Who is Michele Gillen? A look at TV news vet

Anchor has filed lawsuit against Miami station for age, gender discrimination

Viewers who grew up in South Florida may remember Michele Gillen for her hard-charging investigative stories from the past four decades.

Gillen worked at WFOR-Ch. 4 for 19 years before departing the station in 2016. She has now filed an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against the CBS-owned Miami station.

For people who aren’t familiar with Gillen, 63, here are some things to know about the broadcasting veteran.

‘The One and Only’

The Emerson College alumna was a high-profile reporter and anchor for nine years at WPLG-Ch. 10 in the 1970s and 80s. At the time, the station was based off Biscayne Boulevard in Miami and known for using its “Eye Witness News” and “The One and Only Channel 10” taglines. During her time there, Gillen produced a series that helped pass antielderly abuse legislation.

‘Dateline’ Scandal

After Miami TV, Gillen landed at NBC News as a correspondent, producing reports for “Nightly News” and “Dateline.” Her four-month investigation on substandard mammography equipment led to new legislation on national standards for mammography.

In November 1992, was the reporter at she the center of the infamous “Dateline” truck scandal, a story about vehicle impact safety that involved the exploding of General Motors pickups. Gillen was said to have protested rigging the truck to explode for the piece. The segment’s executive producer, senior producer and segment producer were forced to resign and Gillen was demoted.

WTVJ

After NBC, Gillen came back to South Florida as an anchor at NBC-owned WTVJ (which is now Ch. 6 but was then Ch 4). In 1994, she resigned when her on-air duties were reportedly reduced. Her anchor slots shifted to colleague Jennifer Valoppi, a new anchor at the station at the time.

WFOR

After working as a reporter at KCBS in Los Angeles for two years, Gillen was back in South Florida as a reporter for WFOR in 1997. She was also the anchor of “Focus on South Florida,” the station’s public affairs program.

“People often ask me if I'm a reporter or an anchor. I always answer, ‘Both,’” she told the Sun Sentinel about her return.

During her time at WFOR, her investigative pieces such as “The Forgotten Floor” about the conditions of mentally ill inmates in Miami Dade, won her 25 regional Emmy awards and 45 nominations. Gillen is now an independent producer and investigative reporter.