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Karen Drew named anchor of WDIV's "First at 4" Newscast

Ruth Spencer retires in December

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DETROIT – Multiple Emmy and MAB award-winning journalist Karen Drew has been named the new anchor of "Local 4 News First at 4." Beginning December 21, Drew will anchor WDIV-Local 4's highly rated 4 p.m. newscast, Monday through Friday, alongside chief meteorologist Ben Bailey. This follows the recent announcement of current "Local 4 News First at 4" anchor Ruth Spencer's end of the year retirement.

Drew currently is a member of the Local 4 Defenders, the station's award-winning investigative unit. She made her mark in Detroit by uncovering government waste, busting a million dollar lottery winner who remained on welfare, exposing a local school official drinking and driving a school-issued vehicle, revealing a con artist scheme to scam people out of their money on adoption deals and uncovering crime trends in local neighborhoods.

In addition, Drew has gone diving in the Detroit River with Detroit police searching for guns, and also escaped live, on air, from a burning house.

"Karen has an incredible depth of news experience and is both relatable and a force in investigative journalism. She is one of the market's most versatile journalists," said Local 4 News Director Kim Voet.

"‘First at 4' has become one of our most successful and important newscasts. We will be so lucky to have Karen at the helm. She is the perfect person to kick off our early evening block of news," said Marla Drutz, Local 4's vice-president and general manager.

Before landing at Local 4 in March of 1998, Drew started her broadcast career in Dickinson, North Dakota where she shot, wrote and edited all of her own pieces. She moved onto WHOA in Montgomery, Alabama; WTVC in Chattanooga, Tennessee and WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida.

"I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity. It's an honor to be a part of the Local 4 News Team and I'm thrilled I can continue my career at a TV station with such integrity, in a city that I love! This is a dream come true," said Drew.

Drew grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago and attended Southern Illinois University. She is married and the mother to two young daughters.


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