After 50 Years at 'KWWL News,' Ron Steele Is Stepping Away From the Anchor Desk

Another local news station is losing a beloved reporter after a career that spanned decades. Ron Steele has been the face and voice of Northeast Iowa since 1974 and has become a constant source of up-to-date news, but he's ready to move on. The youth of today will sadly never understand what it felt like to turn on the television at the same time every night, only to be met with people you trusted implicitly when it came to what was happening in your community, and beyond.

Many on social media have said this is truly the end of an era and are lamenting the fact that they will no longer see him every night. People are increasingly turning to social media or digital outlets for all their news. Perhaps the rapidly changing landscape contributed to Ron's decision to retire. Why did he leave KWWL News? Here's what we know.

Ron announced his departure with little fanfare, saying he and KWWL reached an agreement "which will end my career on Thursday, Feb. 27." He went on to praise the outlet for being generous with him and his family over the years and said he was grateful for the opportunities he had to travel around the world. The longtime anchor promised there would be more to come, including a ton of thank yous.

News Director Andrew Altenbern said Ron is an "icon among Iowans with an undeniable legacy." Although he started out only covering sports, he moved to the news anchor role where Ron flourished. In 1981, he was at the White House when the American hostages came home from Iran. Less than 10 years later, Ron was in Saudi Arabia covering the Persian Gulf War conflict during Desert Storm.

During the course of his career, Ron has interviewed hundreds of newsmakers and personalities. He has been lucky enough to speak with folks like Joe Biden, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Bernie Sanders. The beloved anchor has also sat down with Nobel Peace Prize winners and elite athletes.

For Ron, the job wasn't just about the glitz and the glam. In 2013 he created The Steele Report, a Sunday morning program that "features deeper coverage on Iowans making news, and the topics that impact people across the state," per KWWL. His news series Iowa’s Child Adoption Program, the longest-running series in the state, helped 200 children with "special needs" find loving homes. This earned him the Friend of Children Award from The Coalition for Family and Children’s Services in Iowa.

It's almost impossible to name all of Ron's accomplishments, both in and outside of the newsroom. From fundraisers to teaching at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, to his volunteer work, Ron is a Renaissance man. It's no wonder that so many people took to social media to express their sadness over the fact that they wouldn't be seeing him on their screens any more. Here's hoping he finds another way to connect.