Sally Wiggin officially retires from WTAE

Sally Wiggin has officially gone off the air.

After nearly four decades of broadcasting on WTAE Channel 4, Wiggin signed off Friday.

It wasn't without people noticing.

Wiggin's Twitter feed and Facebook page has been bursting with well wishes from friends, fans and her current and former colleagues in the journalism industry.

Cheers to @sallywiggin_ on this day! https://t.co/Qy96oUiraD

" RandyBaumann (@DVERandy) November 30, 2018

Don't you worry @sallywiggin_ you will not soon be forgotten! We'll follow you to twitter or wherever you choose to hang out! You can't get rid of us that easily!

" Teri Hirko (@TeriHirko) November 30, 2018

Sally Wiggin is an icon with a living legacy of generosity, kindness, humility and tenacity. Her love of animals is only rivaled by her love for Pittsburgh. I’m blessed to call her a friend. I hope you’ll send her a note on her retirement tomorrow.

We’re lucky she is ours.🖤💛

" Virginia Montanez (@JanePitt) November 29, 2018

She's the Queen of Pittsburgh....and she deserves the BEST! Thank you @sallywiggin_ for all you've done for Pittsburgh.....and also all you've done for me. I love you! https://t.co/jIO9fxEJzG

" Jackie Cain (@JackieCainTV) November 30, 2018

"My friends have asked me if this will be bittersweet, and I tell them, 'No, I have wanted this for years.' The bittersweet part is that a few of my coworkers at the station have been there with me the entire three decades on this journey, and I will miss seeing them," she told the Tribune-Review on Friday. "The other part is I will have to adjust to not having the rhythm of work. There is that rhythm that you have when you work full time."

She said she has been adjusting to that somewhat, having worked mostly from home for the past year, but there still were deadlines and work commitments to meet.

"I will still do voiceovers and other regular projects," said Wiggin, who is shooting an episode for "Chronicle," the station's magazine style show later today. "And I would love to guest lecture and be involved in other things on and off the air.

"It will take me weeks to respond to everyone who has wished me well," says Wiggin, who made public her decision during WTAE Black & Gold Primetime special, prior to the Dec. 4 Monday Night Pittsburgh Steelers game.

"I will miss Sally in the newsroom and on the air," Jim Parsons, WTAE-TV news director, said Friday in a statement. "I will miss our spirited conversations about 'Chronicle' and her honest input about making those programs the best that they can be. I am so proud of her work on 'Chronicle.'"

Parsons said he looks forward to continuing his friendship with Wiggin.

"I'll probably see her more often now than I have in recent months. I can't wait to see what exciting new challenges she accomplishes in her next life chapter."

Wiggin joined WTAE in 1980, and, in January 1981, became co-anchor of the weekend news, a position she held until November 1986, when she was named anchor on the weeknight newscasts. She anchored the 11 p.m. news for 16 years and the 6 p.m. news for 22 years. During her legendary career, Wiggin has earned numerous awards including a George Foster Peabody Award, regional Edward R. Murrow Award, a National Headliner Award, and the Board of Governors Award for the Mid-Atlantic Emmys, and she was inducted into the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Throughout her career, Wiggin has been a powerful advocate for nonprofit organizations including Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, The Caring Foundation, the Humane Animal Rescue, the American Heart Association, the Women's Center & Shelter, the Mentoring Partnership, and Gateway Rehabilitation.

"WTAE has given me such a gift with 'Chronicle' and all those years working there," she said. "I have covered some amazing stories and worked with the most professional news and sports men and women in the world, and I thank the Hearst Corporation for everything. I am extremely grateful."

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-853-5062 or jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.