A native of Detroit, Hodak graduated from Guardian Angels Elementary School and
Denby High School in Detroit, and studied mass communications at
Wayne State University, also located in Detroit.[1] After traveling to Orlando, Florida, as a news reporter for
WDBO-TV, Hodak returned to Detroit in 1965 as a weathercaster for
WJBK-TV on Channel 2. In 1977, Hodak joined WXYZ-TV as a science editor and weathercaster.[3][4] He returned to WJBK for a 3+1⁄2-year stint as a news anchor from 1992 to 1996.[5]
Along with winning a local Emmy, Hodak received the television Seal of Approval from the
American Meteorological Society.[6] Hodak was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2010.[7]
On September 23, 2010, Hodak retired from WXYZ-TV.[2][8]