Fox 9’s Tom Halden to Become Archdiocese Spokesman

Bring Me the News
March 30, 2015

http://bringmethenews.com/2015/03/30/fox-9s-tom-halden-to-become-archdiocese-spokesman/

Tom Halden (Photo: KMSP)

FOX 9 morning anchor Tom Halden has been named the new communications director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His first day will be May 6.

Vicar General Charles Lachowitzer announced the appointment Monday in a statement, noting that Halden has 20 years of media experience as well as a “lifelong devotion to the Catholic faith.”

Halden and his family are parishioners of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, and he is active in several ministries there, Lachowitzer said. Halden and his wife have four children.

Halden has worked for KMSP-TV since 2003. He anchors the station’s morning news from 4:30-6 a.m. and co-hosts FOX 9 Buzz, which airs at 9 a.m. weekdays.

It’s been a challenging year or two for the archdiocese, to say the least, due to the clergy sex abuse scandal and its recent bankruptcy filing.

In an interview with the archdiocesan publication the Catholic Spirit, Halden acknowledged there will likely be some tough days ahead, but he believes the Catholic church’s message is primarily a positive one.

“I really think that with the pope and the reorganization plan, it’s an opportunity for us to have a fresh start, and renew who we are and what our message is to people who may not have been listening for quite awhile because of all the things going on,” he said.

He told the Catholic Spirit he’ll miss his colleagues at FOX 9, “but not getting up at 1:15 in the morning” to anchor the early newscasts.

Halden grew up in North St. Paul and is a graduate of St. Cloud State University. Prior to working at FOX 9, he worked at stations in Alexandria and Austin, Minnesota, and South Bend, Indiana.

Halden’s last day at FOX 9 will be April 10. The station has not yet named his on-air replacement, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.