Brian Abel is an Emmy-winning evening anchor for WXYZ, also covering political stories for metro Detroit.
His reporting led to a market-exclusive interview with then Vice President Mike Pence during impeachment hearings into President Trump, and 1-on-1 interviews with presidential candidates, including: Former Vice President and Democrat Nominee Joe Biden, VP Nominee Kamala Harris, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders and Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the 2020 presidential primary.
At the anchor desk, Brian has led multiple breaking news stories, including the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the horrific Oxford High School and Michigan State University mass shootings.
In 2020, Brian was honored with an Emmy award by the Michigan chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for highlighting the consequences and prevention efforts of a drug pipeline in "Connected in Crime: Detroit to West Virginia."
In 2019 he was nominated for an Emmy for his work reporting on Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin's decision to impeach President Donald Trump.
Previously, Brian reported for Scripps sister station KSHB in Kansas City. There, he was the lead reporter during the station’s coverage of the 2016 election and twice nominated for an Emmy.
He’s also covered stories with national attention, including the tragic death of a young boy on the nation’s tallest waterslide, the death of two firefighters battling an arson fire, a triple shooting in an Olathe bar prosecuted as a hate crime, a massive construction fire forcing the evacuation of an Overland Park neighborhood, devastating tornadoes and a Missouri bill to consider labeling sex between legislators and lobbyists as a “gift.”
Before KC, Brian reported in frigid Fargo, North Dakota for WDAY and served as the primary anchor for WDAZ in Grand Forks.
Brian was born and raised in the Grand Rapids suburb of Lowell. He graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Journalism.
On his down time, you can find Brian on the golf course or at Michigan Stadium on game days in the fall.
If you have any tips, stories or questions for Brian you can email him at brian.abel@wxyz.com.
Brian anchors 7 Action News at 5 on channel 7 and 7 Action News at 10 on TV20 Detroit Monday through Friday.
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