James Pilcher

James made the transition from print to TV in March of 2020 after a long and distinguished career in newspapers and for wire services.

Most recently, James was the investigative reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer, where he uncovered sex trafficking rings in southern Ohio as well as corruption at the local airport that led to changes in Kentucky state law. Some of his work has sparked statewide audits in Ohio and Kentucky and even queries from the U.S. Senate.

He specializes in accountability reporting and in diving into databases to find the real story behind the numbers. James’ work has been recognized in local, state and national journalism contests, and his work on police accountability took home the top investigative prize in the 2017 Ohio APME contest. James’ coverage of Pete Rose also won a national AP Sports Editors contest in 2016.

Before coming to Cincinnati, James worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta as well as newspapers in suburban Chicago and Savannah, Ga.

James is also a huge sports fan, having started his career in 1990 as a sportswriter. He also teaches investigative and data journalism at the University of Kentucky, where he is the Journalist in Residence.

He lives in Northern Kentucky with his wife of 28 years and has three sons. He also loves any and all kinds of music, loves to cook and brews his own beer.