Murrow Award-winning morning anchor Kayla Moody works hard to dig up some of Kentucky’s most important untold stories.
Email: kayla.moody@charter.com | Twitter:@kaylamoody | Facebook: @kaylamoodynews | Instagram: @kaylaontv
Kayla’s mom would tell you her daughter was born for a career in television because she was speaking in full sentences at such an early age. Kayla, however, traces her journey back to a high school mission trip. She traveled with her church youth group to D’Iberville, MS to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. She was involved in her high school news station at the time and brought camera equipment on the trip. Kayla realized sharing the stories of those who lost everything was the only way to help her classmates in Indianapolis understand the magnitude of what had happened on the Gulf Coast and the resilience of those affected. It was an emotional and humbling experience, one that ultimately led her to pursue a career in journalism.
Shortly after graduating from Ball State University, Kayla started her career in television as a reporter for the ABC affiliate in Evansville, IN. Early in her four years there, she became a weekend anchor and lead political reporter. Kayla’s political coverage spanned Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois allowing her to develop a keen sense of the region’s political dynamics.
Kayla then worked at WHAS-TV in Louisville, where she covered major news events, including Muhammad Ali’s death and remembrance, the massive fire at historic Whiskey Row, and the firings of Tom Jurich and Rick Pitino from the University of Louisville. She then returned to Evansville, where she was anchor and executive producer of the morning shows on the local Fox and CBS affiliates.
In 2015, Kayla’s report, “Worthless Paper,” exposing the loopholes and limitations of emergency protection orders in Indiana, was awarded a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award. Her work has also been recognized by the Indiana and Louisville chapters of the Society of Professional Journalism, the Indiana Associated Press, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Ohio Valley Chapter.
When she is not working, Kayla enjoys spending time with her husband, Philip, and their three children, Meredith, Jonathon, and Olivia. She is a self-professed “Swiftie,” an amateur baker, and a theme park enthusiast. She enjoys exercising, thrifting and going to concerts.