Kevin Dietz

Local 4 Defenders

Kevin Dietz has been at WDIV since June 1993, and along the way he has won a small cache of awards for his reporting with the Local 4 Defenders investigative unit.

Kevin has won several Associated Press awards, including one for living on the streets of Traverse during an undercover look at the struggles of the homeless population. Changes were made to city policy and a new soup kitchen was established after Dietz's story aired. He has won a dozen Emmys, one of which was for a story exposing an illegal abortion clinic. This year Kevin won a regional Edward R Murrow award for his ongoing coverage of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. His work has also been honored by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, for a look at faulty fire trucks in the Detroit Fire Department. He has twice been honored with the Agnes Scott Leadership Award for commitment in the fight against substance abuse.

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During his career, Kevin has covered the Persian Gulf War from Saudi Arabia, flew a fighter jet with the famous Blue Angels and covered the devastating hurricanes that pummeled the Florida coast. But his proudest moment came when he helped clear a 13-year-old girl of murder charges by showing how the 5-year-old neighbor whom she was accused of killing suffered from seizures and actually drowned in the bathtub. He has drawn praise for his ability to dig deeply for stories, flesh out details and be the first to break the story. However, he says it's the people behind the stories who truly motivates him.

"My favorite part of this job is meeting local Detroiters with incredible stories or inspirational lives. I meet people from all walks of life who teach me what's important in life and how to become a better person," he says. Kevin was born in Detroit and has lived in Michigan his entire life. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, and graduated from Western Michigan University. He began his career at WPBN in Traverse City in 1987, before moving on to WLNS in Lansing, then WOOD in Grand Rapids, before coming back to Detroit. He gleaned more than a few memorable moments during his previous stops, including one particularly embarrassing on-air episode that he remembers from his days in Lansing.

"I was mooned during a live shot on pit bull attacks," he recalls.

When Kevin's not chasing down investigation stories, he and Melissa, his wife, along with their three children, Kevin, Isabelle and Alexis, spend time in northern Michigan. He also enjoys basketball, golf and tennis.

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevindietzwdiv.