Crime Stoppers Reporter
There’s no place like home. And for Kristen Pflum, that place is central Kentucky.
Although it’s not where she grew up, she gave birth to her son Colton, met her husband, and convinced a large portion of her family to relocate here.
Kristen is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where she helped develop D3TV, the university’s campus TV station.
If she looks familiar, it’s because for more than a decade she told Kentucky’s stories for LEX 18.
“I sat on a lot of people’s couches talking triumphs and tragedies,” she said. “I made a lot of friends, shed a lot of tears, and had a lot of laughs.”
In 2016, Kristen made a giant career leap to work at FOX 32 Chicago, the nation’s third-largest market. In her three and a half years at WFLD, she was on the anchor desk when Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was sentenced for the murder of Laquan McDonald, a teenager he shot 16 times. She was also part of hours-long coverage of the Las Vegas massacre, charges brought against R&B singer R. Kelly, the Jussie Smollett alleged hate crime saga, and the night President Trump ordered airstrikes on Syria.
“Working in Chicago was the biggest career challenge I’ve ever faced, day in and day out. It certainly made me a better journalist,” Pflum said.
But it wasn’t home. While in Chicago, Kristen and her husband Brock welcomed Enzo to the family and just a year and a half later learned they’d be having a third.
“When Cruz came into the picture, we knew it was time to go home. Back to family, back to the city we loved.”
In May 2019, Kristen began co-anchoring weeknights at 10 p.m. alongside longtime FOX 56 anchor Marvin Bartlett.
“Marvin has a face people recognize and trust,” she said. “I worked with some of the country’s best journalists in Chicago, but I know sitting next to Marvin every night, I’ll continue to grow and get better.”
When the pandemic hit, Pflum took up a new challenge, a podcast called “Taking Alex” that walks listeners through the high-profile murder of a UK chef just days before Christmas in 2013. Her work on the podcast earned Pflum a 2020 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.
Kristen stepped away from her career in television in June 2022 to spend more time with her family. Although, she continues to carry on her “labor of love” on FOX 56: Crime Stoppers. You can watch Kristen’s reports Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
She also has a social media following of over 30,000, and Kristen takes the time to interact with everyone who reaches out. Make sure you follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get in on the conversation!
Email: kpflum@FOX56news.com
