Michelle Eccles is the Program/News Director for NewsRadio 1240 WTAX. She is now anchoring news on the Morning NewsWatch with Bob Murray.  Michelle became Program Director of WTAX in July of 2004. She became News Director in July of 2000. She started at WTAX in 1997 as co-anchor of "Morning Newswatch". After three years of doing "Morning Newswatch", Michelle changed shifts to spend time with her newborn daughter.  With her three kids now going to school full-time, Michelle has returned to Morning NewsWatch. Michelle grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, in Glenwood. Her interest in radio news started in fifth grade when her older brother let her read news on the high school radio station. She went on to take four years of radio at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. She majored in Radio-Television at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and worked at WSIU-FM. Before coming to Central Illinois, Michelle worked in Platteville, Wisconsin for WTOQ-AM/WKPL-FM. In 1994, she moved to Decatur, Illinois to become a news reporter/anchor for WSOY-AM/FM. She became WSOY-AM News Director in 1995. Michelle is an award winning journalist with numerous awards from the Illinois Associated Press, the Illinois Broadcasters Association, and the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Michelle was recognized as the 2005 Illinois Associated Press Best Downstate Reporter. Michelle and the WTAX news staff have also been recognized several times as Regional Award Winners for the Edward R. Murrow Award. WTAX has won Regional Awards for Overall Excellence, for Best Newscast and for its coverage of the March 12th, 2006 tornadoes, the 2004 Capitol Shooting, a 2007 plane crash, the 2008 Earthquake, the 2009 Williamsville Tornado and the 2010 Lake Petersburg Tornado. Michelle has been involved with the Illinois News Broadcasters Association since college.   She was elected President of the organization in October 2005. She's also served as Vice-President and Treasurer and has served as a board member.  She is now a board member for the INBA Foundation. Michelle and her husband, Joey live in Springfield with their two daughters and their son.