MARILYN MITZEL
Morning Anchor

“My passion is telling stories, helping people and making a difference in their lives.”

I am most proud of my ground breaking investigative series "Cancer At The Pumps" which changed Florida laws requiring vapor recovery systems on gas pumps, to "Dangerous Diets" which triggered a congressional investigation into the diet industry, to the "Ryan White Story", about a young Indiana man whose courage helped educate the world about AIDS and contributed to Congress passing the "Ryan White Act."

I began my broadcasting career in Bismarck at KFYR-TV AM/FM as a general assignment reporter. Soon I was promoted to anchor and was the first female co-anchor at KFYR-TV and its first college intern. Coming back to my native state is something I always wanted.

From KFYR-TV, I jumped to WRTV in Indianapolis as an anchor and reporter. It was there my passion for medical reporting began and earned me many awards including: First-place from United Press International for my special report on kidney transplants and first-place from the Associated Press for a series examining the plight of the facially disfigured. This series also won the prestigious CASPER Award from the Indiana State Medical Association.

I moved on to WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. where some of my medical stories, are archived at the National Library of Congress.

I took a break from broadcasting and entered the world of politics at its highest level, serving with the White House Press Advance Corps under the first Bush Administration. I worked under the Director of Communication, Roger Ailes, now President of Fox News.

I declined an opportunity to join the White House Staff to rejoin the world of broadcasting.

I went to WSVN in Miami as a health reporter and news anchor. I received an Emmy Award for my half-hour special, "A Matter of Life and Death," and an Emmy nomination for my series, "Hope Never Dies." The Dade County Trial Lawyers Association presented me with the Consumer Awareness Media Award for reporting on topical health and safety information. I was named one of South Florida's "UP AND COMERS" by Price Waterhouse and Medical Communicator of the Year by the Dade County Medical Association.  I received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the AP, and Special Recognition Awards from the American Heart Association, Florida and Broward Dietetic Associations, and the South Florida Diabetes Foundation just to name a few.

During my career I have interviewed five sitting U.S. Presidents and hope to add to that impressive list.

I earned my B.S degree in Mass Communications from Minnesota State University/Moorhead. I attended Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, worked on my Masters in Journalism at Butler University in Indianapolis and served as an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University teaching broadcast journalism.

Please feel free to contact me mmitzel@kfyrtv.com