Phil Witt joined WDAF-TV FOX 4 in Kansas City, MO in 1979 as weekend news anchor and staff reporter. Phil currently is news anchor and senior reporter for WDAF-TV and anchors FOX 4 News at 6:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. He has been the anchor of both of those newscasts for more than 25 years
For more than 30 years, Phil has been reporting news at WDAF-TV and participating in community service in the Kansas City region. Phil has worked in broadcast journalism since 1973 with many different titles including news anchor, reporter, news photographer, weatherman, sports reporter and promotion manager. He previously worked for televisions stations in Des Moines, IA , Sioux City, IA and Omaha, NE.
During his more than 35 years in broadcasting, Phil has covered many important news stories ranging from presidential nominating conventions and the 1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel disaster, to a little girl's life-saving liver transplant and the Great Flood of '93, plus coverage of the impact in the Kansas City region of the 9/11 attacks.
Phil has been nominated for several regional Emmy Awards as both a news anchor and reporter and won for a documentary he hosted on Kansas City's street war on drugs. He has earned honors in the Kansas City Press Club's Heart of America Awards for Journalism Excellence. In 2006, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Chapter presented Phil with the prestigious Silver Circle Award, signifying more than a quarter century of outstanding work in television broadcasting. In 2007, Phil received the Headliner Award from Johnson County Community College for his body of work in journalism and the community. And in 2010, Phil was honored as Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Nebraska College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Phil received a Presidential Citation for his work in youth employment campaigns and the Youth Advocate Award from the Kansas City Council on Youth Development. He has received The Spirit Award, Kansas City's top honor for community service and volunteerism. The AIDS Council of Greater Kansas City presented him with its Ribbon of Hope Award for support of programs and services for people with HIV/AIDS. The American Cancer Society presented him with its "Courage" Award for exceptional support of the organization. He's been inducted into the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame for his work promoting education and youth excellence. Sprint Corporation presented Phil with its Community Service Award for his volunteer efforts for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City honored Phil as its Community Role Model of the Year in 2009. And the Kansas City, Missouri City Council proclaimed November 14, 2000 "Phil Witt Day" in Kansas City in recognition of his professional achievements and volunteer contributions.
Over the years, Phil has been a tireless community advocate, volunteering for dozens of charities and civic organizations. He is currently serving on the community advisory boards of both the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) and Harvesters, Kansas City's regional community food bank network and the Northland Operating Board of the United Way of Greater Kansas City. In the recent past, Phil has served on the boards of CCVI, Synergy Services, Inc., the Kansas City chapter of The American Cancer Society, the Missouri state board of Easter Seals, United Way of Greater Kansas City, The Children's Place, Inroads/KC, The Learning Exchange, the Visiting Nurse Association and several other organizations. He was chairman of the Full Employment Council's Youth Task Group for a decade, spearheading Kansas City's annual Summer Jobs for Youth Campaign.
Phil also is very active professionally. He is a member and past president of the Kansas City Press Club, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, and a member of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
A native of Nebraska where he grew up in the small farm town of Winside, Phil graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1974. Phil and his wife, Kim, have three children who are now young adults. In his spare time, Phil enjoys spending time with his family, community service work, sports, movies, reading and traveling.
