WSIL-TV 3 ABC
NEWS TEAM
Edan Schultz
News Anchor
Edan Schultz is the 6 and 10 o’clock anchor and managing editor of News 3. He also co-hosts News 3’s Sunday public affairs segment, “Talking Politics.”
Edan has covered the news in Southern Illinois for more than 15 years as a reporter, producer and anchor. Some of his most memorable stories include following Glenn Poshard on the campaign trail during the 1998 gubernatorial election, traveling to Ft. Dix to see National Guard troops from Southern Illinois train for deployment to Iraq, and covering the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
Edan grew up in Pennsylvania and studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He also trained at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and spent time at TV stations in Philadelphia, Syracuse and Washington, D.C.
Email Edan at: eschultz@wsiltv.com
Mark Kiesling
News Anchor
Mark anchors WSIL’s 5:00 evening news.
He first came to WSIL in November of 1981, working behind the scenes. In January of 1983, Mark debuted as a weekend sports anchor and four months later took over as Sports Director and weekday sports anchor. Mark covered southern Illinois sports for nearly 17 years. During that time the Southern Illinois Coaches Association presented him with the Merle Jones Award for outstanding journalism.
Mark left WSIL in 1999 to serve more than two years as a staff member for Southern Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Since returning to WSIL TV in June of 2002, Mark has worn many hats. His duties include news promotion and special projects but his most visible role is as news anchor.
Mark’s roots are firmly planted in southern Illinois. He attended Carterville High School and John A. Logan College. He and his wife Debbie live in Herrin where they are going through a second round of parenting, raising their three granddaughters.
Email Mark at: mkiesling@wsiltv.com
Dana Jay
News 3 at 10/Multi-Media Journalist
A native of Chicago's northwest suburbs, Dana Jay was thrilled to return to her home state and join News 3 in November 2008. She began her tenure covering the indictment and subsequent impeachment of former governor Rod Blagojevich. She has been covering state and local government since, often reporting from Springfield.
Dana spent more than three years at KTVO-TV in Kirksville, Mo. where she began as a one-man-band reporter and worked her way up to anchor and producer of the morning news. She was also a regular fill-in on the station's weather team.
Dana studied public affairs reporting as a graduate student at Columbia College in Chicago, where she earned a master's degree in Journalism. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her career in broadcasting began on the off-air side of Chicago radio. Her reporting has been recognized by the the Illinois Associated Press.
In her free time you're most likely to find Dana with a good book, watching a movie, or being a spectator of college and professional sports. She roots for the Fighting Illini and all Chicago sports teams, including the Cubs AND the White Sox. (She might be the only one.) She is learning to enjoy the outdoor activities Southern Illinois has to offer.
Email Dana at: djay@wsiltv.com
Katie Walls
News-3 Meteorologist
Born and raised in wild, wonderful West Virginia, Katie joined the WSIL weather team in May 2009.
Having a passion to inform the public of upcoming, current, and severe weather, she began her broadcast career as one of the student meteorologists on Florida State’s Weather Show in Tallahassee, FL. Katie graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Florida State in August 2007. Yearning to learn more about the science behind the forecast and gain more broadcast experience, Katie attended Penn State for her Master of Science degree in Meteorology. Her thesis focused on flooding patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, and while at Penn State, she was one of the meteorologists on Weather World, a statewide show covering the weather across the nation, as well as that in Pennsylvania.
Katie earned her Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society in July 2010. This elite certification is given to select meteorologists who have undergone rigorous examination that tests their understanding of weather and forecasting and their ability to communicate critical weather information.
Katie enjoys outdoor activities, SCUBA diving, and her favorite pastime is performing in the Florida State Flying High Circus!
Email Katie at: kwalls@wsiltv.com
Jeff Stensland
Multi-Media Journalist
Jeff Stensland grew up just outside Seattle in Redmond, Washington. He graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Arizona State University. There, he worked on several award-winning journalism projects, including an assignment that took him to Monterrey, Mexico. While in Monterrey, Jeff focused on economic ties to the Phoenix area. Jeff also studied at American University and interned at the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Jeff’s work has won him several awards. He was a national finalist with the Broadcast Educator’s Association for a story he filed for ABC News highlighting a growing abuse of Adderall and Ritalin by college students. Jeff also received 1st Place for photography in a story, “Living with HIV.”
Jeff joined WSIL in November 2009 as a multimedia journalist. However, Jeff is no stranger to southern Illinois. He moved to the area in May 2008 as reporter for WPSD-TV. Prior to that, he spent two years reporting in Joplin, Missouri, at KOAM-TV. Jeff lives in Marion.
Email Jeff at: jstensland@wsiltv.com
Christen Craig
Multi-Media Journalist
Christen joined the News-Three team in 2007 but has been a loyal viewer all her life. As a Jackson County native, Christen was honored to work for the number one news station in southern Illinois.
Christen has won several awards, most recently honored by the Associated Press and the Illinois Broadcasters Association with a Silver Dome award.
Christen has previous experience working in public radio and television. At her previous station she served as an anchor, reporter and executive producer.
Before joining News-Three, Christen graduated Suma Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio Television/News and a Marketing Degree. Her senior year, she was named top news student of the year.
In her free time Christen loves to spend time with her big family, attending sporting events at her alma mater and enjoying the beauty of southern Illinois.
Email Christen at: ccraig@wsiltv.com
Emily Eddington
News-3 Morning Anchor / Multi-Media Journalist
Emily joined the News-3 team in August 2006. Originally from the small town of LaHarpe in west-central Illinois, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in media communication from Monmouth College. While at Monmouth, Emily gained experience as an anchor/producer for the campus TV station. Her involvement as a student leader earned her national recognition through her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. While in college, Emily also interned at KHQA-TV in Quincy, Illinois. There she served as a "one-man-band" reporter, covering a wide range of topics throughout Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
Emily had an interest in television news since she was a child. She made her voice heard as a cheerleader, spending ten years in front of the crowd throughout grade school and college. Now you'll hear her reporting the stories that affect the people of southern Illinois. In her spare time Emily enjoys being with friends, traveling, cooking, and cheering on the Cardinals with her husband Tyler.
Email Emily at: eeddington@wsiltv.com
Clint Misselhorn
News 3 Weather
Clint began working at News 3 in August of 2004. He is currently the weather anchor for News-Three This Morning. Clint is very familiar with southern Illinois having grown-up watching WSIL. Clint was raised just outside Campbell Hill in the northwest corner of Jackson County and is proud to be a Trico High School graduate. He graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2007 with a degree in Radio-Television News and also earned his certificate in Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University.
Clint doesn't just hang around the Weather Center all day, he's also a multi-media journalist for News 3. Clint reports on agriculture and outdoor activities, but his main focus is in the classroom. You can see his "Class Act" reports each week during the school year. His "Class Acts" focus on innovative school projects, guest speakers in the classrooms, educational field trips, and teachers and students going above and beyond in the learning environment.
Clint started his broadcasting career at WSIU in Carbondale in both radio and TV. He was the weather coordinator, news anchor and reporter for the River Region Evening Edition, a news program that airs on PBS; and a sports anchor, reporter, and the host of a weekly show called Sunrise Sports on WSIU FM.
Besides being a weather nut and a Saluki newshound, Clint keeps himself involved in sports. He likes to play disc golf, run, play slow-pitch softball and regular golf. Clint enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, going to church, and rooting on those Salukis. He's also a die-hard Cardinals fan and is proud to call Southern Illinois home.
Clint currently lives in Carterville with his wife Bonnie.
Email Clint at: cmisselhorn@wsiltv.com
Rachel Gartner
Senior Journalist
Rachel joined the News-3 team in June of 2007. She's a Southern Illinois native; born and raised in the Franklin County community of Christopher. Rachel is a proud graduate of Christopher Community High School.
She graduated with her Associates of Arts from Rend Lake College in 2001. Rachel then went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where she graduated with her Bachelors of Arts in 2002 in Electronic Media Management and Marketing. She's currently working on her graduate degree at SIUC in Professional Media Practice. While at SIUC, Rachel was a graduate assistant and student news director, reporter and anchor for the university television news program River Region Evening Edition, which airs on PBS. While she was there, the student program won state and national awards. In addition, while working on her graduate degree, Rachel went to Washington, DC with the Washington Center to intern with the PBS program To The Contrary. She is also a member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and the Radio/Television News Directors Association.
In her free time, Rachel likes to spend time with her friends and parents, read, explore scenic Southern Illinois and cheer on her favorite baseball team - the St. Louis Cardinals.
Email Rachel at: rgartner@wsiltv.com
Kevin Hunsperger
News 3 Morning Anchor / Multi-Media Journalist
Kevin joined the News-3 staff in January 2004, and became co-anchor of News-3 This Morning in August. Prior to his work at WSIL, he was the weekend producer and reporter at WLFI in West Lafayette, Indiana. Kevin also anchored, reported, and produced at WOWL in Florence, Alabama.
Kevin grew up in High Ridge, Missouri, a community south of St. Louis. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995.
Kevin and his wife Lisa live in Carterville with their two sons, Ethan and Mason, and daughter Brooke. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking pictures, and watching professional wrestling. Kevin also volunteers his time at Tri C Elementary school and the Boy Scouts.
Email Kevin at: kevin.hunsperger@wsiltv.com
Andy Waterman
Multi-Media Journalist
Andy joined the News 3 team in June of 2008 as a video-journalist, and being someone who loves to shoot, write, and edit his own stories, the position was a perfect fit. A native of Monmouth, Illinois, Andy came to southern Illinois in 2004 to attend SIU and has called it home ever since.
While at Southern Illinois University, Andy's biggest passion was for sports broadcasting. Right away he got involved with River Region Evening Edition, the campus' student produced news broadcast. In his four years there, Andy shot dozens of high school sporting events in the area, along with several Saluki sports, including two straight years of traveling with the Saluki football team to shoot highlights and stories for the coach's show. He was the sports anchor of RREE's BEA award winning broadcast in 2006, and has collected several awards from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association for various news and sports stories.
When he's not working, you'll usually find Andy at the Rec Center running around the track, or at home on the couch watching movies with his wife Samantha. He's also a huge professional and college sports fan, rooting for the Chicago Cubs, Carolina Panthers, and of course the Salukis every chance he gets.
Email Andy at: awaterman@wsiltv.com
Kelly Burke
Sports Anchor
Kelly Burke is the newest addition to the WSIL sports team. The weekend sports anchor/reporter joins News-Three from the Northwest, where she spent the last three and a half years in the same capacity for KDRV-TV in Medford, Oregon.
Kelly’s passion for sports started as a young girl. Growing up in Arizona, she was a die-hard Suns fan and her love of basketball grew into other sports. A three-sport standout and athlete of the year at her high school, Kelly went on to run track and cross country for Arizona State University. She graduated magna cum laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
It was during Kelly’s junior year at ASU that she figured out you could actually get paid to go to football games and the rest is history. Kelly spent time as a freelance sports reporter in Phoenix and has also worked production for ESPN, TNT, and Major League Baseball.
When she’s not working, Kelly loves to run, work out, golf, travel, shop, volunteer, and read. She is excited to be in the Midwest and experience the people and passion of Southern Illinois sports fans. E-mail her with your sports story ideas!
Email Kelly at: kburke@wsiltv.com
Ryan Kruger
Weekend Anchor/Multi-Media Journalist
Ryan joined the News Three team in September of 2007. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Ryan came to Southern Illinois from KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri, where he was a reporter and web editor.
Ryan left his home to study broadcast journalism at the University of Missouri. It was in Columbia that Ryan found reporting to be his true calling, the idea of learning something new everyday was the main reason he liked it so much. He's interviewed everyone from politicians and multi-millionaires to an old man who called himself "Mr. Bojangles," -- with the latter being the more interesting conversation. Ryan received national recognition for his story about an Elk's lodge collapse in Missouri.
In his free time Ryan likes to play disc golf, watch movies, and cheer on his favorite teams, the Kansas City Royals and the Chiefs (no matter how bad both teams have been), and of course the Missouri Tigers.
Email Ryan at: rkruger@wsiltv.com
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