Anchor Ron Steele shares message with viewers during his final broadcast with KWWL | Waterloo | kwwl.com

Nightly Anchor

To our loyal KWWL viewers, what a privilege it has been to tell your stories over the past five decades on some 30,000 newscasts.

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) -- Now that my final newscast here at KWWL-TV has aired, just a major online ‘thank you’ to all of our loyal viewers and everyone here at KWWL, past and present.

To our loyal KWWL viewers, what a privilege it has been to tell your stories over the past five decades on some 30,000 newscasts.

You have invited me into your homes and businesses, in good times and bad, and I will never forget your friendships and generosity. You are the reason we exist and I have never lost sight of that. Thank you for your loyalty to me and my family. Pretty sure I have mentioned Hudson on the air about 3,000 times.

To my colleagues. It has been a terrific run and I wish all of you the very best. I have had the honor of working with some of the very best in our industry.

When it comes to just how much I appreciate all of your hard work, I certainly haven’t said it nearly enough. But, please know I admire your dedication to excellence and I have enjoyed working with all of you over the years.

I have had the best seven co-anchors. Each helped me improve every day. Thanks to Liz Mathis, Bobbi Earles, Ann Kerian, Tara Thomas, Amanda Goodman, Abby Turpin and Elizabeth Klinge.

Sports Director Rick Coleman and I have worked together 37 years. Rick started at KWWL while still a student at Waterloo West. Rick has carried on the great KWWL sports tradition which included the likes of Mike O’Connor, Bob Hogue, Bob Healey and Bryan Lessly, not to mention, our social media superstar, Mark Woodley.

Chief Meteorologist Mark Schnackenberg has been with KWWL 30 years. Like Rick, Mark has carried on a weather tradition started decades ago by Jym Ganahl, Terry Swails, Craig Johnson and Jeff Kennedy. It has been such a great honor to be a part of that tradition.

Legendary News Director, Grant Price, took a chance on a 24-year old rookie, and hired me as Sports Director in 1974. General Manager, Jim Bradley, gave the okay, along with Robert Buckmaster. The hire was an obvious risk at the time.

I moved to news in 1979, when Anchor Tom Petersen left Waterloo. Tom would spend some 27years in Chicago, many as News Director at WGN radio.

Visionary General Managers like Bill Bolster, Jim Waterbury, Rick Lipps, Tom Allen, Jim McKernan, John Huff and now Aaron Scoby, provided me with amazing opportunities to cover news around the world. For that, I will always be grateful.

KWWL has been very generous to me and my family. It has been an amazing run and I thank everyone for your support over the decades.

Nightly Anchor