Story

Jill Del Greco

News Center 7 Reporter

BIO

Hello Miami Valley! Thanks for visiting my bio page! I joined the #1 news team in Dayton back in April of 2006, and I love it here!

I spent my childhood about four hours away from Dayton, growing up in Weirton, West Virginia. For those of you who haven't heard of my hometown, I like to describe it as being in the skinny part of the state, wedged between Ohio and Pennsylvania (about an hour from Pittsburgh). I have the best family a girl could ask for, including my parents, one younger brother and a beagle named Tucker! I even have family living in Cedarville!

I left West Virginia and became an Ohio girl during my college years, attending Ohio University (Go Bobcats!) from 1998 to 2002. I'm a magna cum laude graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, where I spent endless hours volunteering at our college TV station, WOUB.

After graduation I moved to Mansfield, Ohio, to become an anchor and reporter for WMFD-TV, and a little more than a year later I left for WTOV9 in Steubenville, Ohio, where I ran the Belmont County bureau for more than two years. Since I like Ohio so much, I then moved over here to Dayton, where I now cover the city's crime beat.

I'm thrilled to be living in the Dayton area, and I'm very proud to now call Dayton home. Since I grew up near Pittsburgh, yes, I'm a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates and Penguins, but since moving here I've also jumped on the bandwagon for the Cincinnati Bengals and Reds, and of course, the Dayton Bombers, Flyers and Dragons!

I'm a (not very good) player for our WHIO softball team during the spring and summer, and I enjoy volunteering for different organizations throughout the year.

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?
I don’t like that some people assume reporters are out to twist the truth just to get the "big" story. We’re not like that at News Center7. We strive to put only accurate information on the air, and we want to give everyone the chance to tell their side of each story.

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?
Driving across the state in what seemed like a blizzard was tough. For me, trying to control my car in a snow storm is a nightmare!

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 probably save some bloopers, just so I can remember how much fun this job can be, but I’d also save some of my investigative reports.