Former WJR reporter Rod Hansen dies

Longtime former WJR reporter Rod Hansen has died.

Hansen died Monday after a long battle with cancer. He worked for more than 30 years at 760 WJR before being laid off in 2005. He was a member of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame and current press officer for federal court in Detroit.

In the past few years, Hansen has been a big help to FOX 2 helping to coordinate our coverage of federal court cases.

In a statement from WJR, it said he "started his career at stations in Ohio and began working at WJR in 1967. He worked as a street reporter, and news director
his specialty was covering the complex federal court in Detroit.

He was the recipient of two Peabody awards, which are journalism's highest honor. His work ultimately lead the release of a man wrongly convicted of murder.

In his career he earned countless Michigan Association of Broadcasting awards, Society of Professional Journalism awards and eventually, a life time achievement award from the Associated Press.