Before He Caught Predators, Chris Hansen Studied at Michigan State
"Primetime" is a box-office hit, but few know that before his hit show, Hansen was a television reporter in Lansing and Detroit
East Lansing — The new hit movie “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson as controversial TV newsman Chris Hansen, has been tearing up the box office since its release on Sept. 25, bringing in more than $34 million in its first two weeks.
The film's success has everyone talking about “To Catch a Predator,” and, even more so, the show’s host, Chris Hansen.
“To Catch a Predator” was among the most talked-about TV shows of the early 2000s. The show catapulted Hansen to national fame, and at the time, he was one of the most recognizable faces on television.
But what many people don't know is that Chris Hansen actually got his start right here in Michigan.
If you're over the age of 50, you might remember seeing Hansen on Detroit local news in the late 1980s and early '90s. But his Michigan roots go back much further than that. He actually grew up here, went to school at Michigan State and, funny enough, studied basically the exact same thing I did at MSU.
Hansen was born in Chicago but moved to Michigan shortly after and grew up around the West Bloomfield and Birmingham area. He attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills and first decided he wanted to be a journalist at 14 after becoming fascinated with the investigation into the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
After graduating from Brother Rice in 1977, Hansen enrolled at Michigan State University with a major in telecommunications—basically broadcast journalism at the time.
During his time at MSU, Hansen was very involved on campus. He worked at the campus radio station, wrote sports for The State News, and was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
He was also a talented journalist, and by his senior year he had already landed his first TV reporting job at WILX in Lansing.
After graduating from MSU in 1981, he worked for several news outlets around the state before eventually making his way to Detroit as an investigative reporter and anchor. This is where some of you older folks might remember seeing him on WXYZ Channel 7 or WDIV Channel 4.
Then, in 1993, Hansen got his big break when he joined NBC News as a correspondent. There, he covered some of the biggest news stories in the country, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine, the Unabomber, and 9/11.
But it wasn't until 2004 that the first episode of “To Catch a Predator” aired on NBC's “Dateline,” and Hansen became a star.
The hit series ran from 2004 to 2007 and involved using hidden cameras and online decoys to catch adult predators attempting to meet minors for sex. The show was wildly successful. Hansen won several Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Awards, along with nationwide fame.
And now, more than 20 years later, with the new movie “Primetime,” more people are talking about this former Spartan than ever before.
Over the years, Hansen has spoken very fondly about his time at MSU, and in 2009, he even returned to East Lansing to spend the day talking to journalism students.
The visit was covered by MSU's student-run television news program, Focal Point, and the footage gives a pretty cool look at Hansen back on the same campus where he started his career nearly 30 years earlier.
He talked about some of his biggest investigations, answered questions from students, and shared just how much his time at MSU meant to him.
“You know, you see these buildings where you had your first job in campus radio or you had this class or the other class,” Hansen said. “It's phenomenal.”
That same day, Hansen also served as the keynote speaker for MSU's 2009 Kaleidoscope event at the Kellogg Center.
And that wasn't the only time Hansen had good things to say about his alma mater. In an interview with an MSU alumni publication, he talked about how he deliberately chose to attend Michigan State over the University of Michigan.
“MSU was fabulous. I chose MSU over UM. I got a great education and a great social experience,” he said.
Through the years, Hansen has had his fair share of controversies, the worst of which are brought to life in the movie.
But as someone who graduated from Michigan State with a degree in broadcast journalism myself, I have to admit it's certainly noteworthy that one of the most successful TV journalists of our time got his start right here in Michigan, at the same school I did.
So Chris, if you're ever back in East Lansing, why don't you have a seat?
