Des Moines TV: Ex-WHO-13 Anchor Says She Was Fired Due To Age

 Sonya Heitshusen says she knew right away that her termination was not on the level.

The Register reports the veteran WHO-13 news anchor was told April 3, 2020, that the station where she'd worked for 17years was ending her contract. Her bosses offered to help her land a new job with a sister station, or to call her back when new jobs opened, she says. News Director Rod Peterson even suggested there might be a job for her then, working on the station's website — but with a catch.

"He said it doesn’t pay the same, and nothing on air, nothing on camera. And when I heard that, I knew, it was like a punch to the gut," Heitshusen testified this week in Polk County Court. "It meant I was good enough to work behind the scenes, I was good enough to work on the web, but we don’t want you in front of the camera."

At 52, Heitshusen was the oldest female anchor at WHO, where she'd built a reputation as a versatile journalist, covering both investigative stories and features. Now 56, she is suing WHO, parent company Nexstar Media, Peterson and General Manager Bobby Totsch, alleging age and gender discrimination. The case went to trial last week, and on Monday, Heitshusen took her turn on the witness stand.

In at-times tearful testimony, Heitshusen spoke about her love for her job, the sense of purpose she'd lost when it was gone, and the signs she'd seen even before her termination that women were not on a level playing field with men.  "Men are often allowed to age on television, get gray hair, maybe be a little heavier than they were at 20. Women aren’t afforded that luxury," she testified. "Women are expected to be not only professional, but beautiful and young and glamorous."