WHO-13 is adding a familiar face to its news team.
Samantha Mesa is returning to the Des Moines metro as an anchor and reporter for WHO 13.
Mesa left WOI-TV’s Local 5 News in May 2024 after serving as the midday anchor for three years. The seasoned reporter described her move back to Des Moines as a “reunion with ease.”
“We are excited to add another respected journalist to the WHO 13 team,” said Rod Peterson, WHO 13’s news director, in an email to the Register. “Samantha is community-minded. She has strong relationships in Des Moines. She adds to WHO 13’s depth of experience.”
Where did Samantha Mesa go after leaving WOI?
Samantha Mesa has return to Des Moines as a reporter and anchor for WHO 13 after working for Fox 17 in Michigan for a year.
After leaving Des Moines, Mesa worked at Fox 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, she covered elections from local races to presidential. With Michigan being a swing state, Mesa left Iowa in hopes of covering consequential races.
Mesa got her start in journalism working in Corpus Christi, Texas. She left for a job in New York and returned to report near the United States’ southern border in Texas. Going to Michigan allowed her to cover the northern border, preparing her to, once again, cover the heartland.
“I have seen now both the upper north of the U.S. and the farthest south border, which are very different from each other but are still the U.S.,” Mesa said in an interview with the Register.
After learning all about the caucuses in Iowa, Mesa had the opportunity to see how Michigan’s election processes function. She plans to bring all this experience back to Iowa and apply it to the community outreach she established before she left.
“It’s a plot twist that I didn’t anticipate, it’s but in the best way,” Mesa said about her return. “More than anything I just want to thank the community for past collaborations.”
When can you watch Samantha Mesa on WHO-13?
You can see Mesa on WHO-13 starting in August during the evening newscasts.
Her role will be a mix of reporting and anchoring, so Mesa won’t have a consistent anchor schedule, she said. She will also do community outreach for the station.
“I will be representing the station everywhere and anywhere that I can build community and uplift local change-makers,” Mesa said.
What did Mesa’s reporting consist of during her first stint in Des Moines?
Mesa has more than 10 years of journalism experience. Her start in Des Moines was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She not only navigated reporting during quarantine but also experienced partial hearing loss from COVID. This didn’t stop her from getting to know the Des Moines community through her work.
Another goal of Mesa’s throughout her career has been amplifying Hispanic voices. As a Latina woman, Mesa has made uplifting the Hispanic community a forefront of her job, whether it be in Iowa, Michigan or Texas.
Mesa’s return to Iowa also allows her to reunite with her fiancé who lives in Iowa and works as a photographer for Iowa State University. Even in their free time, the two enjoy reporting on what makes Iowa unique through pictures and storytelling.
“I am all about supporting local,” Mesa said. “So I will be sharing anything and everything I can to just uplift local Iowa.”
Where is WHO’s Erin Kiernan?
WHO 13 viewers may have also noticed a missing face from the evening newscasts.
Award-winning anchor for WHO 13, Erin Kiernan recently posted a video on Facebook showing her spending more time with her children and saying that she would “be present” for the summer. She responded to a comment saying that she would “be back when kids are back in school.”
Kiernan did not respond to a request for comment and Peterson declined to provide more details.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Samantha Mesa, a former WOI anchor, returns to Des Moines to join WHO
