WHO 13 host Elias Johnson announced his departure from the television network on Wednesday, telling viewers that his departure did not go as planned.
“No final stories to cap off my career or say goodbye to my final night,” Johnson wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s just over like it never happened. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity I was given.”
Why did Elias Johnson leave WHO TV?
Johnson has decided that it is time to start a new phase of his life outside of broadcast journalism, the Facebook post says.
“At the end of last year, I was at a crossroads,” Johnson said in the post. “Every day, I felt the weight of what was missing. The ratings were great, I was producing award-winning work, and LOVED my colleagues. But something wasn’t right.”
A week before the post was published, Johnson submitted his resignation and gave WHO 13 30 days’ notice, he wrote. Johnson was informed Tuesday that his time at WHO 13 was over. Johnson told the Register he plans to choose Sept. 19 as his last day on the job.
“I handed in my key card, signed out of my workstation, and was escorted out. I was told my things would be packed up and delivered. So… no goodbyes or long hugs from my coworkers (the best in the business).”
WHO TV management says it is “grateful” for Elias Johnson’s work despite his departure
“Elias said he is forever grateful for the opportunity he was given,” said Rod Peterson, WHO 13’s news and content director. “WHO 13 is grateful that Elias served for more than two years during his second tenure with the network. We know our viewers say the same. We are happy for Elias and his family. WHO 13 looks forward to the prospect of working with him in the future.”
Johnson said he was grateful for the experience, but it wasn’t the ending he had hoped for.
“I understand that the American economy works like that sometimes,” Elias said. “I don’t think it was personal. But you suddenly feel like a ghost.”
From 2022: How a chance conversation with a rideshare driver gave a Des Moines family a special Christmas
Where is Elias Johnson going after WHO TV?
Before resigning, Johnson said he had found a new opportunity outside of broadcast journalism. He did not reveal what his next job would be in his Facebook post.
“I started exploring what the next chapter of my life could look like and I found it,” said Johnson, who declined to provide further details at this time.
More: Chenue Her, known as the country’s first Hmong anchor, leaves Local 5 News
How long has Elias Johnson been at WHO 13?
Johnson began his career as a reporter in 2007. Earlier in his career, he spent a year as a reporter at WHO from 2008 to 2009. He returned to the WHO 13 team as an anchor in July 2022. Before returning to WHO 13, Johnson worked for television stations in Phoenix, Arizona and Reno, Nevada. He also spent six and a half years at Local 5, hosting “Good Morning Iowa” until his retirement in May 2021.
During Johnson’s time at WHO 13, he was awarded the regional Edward R. Murrow Award and a national Edward R. Murrow Award. One of his favorite stories was when he covered a boxing class for Parkinson’s patients. His mother was also in the class.
“Probably the hardest story I’ve ever done,” Johnson said of the segment. “I remember finishing the newscast that night. I went down to the basement of the station and went through a wave of emotions. I let out a lot of emotions that had been building up for years, and that really helped me cope with my mother’s illness.”
He said he had received a flood of thank you messages since Johnson’s departure.
“I really didn’t know if people would care because people come and go,” Johnson told the Register on Thursday afternoon. “But the amount of news has been an eye-opener for me.”
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
