News
Mike Hooker
Mike Hooker is CBS4's Northern Newsroom Reporter. He has been telling stories about the people of Colorado since joining the CBS4 team in 1994.
Before moving to Fort Collins in 1998, Mike reported from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom in Frisco for four years. He says working in news bureaus has a certain "remote outpost vibe" that has satisfied his sense of adventure over the years.
Mike has reported from many historic Colorado events, including the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the deadly Fort Collins flood of 1997, opening day at Denver International Airport, the death of Matthew Shepard and the murder trials and hate-crime awareness that followed, the Columbine High School shootings, numerous wildfires including Hayman and Buffalo Creek, and Tim Masters' lengthy and successful effort to have his life sentence for murder overturned.
During football season Mike covers home games for the CSU Rams and the CU Buffs.
Mike reported and produced the 30 minute documentary "Paradise Lost," which was honored with the University of Denver's Wirth Chair Award for excellence in reporting on sustainability issues. Paradise Lost shared the stories of workers in Colorado's ski industry and the challenges they face in day-to-day life as a fundamental part of Colorado's resort economy. Mike was also honored by the Associated Press for Best Spot News reporting and is an Emmy award nominee.
Mike grew up in Boulder and is a graduate of Fairview High School. He earned his BS in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mike and his wife Debra have two school-aged daughters, Erin and Claire. Prior to joining CBS4, Mike worked as a reporter at KSNF-TV (Joplin, MO), WRCB-TV (Chattanooga, TN), and WSMV-TV (Nashville, TN). He has also worked several semesters as an adjunct instructor teaching journalism at Colorado State University.
Away from work, Mike loves to spend time with his family and play outdoors. He is an avid runner who has completed five marathons. He plays ice hockey with a league of self-described "over-40 old guys." Mike also enjoys reading, playing music (saxophone and piano), and trying to clean up all the hair from his ever-shedding dog.
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