Follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Email
Jennifer Mayerle happily returned to Minnesota and WCCO, where she began her career as an intern. The Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist joined WCCO as a reporter in May 2014. She also anchors “WCCO Saturday Morning” from 8-9 a.m.
Jennifer likes to tell stories that positively impact the community, to report on ordinary people who act in extraordinary ways, and to investigate problematic situations that can be corrected by an informed public.
Since joining WCCO, she has been a part of the 10 ‘o clock news team which was honored with a regional Murrow award for their coverage of Jacob Wetterling case, and the arrest of his kidnapper and killer, Danny Heinrich. RTNDA recognized her with a Murrow for “Spreading Kindness,” the story of a young girl with cancer who, along with her sisters, formed a friendship with their garbage men. She has also been honored in Minnesota with an Emmy and by the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Jennifer was thrilled to cover the 2016 Ryder Cup, continuing her reports from several major golf tournaments including The Masters.
She was moved by her journey with Minnesota war veterans on their Honor Flight to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C. and to observe the changing of the guard with them at Arlington National Cemetery.
Jennifer worked at CBS46 in Atlanta prior to joining WCCO, where she was recognized for excellence in reporting and for community involvement. Jennifer received an Emmy for her in-depth look at the long-lasting impact of concussions and repeated hits to the head to athletes from the youth to the pro level. Her reports helped prompt Georgia legislators to pass The Return to Play Act, a law designed to protect young athletes.
In 2011, she won an Emmy, a Murrow, and a Georgia Associated Press award for her report on Ann Bartlett, a woman who died in a house fire due, Jennifer discovered, to the failure of firefighters to respond adequately to Bartlett’s 911 call.
One of Jennifer’s reports saved lives. She broke an investigation on counterfeit smoke detectors purchased by the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and distributed to low-income residents. The highly-publicized series of reports prompted an FBI investigation of the distributor and forced the department to recall and begin to replace more than 18,000 faulty detectors. One of the replacement detectors alerted and saved a family of six from a fire that destroyed their home.
Jennifer received the Apex Society’s 2008 “Power 30 under 30” award, which honors 30 professionals in Atlanta under age 30 for excellence in their professional and community endeavors. She enjoyed volunteering, emceeing events, and serving on boards of directors, including for the Atlanta Press Club.
During her time in Atlanta, she did occasional reports on The Insider and CNN (including one for CNN, reporting from Atlanta in January, on the onset of a spell of bitterly cold weather in Minnesota – could that be the story that led her back home?), and also contributed profiles of prominent individuals to The Atlantan monthly magazine.
Prior to Atlanta, Jennifer worked as a weekend anchor/reporter for WKRG in Mobile, AL. There she gained international exposure for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She won her first Emmy and Murrow for her interview with Hardy Jackson in Biloxi, Mississippi just hours after his wife was swept from his grasp by the flood waters. It was one of the first stories of human suffering to emerge from Katrina’s wreckage. Jennifer and Hardy became friends, and she maintained her connection to Hardy until his death in 2013. She still keeps in touch with his family.
Jennifer began her career at KWES in Midland, TX, as a weekend anchor/reporter, a smaller market where she learned the value of self-sufficiency and grew to appreciate the beauty of rolling tumbleweeds.
Jennifer enjoys staying involved with the community. She is a mentor with Minnetonka High School’s VANTAGE program and is on the Advisory Board for Assistance League of Minneapolis St. Paul.
She was born and raised in Edina and graduated from the University of San Diego.
Request Jennifer To Speak At An Event
VITALS
Joined WCCO: 2014
Hometown: Edina, Minnesota
Alma Mater: University of San Diego
FAVORITES
Music: Zac Brown Band
Movie: Field of Dreams
TV Show: CBS Sunday Morning
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Food: Walleye
Local Restaurant: Spoon & Stable
Hidden MN Gem: Gilfillan Estate
Sport/Exercise: Barre
Historical Figure: Amelia Earhart
Famous Minnesotan: Prince
Quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Word: Snooze
Vacation Spot: Family cabin up north
Holiday: Christmas
Planet: Earth
Facebook or Twitter? Twitter
Cats or Dogs? Dogs
Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles
Comedy or Tearjerker? Comedy
Phone Call or Text Message? Text
Mac or PC? PC
Coffee or Tea? Tea
Morning Person or Night Person? Night
East Coast vs. West Coast? West
Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Wars
‘Grey Duck’ or ‘Goose’? Grey Duck
Leave a Reply