Pennsylvania TV station’s heartbreaking tribute to ‘legend’ anchor Soni Dimond after her death
Veteran broadcaster Soni Dimond has been mourned by her local news station following her sudden death at the age of 67.
The self-proclaimed ‘Queenager’ suffered cardiac arrest on December 27 and died at Lancaster General Hospital on Thursday, without ever recovering.
Dimond was a part-time anchor at local news station ABC 27 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she hosted the lifestyle segment Vibrant Living.
Colleagues from the TV station paid tribute to her on air following news of her death, paying tribute to her 45 years in the media.
“Soni will long be remembered for the energy and glamor she brought with her every time she stepped into the ABC27 studio,” the channel said.
Amy Kehm, who hosted Good Day PA, the show that featured Dimond’s segment, broke down in tears as she spoke of her admiration.
Veteran broadcaster Soni Dimond has been mourned by her local news station following her sudden death at the age of 67
Dimond was a part-time anchor on local news station ABC 27 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she hosted the lifestyle segment Vibrant Living
“This was her idea to host a segment called ‘Vibrant Living,’ because that’s how she lived – vibrantly,” she said.
“I’m a better person for meeting Soni and there’s a reason she had the last name she did, because we all want to shine bright like a Soni Dimond.”
Former colleague, now WBAL anchor, Robert Lang added: “Soni Dimond was an absolute sweetheart, a great PR professional and classy lady. I loved working with her in Harrisburg.”
Dimond attended Cedar Cliff High School and Gettysburg College and began her career as an intern in 1978, when the station was known as WTPA-TV 27.
She was hired a year later as the station’s first weekend news anchor, and was also its first female anchor.
During the week, she filed reports for WGAL-TV8 and hosted a segment called Consumer Corner.
Dimond left journalism later in the 1980s and worked for AFSCME in Washington, DC and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Dimond attended Cedar Cliff High School and Gettysburg College and began her career as an intern in 1978, when the station was known as WTPA-TV 27.
When she returned to ABC 27 in 2018, she pitched Vibrant Living as a segment about seniors and how they enjoyed life – as she
Dimond was known as a style queen who brought glamor to the newsroom
She started her PR agency Soni Dimond Media in 1995, for which she was named one of the Best 50 Women in Business in Pennsylvania Award in 2003.
When she returned to ABC 27 in 2018, she pitched Vibrant Living as a segment about seniors and how they enjoyed life — just like them.
Dimond was survived by her niece Elena Lomicky, husband Joe, their son Emerson and her husband, Kevin Martorana, after 28 years of marriage.
Her funeral will be on January 17, 2025 at Wiedeman Funeral Home & Cremation Services, on Harrisburg Street in Oberlin, Pennsylvania.