I-Team
Michele Gillen
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Michele's Video Library
Michele Gillen is chief investigative reporter at WFOR-TV, Miami, Florida. Gillen, who has served as an anchor and investigative reporter on both network and local television news, is the recipient of 23 National Academy of Television Arts and Science (NATAS) Emmy awards, the Columbia DuPont Silver Baton, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting, three Green Eyeshade Awards, and has been honored twice by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television.
Gillen came to WFOR from KCBS-TV, the CBS station in Los Angeles, where she worked as investigative reporter since June, 1995. Prior to joining KCBS, Gillen produced and reported a number of investigative series for the nationally-syndicated news magazine The Crusaders. From 1993 to 1994, Gillen worked at WTVJ (NBC) Miami, as anchor of the 6 and 11 PM newscasts and investigative reporter.
Before joining WTVJ, she served as investigative correspondent for NBC News from 1988 to 1993. During her last two years at NBC News, Gillen was a featured investigative correspondent on the news magazine broadcasts Exposé and Dateline NBC. She worked from 1980 to 1988 at WPLG (ABC), Miami, as anchor and investigative reporter. Gillen began her broadcast journalism career as morning anchor and reporter for WLBZ-TV (NBC) in Bangor, Maine. Later, she moved to WCSH-TV (NBC), Portland, Maine where she served as the evening news co-anchor.
Gillen has a long history of initiating investigative reports which result in significant legislative and/or law-enforcement policy changes. While at KCBS, she reported and produced a special investigative series titled "Mammography- Too Young to Die". The series, which was selected best of show for all investigative reporting (local and network) by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, exposed a flawed government policy on mammography and was credited by members of U.S. Congress.
Michele produced a pioneering five-part special report for "The Crusaders," which focused on domestic violence, particularly in South Florida. Her reporting resulted in a county-wide task force which provided cameras to police agencies to use in documenting domestic violence reports. At WTVJ, she won two Emmy Awards for an investigative series on elderly abuse at state-licensed South Florida nursing homes. The series helped initiate important legislative and law-enforcement changes to fight elderly abuse. While working for "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw," she conducted a four-month investigation of substandard mammography equipment which resulted in the creation and passage of the first federal law setting national standards for mammography.
Gillen graduated valedictorian from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech and mass communications. A native of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, she served on the Board of Overseers at Emerson College.