Justin Kollar z1r6a

Justin ed the Live 5 News team in December 2023. 4u5641

Professional Experience: My interest in local news began when I was very young. As a teenager my ion for journalism was put into practice first by The White Lake Beacon, my hometown newspaper, which gave me real-world reporting experience while still in high school. I began working in broadcast television while attending school at the University of Missouri for their NBC station, KOMU 8 News, as a reporter and occasionally as a fill-in-anchor. I then moved to Grand Rapids, MI where I worked for my hometown station, WOOD-TV8 ,as an assignment desk editor, reporter and finally filling in as both a news anchor and traffic anchor. After several years working in west Michigan, I packed up and moved south to central Indiana for FOX59 & CBS4 in Indianapolis where I worked first as a reporter before being promoted to traffic anchor on the CBS4 This Morning show.

Professional Awards: 2021 Edward R. Murrow Award for Breaking News Coverage of the Grand Rapids, MI Riots; Nominated for two regional Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences from the Michigan and Great Lakes Chapters respectively for both breaking news coverage and business/consumer reporting; Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout after more than 12 years of service in the Boy Scouts of America.

News Philosophy: Truth above all else, followed by community. I am here to serve you.

Hometown: Muskegon, MI, along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.

Education: Attended the number one journalism school in the nation, The University of Missouri School of Journalism where I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism with an American History minor in 2018.

Family: My family is all living in west Michigan. They're excited to have a guest bedroom to crash at in a bona fide "Spring Break destination."

Hobbies & Interests: When I'm not working, you can likely find me at the beach either walking, fishing or metal detecting with my lovely wife. That, or working on our pop-up trailer, barking while watching my Cleveland Browns, going for a run or trying out a new restaurant. Be sure to say hello if you see me, I'd love to meet you!

Favorite Books: The Journals of Lewis and Clark, The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, The Killer Angels, Battle Cry of Freedom, The Things They Carried, Half American, A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime

Likes Best About the Lowcountry: The food, the beach, the weather and the people!

Most interesting assignment: I always tell my friends and family that as a journalist, we meet folks on their best days, their worst days or some other in between; therefore my most interesting assignments are a double-edged sword. I have had the great honor to walk alongside families rebuilding after great catastrophe caused both by God and man. I have also had the great privilege to be with folks celebrating championships, lottery winnings and personal achievements of all kinds... keeping this in mind, my favorite story would have to be an expose I worked on with a player from Indianapolis on the 2022 National Championship Runners Up Alabama Crimson Tide. I spoke with his high school teammates, high school coaches, friends and family on how excited they were to see him play in the CFB National Championship in his hometown, I was even able to interview him before kickoff. While not the outcome he had hoped for, it was still incredible to see how hard he had worked for a chance at fulfilling his lifelong dream.

Additional fun facts:

I met my wife on the dating app Hinge during the pandemic.

I am a four-time Michigan Master Angler.

I am an All-State Track & Field athlete and ran at the collegiate level.