WHO-TV
WHO-TV is a
television station that broadcasts on channel 13 in
Des Moines, Iowa and channel 27 in
Ottumwa, Iowa. It is affiliated with the
NBC television network and serves most of central
Iowa. The station transmits from the
WOI-Tower in
Alleman, Iowa.
WHO-TV signed on the air on
April 26,
1954 as the eighth television station in Iowa and the second in Des Moines. It was owned by the Palmer family, owners of
WHO-AM 1040. The Palmers had competed with
KIOA for the channel 13 license and won it after reaching a settlement. It has always been an NBC affiliate.
In 1996, WHO-TV was acquired by
The New York Times Company; up to that time it had been the last locally owned commercial station in Des Moines. WHO-AM, which was eventually acquired by
Clear Channel Communications, continued to occupy the same building until it moved to another building in 2005.
WHO-DT began broadcasting in
high-definition television during the
2002 Winter Olympics. One channel carries NBC HDTV programming while another channel carries an image of the station's "Mega
Doppler" radar.
For many years, WHO battled it out with
WOI-TV for second in the Central Iowa news race behind longtime leader
KCCI. However, it has managed to surge into the top spot on several occasions in recent years.
WHO's main anchor since 1987, John Bachman, was one of three reporters who interviewed
Ronald Reagan, announcer for WHO-AM in the 1930s, at the end of his presidential term. The other two were
Larry King and
Barbara Walters.
While it was co-owned with WHO-AM, it used an
owl as its mascot, as WHO-AM still does today.
WHO-TV's
Channel 13 News broadcasts perennially rank second to
KCCI in ratings. They have the first weekend morning newscast in the Des Moines area, as their
Today in Iowa morning news airs seven days a week. WHO-TV also provides aerial coverage of stories with its "Chopper 13"
helicopter, making it one of only two stations in Iowa (
KCRG-TV in
Cedar Rapids) is the other) to have its own helicopter. WHO-TV loaned its helicopter to sister station
WQAD-TV in the
Quad Cities during the flooding of the
Mississippi River in 2001.
Current on-air news personalities (as of
June 1,
2006) include:
* John Bachman,
news anchor of 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts
* Patrick Dix, reporter and
Today in Iowa co-anchor
* Brad Ehrlich,
Today in Iowa traffic reporter
* Andy Fales, weekend sports anchor
* Mark Ferree, weekend
meteorologist* Courtney Greene,
Today in Iowa Saturday news anchor
* Sonya Heitshusen, reporter/noon news anchor
* Erin Kiernan, co-anchor, 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts
* Lynn Melling, reporter/weekend anchor
* Keith Murphy, sports director, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts
* Jeriann Ritter,
Today in Iowa and noon meteorologist
* Megan Salois,
Today in Iowa Saturday and
Today in Iowa Sunday meteorologist
* Trisha Shepherd,
Today in Iowa co-anchor
* Ed Wilson, chief meteorologist of 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts
* Dan Winters, reporter and anchor of
Today in Iowa Saturday and
Today in Iowa SundaySyndicated programs carried on WHO-TV include the
game shows
Wheel of Fortune,
Jeopardy!, and
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as the
talk shows
The Ellen DeGeneres Show,
The Montel Williams Show, and
The Tony Danza Show. Local programs include
The Insiders, a Sunday-morning political talk show moderated by John Bachman, and
Sound Off, a Sunday-night sports talk show hosted by Keith Murphy and Andy Fales. WHO-TV also airs selected
UPN programs during late-night weekend hours. This arrangement will end when
The CW Television Network begins in September 2006, as current WB affiliate
KPWB-TV will get the CW affiliation for the Des Moines market.
* Stein, Jeff,
Making Waves: The People and Places of Iowa Broadcasting (ISBN 0971832315). Cedar Rapids, Iowa: WDG Communications, 2004.
*
WHO-TV web site*
WHO-TV historical artifacts from DesMoinesBroadcasting.com
*
