EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) -- John Hoffland, who was news director at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire for 25 years, has died. He was 64 years old.

Mark Povolny, assignment editor at WEAU, says Hoffland died suddenly Saturday morning at his home in Eau Claire. He says Hoffland died of natural causes.

Hoffland grew up in Viroqua and was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. After that he worked as a radio and television reporter in La Crosse and in eastern Iowa before joining WEAU in 1978, first as a producer and then news director.

In 1981 Hoffland instituted a 5 p.m. daily newscast, which would later become a mainstay for TV stations around the country. In 2002 he was honored by the Wisconsin Broadcaster's Association with the Carol Brewer Award for outstanding service to broadcast journalism.

He is survived by his wife Penny.