News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld says farewell after 25 years

ORLANDO, Fla. – After 25 years of fronting some of News 6′s most important stories, Investigator Mike Holfeld has retired.

The veteran reporter has been responsible for covering tragedies, helping pass critical legislation, and getting results for scam victims through his popular “Make Ends Meet” program.

Thanks to his connections, Holfeld’s been able to work with politicians and state agencies to get results for people in need, and his impressive resume even includes interviews with presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders during the 2016 election season.

However, News 6 will say farewell to Holfeld on July 1, which is when he will cap off his time as an Investigator with a special piece titled, “Fair, Balanced and Unafraid.”

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, who has worked with Holfeld on many of his projects, gave a shoutout on Friday, lauding Holfeld for his achievements.

News 6 sat down with Holfeld — and his special projects editor of seven years, Robert Breuer — to ask about his storied career and figure out what viewers can expect going forward.

Q: How did you first get involved with News 6?

“I was working at WXYZ in Detroit as an anchor reporter. And I hated the snow. My wife was from Royal Oak, Michigan, and I wanted to move to Atlanta, but there were no openings there.

I was with ABC in Detroit (WXYZ), which is the station, for anyone that remembers, that had ‘The Lone Ranger’ on radio. So it’s a legendary TV station. My competition there was one of my idols, Mort Crim who worked at WDIV, which is owned by the same company that owns WKMG News 6 - Graham Media Group.

Graham Media Group knows I kicked their rear end a little bit over the years I was there, so they were happy to get me out of that market and so I came to News 6 with a great reputation.

When WKMG hired me, the executive producer for the investigative unit told me, ‘Mike, we want to bring this station to the next level.’ I can proudly say 25 years later, we did bring the station to the next level.

We’ve won awards, passed legislation on both federal and local levels, and we’ve helped the people all over the state of Florida, especially during COVID. Working with state leadership (and) under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis and CFO Jimmy Patronis, they listened, and we were able to generate millions of dollars for people that they wouldn’t have gotten. And to use our brand, we got results for our community.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: What made you want to work in this industry to begin with?

“I always wanted to be in radio instinctively. I mean, I didn’t know what radio and television were at age 5, but as the oldest of five kids, I used to interview my brothers and sisters on a little tape recorder. So I guess I was always destined to do this.

And my career just around 10 years later (started) in radio at the age of 16. In all the local stations and then in Philadelphia, I was Michael Scott Buchanan, 95PEN. While in college, I thought, ‘Maybe I could try doing local news on TV.’

While majoring in radio and television at the University of Delaware, I headed up something called Winterim TV, which allowed students to put together newscasts that aired on cable television. So that was a great start. I anchored there and sent those tapes to the New Jersey television network and got hired. I hosted a show called ‘News Notebook,’ which went to all the schools in New Jersey, New York and Delaware. So I had an audience right away at age 22 or 23.

From there, I got my first job in Providence, Rhode Island, at WPRI. I stayed there for a couple of years, then went to WMAR in Baltimore.

Someone in Washington saw me anchoring there, and I got a job at ABC in Detroit and stayed there for 15 years. Then, I came here to WKMG, and it’s been another 25 years.

A lot of people in television have to move all over the country to build a meaningful career. I was lucky. I was able to stay on this team and leave on my own terms.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: You mentioned you helped get several pieces of legislation passed during your career. Could you give an example?

“The one that I’m most proud of is the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) bill [referencing Senate Bill 367 in 2018] for impacted firefighters and veterans. The way the law stood, impacted veterans and firefighters had to prove that they had another illness besides PTSD to get benefits. We didn’t think that was fair. So, we worked closely with then Gov. Rick Scott and firefighters to change the law...

I feel like my role as a reporter is different than many others. Others in the market often just report a problem. When I report a problem, I try to find a solution, even if it must be legislative solutions. Because I don’t want to say, ‘OK, we’ll take care of this one case.’ I want everyone that could be potentially impacted now and, in the future, to have a way out, a lifeline. That’s what we did with the PTSD bill.

I’ll never forget the pain etched in the face of one of the officers we worked (Officer) Gerry Realan. We worked with him and his wife, and we became very close. In fact, he was recognized in Tallahassee regarding the PTSD bill. They applauded him for having the courage to come forward, but it was his story and the others that followed. Because once Gerry spoke, other people felt like, ‘I’m going to talk,’ so not only was it therapeutic, but it was also a powerful weapon to get these people what they needed. It was the benefit of getting treatment for PTSD and having the benefits to pay for it.

Imagine you have to show trauma. It’s a trauma that we can’t see, but they endure it every day and that is trauma. That’s why we’re proud of that law. We are proud of any law we’ve done, but this one we’re also proud of because it was awarded and recognized by the prestigious National Association of Broadcasters’ Service to America Award.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: It’s not a surprise to hear you’ve covered some powerful moments. Do any others come to mind?

“Flight 255 in Detroit, the plane went down, everybody killed. I can remember stepping over bodies there. But there’s something — a lot of law enforcement officers will tell you this, too — that I can internalize that. In Detroit, that was the saddest story I can recall...

The saddest story here, bar none, the Pulse (shooting). I remember being there. I covered it, hours and hours. I remember Buddy Dyer coming out and the look on his face because we only thought we lost a few, maybe four or eight. When he told us the final number, everyone was stunned. But Dyer was strong for the city that day, and I’ll never forget that. Democrat, Republican — it doesn’t matter. Buddy Dyer was a leader that day. And I can remember the FBI spokesman saying, ‘Orlando Strong.’ And we were. We were strong. But that is definitely the saddest story I’ve covered in my entire career.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: Are there any stories with happier outcomes that stand out to you?

MIKE: “What makes me feel good is all the people we’ve gotten money for. During COVID, people were desperate for unemployment benefits, and they couldn’t get them because the system was just overwhelmed. And then they’d discover someone else using their name and identity to steal the benefits that were theirs, or taking money that they didn’t even ask for. So that evolved into something that we never expected, and that is working with the United States Secret Service.

There are no other reporters in this state that have the relationship we have with the United States Secret Service. And I can say that without reservation because I’m the only one in there. It’s a circle of trust, and that trust has been priceless to the people of Central Florida. We were able to help people get their money back and help protect their identities. People thought they were never going to see their money, and we were able to get it for them. We were their financial lifeline. You can’t get much happier than that.”

ROBERT: “We were able to get one local DJ his $64,000 back because of our relationship with the Secret Service. His phone had been hacked and they had stolen his money. He called Mike Holfeld. Mike talked to his friends at the Secret Service, and they got him his money back.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld and Special Projects Editor Robert Breuer

Q: You have tons of stories just like through your ‘Make Ends Meet’ program. When did you start getting doing that?

“When we came up with ‘Make Ends Meet,’ my original thought was helping people because their were jobs were getting dropped because of COVID. Nobody was hiring, restaurants weren’t open, things were desperate. So I went to Allison McGinley, our news director, and I said, ‘Listen, I think we need to do something on investing and balancing budgets for our community.’ That is how we started Make Ends Meet.”

Make Ends Meet will not go away because Mike Holfeld is leaving. The station has made a commitment to helping people balance budgets, be aware of schemes and rip-offs, and to help people get the money they deserve.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: And what’s it been like working on ‘Make Ends Meet?’

MIKE: “Do you want to tell them?”

ROBERT: “Well, it’s a lot of work. But like (Mike) said, we do it for the greater good. It is exciting to get an email saying, ‘Hey, I finally got my check.’ They send a picture or a screenshot showing the money’s in their account. That’s what makes it so rewarding. When the stimulus checks were coming out, we thought we could help people budget their stimulus checks. Then, we started getting reports from people saying: ‘I applied for my benefits a month ago, and I still haven’t gotten them. So we had to build alliances with local congressional leaders to get their inquiries sent to the state.

We did a story about a single mom who was denied food stamps because she was approved for unemployment benefits. So they canceled her food stamps, but she wasn’t getting the unemployment benefits. They were still pending. When we reported that story, it went viral. And the DEO director of communications reached out to Mike directly and said, ‘What’s that lady’s name? I want to help her get her money back.’ Ever since then, people email us their problems, and we check to make sure they’re really eligible for benefits. Then, we send it to our contacts in Tallahassee, they review it, and most of the time, they get their money back.”

MIKE: “We’re able to bump people to the front of the line because of the relationships we have built and that circle of trust we have with leadership in Tallahassee and on Capitol Hill. Most important, it’s been the relationship with the people in Tallahassee. CFO Patronus, he’s there when you need it.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld and Special Projects Editor Robert Breuer

Q: You’re still a spry 70 years old. What are the next steps for you?

“I’ve had a bunch of inquiries. I am going to be doing some production with a former WKMG cameraman who currently his own production company. There’s a possibility I’ll be working with the Secret Service as a spokesperson for them. There’s a possibility I’ll be working with Lisa Miller, the former insurance commissioner, as well. I may run for office on a state level because I have support on both sides of the aisle that way. Maybe a commissioner or a state representative because I know how important it is to have someone that will listen and try to execute legislation to help people. I mean, who else — go ahead, raise your hand — is called out on Capitol Hill because they are mentioning the work you do and that you’re gonna get results? Nobody! And this is going to impact the entire country. It’s going to be you, me, everybody, and generations to come, and that’s what’s so exciting about it. I’m serious. I’m really excited about that. Not as much as (the PTSD bill), but I’m very excited about it.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld

Q: You like to joke about being ‘The Greatest Reporter of Our Generation.’ Where does that come from?

ROBERT: (Laughs)

MIKE: “That came from Muhammad Ali; he was an idol of mine. And even before Ali was recognized as the greatest, he kept saying he was. He was young when he was in the Olympics, so it’s just a way to say, ‘Believe in yourself.’ Because really, everyone in here is the greatest. And it’s just a message. Certainly, I’m not the greatest. I mean, there were so many out there right now who are probably far better than I am. But I’m the greatest to the people we help. When we help them, we are the greatest because no one else would listen. So in that respect, all of us are the greatest reporters of all time.”

ROBERT: “It also makes people comfortable when he’s doing interviews. ‘What was it like being interviewed by the greatest reporter of your generation?’ And they laugh, and they loosen up, and then we get good sound bites.”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld and Special Projects Editor Robert Breuer

Q: And to cap things off: After 25 years of working here, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed?

“The talent was always there, but the direction was lacking. We’ve had some great leadership through the years, but I think once (General Manager) Jeff Hoffman came here and we executed ‘Getting Results,’ it took us to the next level. Because before that, Henry Maldonado introduced — I’ll never forget it, he called me up because I was anchoring here, and I was supposed to anchor the 5:30 full-time. I came here as the weekend anchor, and then I was going to anchor Monday through Friday on the 5:30, plus they wanted me to do ‘Problem Solvers.’

‘Problem Solvers’ is the prototype of ‘Getting Results.’ It was, ‘Grandma’s toilet doesn’t flush. Can you help me?’ ‘I got ripped off by the car company. Can you help me?’ It was little things like that. But I took it to the next level.

That’s where the phrase came: ‘Changing Laws, Changing Lives.’ I started changing laws back then because I saw that a potential problem would be there, and I said, ‘Well, we’ve got to make this a law!’ And the one thing I’ll tell you about coming to Florida: you guys need some more laws. There’s so many things that are not addressed by Legislative means. They’re just not.

Again, I’m going to say it. Under the leadership of Bush, Scott and DeSantis, we have taken the bulls by the horns, and we’re getting legislation in place that we need. So you ask me how this has evolved? It’s evolved from a bunch of reporters reporting fires to helping people every single day — from the ‘Problem Solvers’ to ‘Make Ends Meet.’ It’s just unbelievable!”

News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld