Taylor Johnson instinctively reached out to a familiar place after 22 people were shot in Kansas City on February 14—KCTV5.
A broadcast reporter for 6 News WOWT, Johnson had worked previously at KCTV5, and when the Kansas City station contacted their sister station in Omaha asking for help covering the tragedy, the journalist didn’t hesitate to answer the call.
“They needed some help with coverage to give their staff a break,” Johnson explained. “They’d just spent the week in Vegas for the Super Bowl, followed by the parade and then the shooting.”
The high-profile shooting itself may have been somewhat unusual, but Johnson jumping into the thick of a story and connecting with people was completely on par for this young reporter.
Johnson started broadcasting news in middle school by reading the morning announcements, and eventually, she realized journalism would be an ideal job for her. With characteristic verve, she dove headlong into the idea, starting by attending the University of Maryland in College Park.
After graduating, the Baltimore native found a job in a communications department in Washington, D.C., but her passion for reporting stories was not satisfied—nor would it be as a recent graduate in one of the top 10 news markets in the United States.
That’s how she decided to apply for digital content producer positions, thinking it would be a way to stay in D.C. Then, she received a phone call from Lynchburg, Virginia, and landed a job there as a web producer.
Although Johnson was excited to be in a newsroom, her real dream was to be on-air; however, she didn’t have a good newsreel highlighting her broadcasting skills. While in Lynchburg, she created stories from a friend’s unused raw footage, eventually applying for an open position within the company. She didn’t get that one, but the tenacious, vivacious young woman eventually landed in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 2020.
While there, she reported on community news like the outdoor dining event “Eat the Streets.” As she excelled at the station, she also filled in at the anchor and weather desks or produced segments. On January 14, 2021, she was asked to be a media witness to the execution of Corey Johnson, the twelfth in a string of 13 executions that happened in Terre Haute between 2020 and early 2021. Johnson reported on-scene calmly, giving details from the sides of both the inmate and victims’ families. The story was a testament to her professionalism.
“It was a little jarring, though, because, you know, they had the glass [for witnesses to see through to the execution room],” Johnson said. “And so when he died, the victims’ families, they were like cheering, and that's what really threw me off.”
Unsurprisingly, bigger markets called, and in May 2021, she was offered the job in Kansas City.
The City of Fountains gave Johnson the chance to continue her work in broadcast news, but with the larger market came fewer opportunities to advance into anchor positions.
As she was thinking what her next move might be, a major story gave Johnson the chance to show her reporting to national viewers.
In June 2022, an Amtrak train derailed near Mendon, Missouri, when it struck a dump truck and obstructed the crossing. CBS, of which KCTV is an affiliate, chose to use local reports for their national coverage, including one of Johnson’s that appeared on CBS Mornings.
Former NFL player and anchor Nate Burleson introduced the clip in which Johnson reported from the side of a crop field some distance away from the wreckage. She ended the report by saying, “Gayle,” as she sent the broadcast back to anchor Gayle King.
“It’s…bittersweet, because it was exciting for me, but it was a sad story,” Johnson said. “For once, my family and my friends could watch me on TV. That's a lot of people's dream, you know, to make it to the network level. Even if it was just for one day, you know, I did it.”
Encouraged by this prominent story, Johnson created a new reel and posted it to YouTube. Within a couple of days, she was contacted by 6 News WOWT News Director Dave Kaplar, who told Johnson he had an opening for a weekend anchor.
Serese Cole, 6 News Daybreak anchor at WOWT and Johnson’s co-worker, said, “She is extremely goal oriented and a go-getter. She knows what she wants to do, what kind of reporter she wants to be in Omaha, and is excellent when it comes to cultivating story ideas.”
As with Indiana and Kansas City, the outgoing reporter said “yes” to this new opportunity. Today, Johnson can be seen on-air as the weekend evening anchor and reporter, and she has dazzled many with her on-air presence, including Cole.
“I knew Taylor was talented because she was a weekend anchor in Kansas City,” Cole said. “But I was even more impressed after anchoring my first show with her at WOWT. She really is a natural. She's sharp, conversational, funny, and quick on her feet.”
While Omaha is home for the moment, Johnson is unsure where her next adventure will take her. One thing, however, is certain: she’s going to go big, or go to a new home.
For more information about Taylor Johnson, visit wowt.com.
This article originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
