The I-Team is Channel 9's award-winning investigative reporting unit.
Reporter/producers Laure Quinlivan and Hagit Limor along with photographer/producers Anthony Mirones and Phil Drexler love to uncover stories that have impact in our community.
The Hole Story
We began in January 1990 with the first I-Team report, "The Hole Story", an undercover exposé of city workers who spent workdays goofing off instead of filling potholes. The story sparked phone calls and letters from people with tips and leads on other stories, a steady flow of story ideas on which we continue to rely. Here are some examples of how its paid off.
I-Team Results
A July 1995 I-Team exposé of the federal bankruptcy court's lavish new offices, complete with undercover video, sparked Congress to pass legislation reducing funding by 10% for federal courts' relocation budget.
Playground Problem
The I-Team report on dangerous lead levels in paint on playground equipment prompted repainting and/or replacement at 19 Cincinnati playgrounds.
Is This Working?
"Is This Working?" we asked when the I-Team caught Hamilton County building inspectors golfing on the job. The guilty parties got fired, taxpayers got a reorganized department.
Rebuilt Wrecks
In 1993, Channel 9 News Director Jim Zarchin and Anchorman Clyde Gray testified before a Congressional Committee following an I-Team series on "Rebuilt Wrecks." The series resulted in a change in Ohio law requiring auto titles to indicate if a car has been rebuilt.
Made in America
The I-Team exposed the Mazak Corporation's practice of importing machine tools from Japan then labeling them "Made in America," prompting the U.S. House to tighten the "Buy America" law and CBS "60 Minutes" to follow the story.
Airport Security
An I-Team investigation revealed serious breaches in airport security, here and around the country. Three days after we exposed a Delta subcontractor at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport failing to perform required security checks on employess, Delta installed a metal detector. A month later, Delta fired the company. In July and August, the I-Team reported how and why U.S. airports do not screen luggage for bombs, travelling to London to compare how foreign airports are screening for bombs with good success.
The Gangs are Here
The I-Team filed a series of reports throughout 1996 called "The Gangs are Here." The indepth reports compared what Chicago, Illinois, and Mobile, Alabama, have experienced with gangs. The stories helped spark the Cincinnati Police Department to beef up its gang unit and convince people living here that gang activity is a problem worth addressing now. The Cincinnati public school system also adopted a gang policy.
