She nearly accepted, but when her father's station heard about the proposal, they made a counteroffer, and Burns joined KDKA on July 15, 1974.
Initially, the move was criticized and labeled "The Patti and Daddy Show", but the concept proved popular with viewers.
[1] After her departure, she created Burns Communications, a video production company, and eventually contributed stories to news programs for WQED-TV, the local PBS affiliate.
She worked for a wide range of charities and causes, including Animal Friends, St. Peter's Child Development Centers, and Magee-Women's Hospital Foundation.
She married longtime companion Charles Cohen, a noted lawyer in Pittsburgh, shortly after her diagnosis on May 18, 2001, at the Allegheny County Courthouse.