Chenue Her is grateful to be home. After stints in Virginia, Atlanta and Des Moines, the 34-year-old TV journalist returned to the Twin Cities in October to co-anchor the “Fox 9 Morning News” with Hannah Flood. Her may be one of the most successful Hmong Americans in the media, and he keeps a relatively low profile outside the studio. But that hasn’t kept him from enjoying the best of the Twin Cities. Her shared some of his favorite places in a recent interview after coming off his shift.
Q: Why was it important for you to return to the area?
A: My family is here. My community is here. I spent time all over the country, reporting on stories that were very big. But I think I just had reached a point in my life where I wanted to be close to family and start writing my own story here at home. It was a no-brainer.
Q: Your parents are now part of your audience. Do they sugarcoat all their comments or do they give you honest feedback?
A: They don’t hold back. My parents watch just about every morning. Sometimes my mom will call me right afterwards and say, “Hey, that tie didn’t work” or “Hey, you looked a little tired today.” They watch with a very critical eye, but that’s what you need.
Q: What’s your ritual in the morning?
A: At 1:30 a.m., the alarm goes off. I leave the house around 2:30 a.m. so I get to the station around 3 a.m. We have a team meeting and I look at some scripts. My dressing room is right across the hall from Hannah’s dressing room. We talk back and forth as we are getting ready so once we hit the desk, we’ve already been conversing for a while.
Q: Are you a coffee person?
