WHO 13 News brings on former WOI morning anchor and Iowa native Elias Johnson as anchor
WHO 13 News is welcoming back an Iowa native to its anchor desk.
Elias Johnson, who brings 14 years of broadcast experience, including eight in Des Moines, is returning to WHO 13, the news station announced Friday.
Johnson's hiring comes after the departure of anchor Dan Winters, who spent 18 years at WHO 13 as a weeknight anchor and reporter. Winters was hired as vice president of communications and public affairs for BHE Renewables earlier this month.
Johnson won regional and national Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism, as well as four additional career Emmy awards.
Johnson got his start in Des Moines in 2007 as a reporter with KDSM-TV, moving on to KPHO in Phoenix as a multimedia journalist. He worked as a public information officer for the Pinal County, Arizona, sheriff's office, then as an anchor at KNRV-TV in Reno, Nevada. He worked as an anchor for WOI-TV's "Good Morning Iowa" for six-plus years before departing in May 2021. Last June, he joined the content team at IAwrestle.
More: WHO anchor Dan Winters departs Des Moines station after 18 years on air to focus on family
Johnson graduated from Manson Northwest Webster, where he was a four-time letter winner in wrestling. He wrestled at Iowa Central Community College before finishing his college career Arizona State University, where he was a member of the team’s 2006 conference championship team (then the PAC-10) at 141 pounds. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State.
He will work alongside anchors/storytellers Erin Kiernan, Jannay Towne and Justin Surrency, WHO 13 announced. The group will team up with Ed Wilson, WHO 13’s chief meteorologist of 35 years, and sports director Keith Murphy, a 26-year veteran of WHO 13.
Related: KCCI goes all in on weather with 5 meteorologists on air, hiring 2 newcomers
"We want to continue to grow our local content by bringing important stories and live reporting to Central Iowa,” said WHO 13 vice president and general manager Bobby Totsch. "This veteran group of journalists has called Des Moines home for decades, and they are very familiar to our viewers."
WHO 13 also moved meteorologist Jeriann Ritter to a daytime/afternoon shift and meteorologist Megan Salois to the weekday morning role. Ritter will handle weather for the noon, 4 p.m. and, occasionally the 5 p.m. news.
Virginia Barreda is a trending and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa native journalist Elias Johnson returning to WHO 13 as anchor
