John Pepitone is a general assignment reporter for FOX4. He joined the station in 1993 as a field reporter.
John came to FOX 4 from WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin where he was a reporter for four years. Prior to WMTV, John was a reporter for KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa. He also served as a Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Medill News Service, which provides localized news reports from the nation’s capital for several television stations.
John graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. He also earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern. He is an associate member of the Radio and Television News Directors Association.
John’s work has been recognized numerous times. The St. Louis chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nominated John for an Emmy in 2005 in the category of “Culture” and the Society of Professional Journalists, Kansas City Press Club, presented John with a Silver Award for public service for his reporting on street racing in Kansas City.
In 2005, John received the Gold Award for investigative reporting from the SPJ Kansas City Press Club, for his research into the lack of armor plating for military humvees and other vehicles used by American soldiers in Iraq. The press club also awarded John an Honorable Mention for an investigative report into worker compensation fraud. John also received a Silver Award from the SPJ Kansas City Press Club in 2005 in general reporting for alerting consumers about hospital-acquired infections. John received a Second Place award from the SPJ Kansas City Press Club in 2004 for his feature story on a small town murder.
In 1999, he was honored with a First Place KC Press Club award for Best Breaking News of “Kidnapper Captured”, and a Second Place Missouri Associated Press award for his coverage of the Pamela Butler kidnapping. He has been presented three “Story of the Month” awards by the Associated Press. In 1998, the Missouri Associated Press honored him with first place in “Spot News” for his coverage of a deadly flash flood in Kansas City. The Kansas City Press Club awarded John with a first place Heart of America award for “Spot News” in 1996 and 1994. The Missouri Associated Press awarded him second place in the category of “Spot News” for his coverage of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In 1995, he again was nominated for an Emmy in the category of “Spot News.”
In his spare time, John enjoys cycling and weight lifting. He also is a fan of baseball and hockey.
A native of Chicago, John and his wife, Mary, currently reside in Leawood, Kansas with their three daughters, Paige, Gina, and Mariel.
