Mike Hostetler

Mike Hostetler
Born	Mansfield, Ohio
Education	Ohio State University
Occupation(s)	Sports anchor and reporter (formerly)
Years active	1976–2022
Employer(s)	WGAL (Lancaster, PA)
Children	2

Mike Hostetler (born 1961^{[ citation needed ]}) is a retired American sportscaster. He is known for his 33 years at WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, anchoring and reporting sports on News 8 on weeknights in his 46 years covering sports in central Pennsylvania, until his retirement in 2022.

Early life and education

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Hostetler, attended Ohio State University and graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism.^{[ citation needed ]}

Career

Hostetler began his sports TV career at WCMH in Columbus, Ohio and then at WSYX in Cleveland, Ohio before joining WGAL in 1989.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1990, Hostetler was selected to be WGAL's weekday sports anchor and reporter on "News 8 at 6" and "News 8 at 11." ^[1] He produced a feature each week in the early 1990s called "Hostetler's Sports Challenge", which took on viewers' dares and challenges. ^[2] The feature ran for more than 5 years. ^[3]

In his sports reports, he launched other features such as Friday Fab Five and Hostetler's Heroes.^{[ citation needed ]}

Pat Principe and Hostetler worked together for 33 years, co-creating, producing, and hosting Football Friday, with Hostetler serving as host while Principe did the live reports from the high schools for football seasons. ^[4]

On November 15, 2022, on News 8 at 5:30 after his sportscast, Hostetler announced his retirement after 46 years in the business and 33 of them at WGAL News 8, with his last day finalized for November 24. ^[5] WGAL counted down his favorite moments of sports coverage leading up to his last day. He retired on November 24, 2022. ^[6]

He returned to WGAL in March 2024, along with other former anchors, on the station's 75th anniversary. ^[7] He returned again to celebrate Pat Principe's retirement on April 12, 2024.

Awards and recognition

His segment Mike Hostetler's Sports Challenge Returns was selected by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters as the "Best Television Promotional Announcement" when WGAL was named first-place winner in the PAB 1996 "Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting" competition. ^[8] Hostetler and a photographer and editor won a first-place award in the sports feature division for "Snow Bowl". ^[9] After he retired, he was honored by state lawmakers for his 33 years at WGAL.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. Schott, Ken (June 23, 1990). "Hostetler escapes zoo for WGAL-TV spot". York Daily Record.
2. "Fit to be aired: WGAL adds challenge". No. 31. The Evening News. May 15, 1992. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
3. Burkholder, Lori (February 22, 2019). "Hostetler's Sports Challenge". WGAL.
4. "Football Friday Tonight at 11:35 pm". Intelligencer Journal: 23. September 19, 1997. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
5. "WGAL's Mike Hostetler announces his retirement". WGAL. November 15, 2022. 15 November 2022.
6. "News 8 sports anchor Mike Hostetler's greatest hits". WGAL. November 24, 2022. 24 November 2022.
7. "WGAL celebrates 75 years". WGAL. March 18, 2024. 19 March 2024.
8. "WGAL receives excellence award". The Sentinel. August 5, 1996.
9. "WGAL wins 6 news awards". Lancaster New Era. May 10, 2005. 10 May 2005. Retrieved September 6, 2025.