More than 10 years after leaving Minnesota, a Hmong broadcast journalist from St. Paul announced he’s returning to the Twin Cities to work for the news station he watched growing up.
Chenue Her announced on his Facebook page he’s returning to Minneapolis to work for Fox 9, while also sharing an announcement made by the station.
“Nearly 12 years ago, I left home to chase my TV news career and promised my family I’d find a way back some day. It’s been a tough road, but today I get to finally deliver the news they’ve waited more than a decade for: I’m coming home,” Her said.
Her is returning to Minnesota after three years of working at Good Morning Iowa in Des Moines where at age 30 he became the first male Hmong news anchor in the country.
Her was previously a reporter in Oregon, Virginia, and Georgia. He grew up in St. Paul and graduated from the University of Northwestern.
Her will be co-anchoring the Fox 9 Morning show alongside Hannah Flood.
“It’s incredibly emotional and full circle for me to be able to say this station is welcoming me — a Hmong kid from east St. Paul — as is,” Her said in his post. “It’s powerful when a station doesn’t see just why authenticity is important for me, but to our entire Hmong community. Thank you for believing in me more than anyone before.”
Her said his family has been watching the Fox 9 morning newscast for decades.
His family refers to it as “their show” and because of that he decided to wait to tell them about his hiring until he could see them in person.
“I didn’t tell them that I even was interviewing and so the first time they heard about it was when I told them, ‘Hey, I’m coming home’ and I think they took a second to process what that actually meant, and when it clicked, then they were thrilled,” Her said.
Fox 9 News Director Kelly Bishop-Huffman said in a news release that Her would begin his new role in October.
“We’ve been big Chenue fans from afar for years now, ever since he started next door in Iowa. On the air and behind the scenes, he just has this incredible ‘X-factor’,” Bishop-Huffman said.
Other than being closer to his family, Her said it was also important for him to return to the Twin Cities as an anchor to represent the Hmong community.
He said if even one kid from his community watches him and one day decides to go into news then that’s all he could hope for.
“I hope that the representation that they see on Fox 9 is something that inspires them, and I hope they feel seen and heard,” Her said.
Her said if he’s not working, he’s eating. And if he’s eating, he’s probably at his mother’s kitchen. But he’ll also be seen eating at Hmong Village and revisiting Diane’s Place, a restaurant he recently tried with his parents.
Also on Her’s homecoming list is a Minnesota special, the Jucy Lucy.
“That’s a must do. I’m home, I’m a Minnesotan,” Her said. “I gotta, you know, get my Jucy Lucy fix when I’m home.”
