© 2026 WOSU Public Media
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lakota West Grad To Anchor Sunday Nights On WXIX-TV

Jessica Schmitt
Provided by Jessica Schmitt
Jessica Schmitt
Jessica Schmitt
Credit Provided by Jessica Schmitt
Jessica Schmitt

Seven years after graduating from Lakota West High School, Jessica Schmidt is coming home to anchor and report forWXIX-TV(Channel 19).

"It has always been a goal of mine to work in my hometown -- the city where I grew up watching and loving the news," says Schmidt, a reporter and Saturday night anchor atWFIE-TV, the NBC affiliate in Evansville,Ind.

The West Chester Township native says she starts Sept. 6 at Fox 19. She will report four nights and anchor on Sunday. Tricia Macke and Steve Horstmeyer have been working Monday-Friday since May, after years doing Sunday-Thursday.

Schmidt was hired by the Evansville station in 2013, after earning degrees in broadcast journalism and psychology at Kent State University. She interned in the WKRC-TV (Channel 12) newsroom in 2012, and spent two weeks that year in India as part of a Kent State storytelling course.

"She has a great track record and I think she’ll be a great fit forFox 19Now and Cincinnati," says SteveHyvonen,Fox 19news/content director.

Copyright 2021 91.7 WVXU. To see more, visit .

John Kiesewetter joined the WVXU news team as a TV/Media blogger on July 1 2015, after nearly 30 years covering local and national broadcasting for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll be posting news about Greater Cincinnati TV, radio and movies; updating your favorite former local TV/radio personalities or stars who grew up here; and breaking news about national TV, radio and media trends. You’ll also learn about Cincinnati’s rich broadcasting history.