spend them with my family and friends. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to go into the business? Be prepared to work hard! A lot of work goes in to putting a single story on the air, but all the time and energy is worth it.

If you could only keep one 5-minute tape from your career what would be on it? I’d keep the stories that helped change lives – the story about the Christmas presents that were replaced after someone stole them, the report on the road that was paved after an ambulance couldn’t get to an elderly stroke victim, and the stories of accused killers who were captured after broadcasts about their crimes.

Favorites

Favorite book: Anything by Jodi Picoult and the Twilight series

Favorite CBS show: Medium

Favorite dream car: Anything with good gas mileage

Favorite food: Anything Grandma Del Greco makes – especially her soup!

Favorite hobby: Photography

Favorite Miami Valley place: Fifth Third Field – I love baseball!

Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption – I’ve seen it at least a dozen times!

Favorite music: I listen to whatever is on the radio, except I don’t like the heavy metal stuff.

Favorite travel destination: Anywhere without snow!