Heidi Collins
Encyclopedia
Heidi Collins is an American correspondent
and anchor
for KMSP-TV
Fox 9 News in Minneapolis – Saint Paul. She formerly worked for CNN
.
. She graduated from Mounds View High School
in Arden Hills
in 1985 and went on to earn a B.S. in Journalism at the University of Maryland
in 1993.
Collins began her career at KFDX-TV
in Wichita Falls, Texas
. She was later an anchor for KKTV
in Colorado Springs
and KUSA
in Denver, Colorado
. She joined CNN in 2002, originally anchoring on CNN Headline News
. Eventually, she moved up to American Morning
, the network's morning news program, where she served as news reader and substitute co-anchor. She was replaced on American Morning
by Carol Costello
and became a correspondent/fill-in anchor for Anderson Cooper 360°
until September 2006.
On Veteran's Day in 2008, Collins interviewed President George W. Bush
live on the deck of the decommissioned USS Intrepid
, an event she calls the highlight of her career.
In early 2010 CNN decided not to renew Collins contract.http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/heidi-collins-leaving-cnn_b25908 On January 15, 2010, while reporting on the earthquake in Haiti, Sanjay Gupta
(CNN's chief medical correspondent) wished Heidi farewell, mentioning that it was her last day. She acknowledged that she was leaving CNN.
On September 28, 2010, it was announced that Collins would be joining the Minneapolis-Saint Paul station KMSP-TV
Channel 9 News at 5 and 9 PM as an anchor, replacing the retiring Robyne Robinson. Her first broadcast was on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.
Collins interviewed newly re-elected Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie
on November 3, 2010, interrupting him several times, one time saying "I ask, you answer - Yes?" The combative tone of the interview generated widespread criticism of Collins, with Kevin Hoffman of City Pages
calling it "insanely hostile, " leaving "some viewers questioning her judgment and fairness."
.
Collins has sought to raise public awareness of Celiac (Coeliac) disease. Having recovered from this disease after suffering a miscarriage, Collins has sought to increase public understanding. This disease manifests itself in a severe reaction to gluten
, a substance found in most grain-based products and bread. In 2006, Collins became an "official spokesperson" for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA).
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
and anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
for KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
Fox 9 News in Minneapolis – Saint Paul. She formerly worked for CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
Life and career
Collins was born in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She graduated from Mounds View High School
Mounds View High School
Mounds View High School is a public high school located in Arden Hills, Minnesota. A part of the Mounds View Public Schools district, the high school is located in a suburban area approximately nine miles north of downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul and includes seven cities with 76,193 residents...
in Arden Hills
Arden Hills, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,652 people, 2,959 households, and 2,228 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,087.3 people per square mile . There were 3,017 housing units at an average density of 339.9 per square mile...
in 1985 and went on to earn a B.S. in Journalism at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
in 1993.
Collins began her career at KFDX-TV
KFDX-TV
KFDX, virtual channel 3, is the NBC affiliated television station located in Wichita Falls, Texas. It also serves Lawton, Oklahoma. Its transmitter is located at the studio in Wichita Falls...
in Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
. She was later an anchor for KKTV
KKTV
KKTV, virtual channel 11 , is the CBS-affiliated television station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It serves the Colorado Springs/Pueblo market and is owned by Gray Television. Its transmitter is located on Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs...
in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
and KUSA
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. She joined CNN in 2002, originally anchoring on CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
. Eventually, she moved up to American Morning
American Morning
American Morning is the morning television show on CNN. It premiered in 2001.-About the show:American Morning is hosted by Ashleigh Banfield, Zoraida Sambolin & Soledad O'Brien. Others who appear regularly are Rob Marciano with the weather, Sunny Hostin on legal news, and CNN senior medical...
, the network's morning news program, where she served as news reader and substitute co-anchor. She was replaced on American Morning
American Morning
American Morning is the morning television show on CNN. It premiered in 2001.-About the show:American Morning is hosted by Ashleigh Banfield, Zoraida Sambolin & Soledad O'Brien. Others who appear regularly are Rob Marciano with the weather, Sunny Hostin on legal news, and CNN senior medical...
by Carol Costello
Carol Costello
Carol Costello is a CNN national correspondent and anchor, working out of the network's New York City bureau. She was part of CNN's Peabody-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 presidential election, and also covered the Virginia Tech shootings, the Obama inauguration and the Casey...
and became a correspondent/fill-in anchor for Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
until September 2006.
On Veteran's Day in 2008, Collins interviewed President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
live on the deck of the decommissioned USS Intrepid
USS Intrepid (CV-11)
USS Intrepid , also known as The Fighting "I", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle...
, an event she calls the highlight of her career.
In early 2010 CNN decided not to renew Collins contract.http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/heidi-collins-leaving-cnn_b25908 On January 15, 2010, while reporting on the earthquake in Haiti, Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....
(CNN's chief medical correspondent) wished Heidi farewell, mentioning that it was her last day. She acknowledged that she was leaving CNN.
On September 28, 2010, it was announced that Collins would be joining the Minneapolis-Saint Paul station KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
Channel 9 News at 5 and 9 PM as an anchor, replacing the retiring Robyne Robinson. Her first broadcast was on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.
Collins interviewed newly re-elected Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie
Mark Ritchie
Donald Mark Ritchie was elected the 21st Minnesota Secretary of State on November 7, 2006. He was re-elected in 2010. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He grew up in Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University in 1971...
on November 3, 2010, interrupting him several times, one time saying "I ask, you answer - Yes?" The combative tone of the interview generated widespread criticism of Collins, with Kevin Hoffman of City Pages
City Pages
City Pages is an alternative weekly newspaper serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It features news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews, and music criticism. It is printed in a tabloid format, and is available free every Wednesday...
calling it "insanely hostile, " leaving "some viewers questioning her judgment and fairness."
Awards and recognition
Collins has received three Edward R. Murrow awards as well as an Associated Press Award in the best documentary category. She was deemed the Most Distinguished Graduate by Mounds View High SchoolMounds View High School
Mounds View High School is a public high school located in Arden Hills, Minnesota. A part of the Mounds View Public Schools district, the high school is located in a suburban area approximately nine miles north of downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul and includes seven cities with 76,193 residents...
.
Personal life
In 1992 she married Matt Collins, a former Air Force fighter pilot. They live in Minnesota with their two sons. Collins enjoys reality television and naps. Collins and one of her sons are among the 1% of the American population diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She reported on the disease on CNN in November 2006 and was the official spokesperson for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.Collins has sought to raise public awareness of Celiac (Coeliac) disease. Having recovered from this disease after suffering a miscarriage, Collins has sought to increase public understanding. This disease manifests itself in a severe reaction to gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
, a substance found in most grain-based products and bread. In 2006, Collins became an "official spokesperson" for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA).
External links
- http://www.celiaccentral.org/ Celiac Disease awareness site
- http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/politics/ritchie-vote-tally-error-recount-nov-3-2010 Controversial interview with MN Secretary of State Mark Ritchie