Where Are They Now?

I am fortunate enough to have “pounded the pavement” in the media trenches with several famous former TV anchors in Yakima that have gone on to work in major markets. They now have great fame and success in their careers. I consider them all friends and colleagues, and am very proud of their accomplishments.

When I first moved to Yakima by way of Nashville, Tenn., it was to get my big start in radio. The plan was to move to the Valley, get my feet wet after paying my dues for a couple of years and then move on to a bigger radio market. That is typically the work trajectory for television reporters, radio broadcasters, and radio programmers in smaller markets, and Yakima Valley is no different.

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Let’s take a look at six (6) TV anchors that got a start in Yakima and have gone on to hit the big time.

1 . Andrea Fujii

Reporter for World News Now on ABC

Andrea got her start in TV in her home state of Hawaii. She then moved to Yakima and worked for KNDO. From there, she met Whit Johnson whilst working for KNDO/KNDU. They fell in love, moved to Salt Lake City and got married. Her next TV gig was in Baltimore and then New York City. Andrea and Whit now have two beautiful daughters who sometimes appear on Good Morning America with Whit!

Andrea Fujii on Twitter

2 . Whit Johnson

Weekend Anchor for Good Morning America on ABC

Whit got his television start working for KNDO/KDNU in Yakima and Tri Cities. He married Andrea Johnson and they moved to Salt Lake City. He got a job working in Washington D.C. as a reporter and then landed a gig in Los Angeles at KNBC. From there, he was hired by ABC News in New York City and was promoted to prime time shows doing weekend reporting for World News Tonight, 20/20, Nightline, and Good Morning America.

Whit Johnson on Twitter
Whit Johnson on Good Morning America

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3 . Brianna Keilar

CNN Anchor and Former Host of New Day morning show on CNN

Brianna began her TV career as an anchor in Yakima for KIMA news and on a KFFM radio morning show in 2002. She soon moved to New York to do reporting for MTV-U and weekends at CBS Up to the Minute and CBS Evening News. Her next job was working as a political correspondent for CNN, and later as a morning host on New Day. She is set to become an anchor on a new CNN broadcast this spring with co-host Jim Scuitto and Boris Sanchez.

Brianna Keilar on Instagram
Brianna Keilar on Twitter
Brianna Keilar on CNN

4 . Anish Shroff

NFL Play-by-Play Announcer for the Carolina Panthers and Former ESPN Host

Anish began his TV and radio career in Syracuse at radio station, WHEN. He then moved to New York City to work for CBS Sports Radio. Next, Anish accepted a job in Yakima at KNDO as the sports director. His career was then catapulted into a job at ESPN and ESPN-U. He is now the head play-by-play NFL announcer for the Carolina Panthers.

Anish Shroff on Twitter
Anish Shroff on ESPN

5 . Lindsay Watts

Reporter for Fox5 News in Washington D.C.

Lindsay's television career began as an intern in Washington, D.C. She was hired as a reporter for KNDO in Yakima and later moved to a news reporter job in Colorado. After several years, she moved to a new job in D.C., and has been thriving there ever since.

Lindsay Watts News on Twitter

6 . Peter Bukowski

Sports Analyst and Host of Locked on Packers

Peter's career began as a columnist for the Bleacher Report. He moved to Yakima and worked as a reporter for KIMA. After a year in Yakima, he moved back to his home state of Wisconsin and got a job as a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He then worked as a freelance writer in New York City working for Yahoo! Sports, USA Today, Golf.com, and Sports Illustrated. Peter now hosts the popular multimedia sports show and podcast focused on the Green Bay Packers, Locked on Packers.

Locked on Packers on TikTok
Locked on Packers on YouTube

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