“I want to be remembered as having inspired other young women to go into this business and succeed. They are my legacy.”
NOW:
Katie Kaplan is a television news anchor and investigative crime reporter.
She recently relocated to the Midwest and is currently an anchor and reporter for WHO-13 in Des Moines, Iowa.
For five years, Katie anchored the top-rated WCTV Eyewitness News at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in Tallahassee, Fla. She created the award-winning MMJ (multimedia journalist) series called ‘Unsolved,’ which delved into some of the most notorious missing persons and cold cases across Florida and Georgia. Katie spent weeks at a time investigating, interviewing, filming, writing, and editing each story in an effort to humanize the victim and in the belief that someone, somewhere, knows something.
‘Unsolved’ was awarded the 2022 'Best Investigative Series' by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. Her report on a 15-year-old Tallahassee cold case uncovered a new suspect and was recognized as the market’s 'Best Investigative Report’ of 2022. Several of her investigations were picked up by national outlets including ‘Never Seen Again’ on Paramount+ and the Unsolved Mysteries Podcast.
Katie was also recognized by her Sunshine State peers for producing the ‘Best Cultural & Historial Feature’ in 2022 and 2023, and as the Florida Associated Press' 'Best Breaking News MMJ' in 2020 and 2023.
Prior to WCTV, Katie was the weekend anchor and reporter/MMJ for KESQ in Palm Springs, Ca., and the evening news anchor at KFBB in Great Falls, Mt. Katie has also reported for Entertainment Tonight in Los Angeles.
Katie enjoys being involved in the community and has a passion for victim advocacy and Veterans' causes. She currently sits on the board of Veterans Events Tallahassee, Inc., a nonprofit organization that plans Florida’s largest Veterans Day Parade, and she helped to create a broadcast special called, ‘It’s Our Honor,’ which raised more than $15,000 to send local Veterans on the Honor Flight.
She has also volunteered for Relay For Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Special Olympics.
Katie is married to journalist Ben Kaplan. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, relaxing, and spending time with her family.
Katie Kaplan, Journalist
THEN:
Growing up watching Barbara Walters on 20/20, Katie has always wanted to “do the news.” Before she was ‘live’ in the field, she was ‘live’ in the living room as a child.
She grew up the youngest of four children in Southern California. Her father is a Vietnam combat Veteran and her mother is a former beauty queen (Miss Detroit, Miss Michigan Runner Up).
A lifelong soccer player, Katie is a CIF Champion and was captain of the team when she played in Europe when she was 17.
She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 2011, where she commuted to class while working two jobs to help pay for tuition and books. Sometimes she slept in her car to make it to her obligations on time.
In college, she was elected President of the campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, wrote for the University’s newspaper, and was a founding member of ‘Titan Sports Recap,’ a student-run sports show that’s still in production.
As a student at CSUF, Katie was selected for a fellowship in Vietnam where she had her first MMJ/one-man-band experience reporting on the work of a medical mission in rural northern provinces. Katie also studied abroad in Italy on a scholarship.
As a college senior, Katie was distinguished with the 2011 CSUF Professional Promise Award after being nominated by the University faculty as “the graduating student with the most professional promise” out of more than 1,200 others in her class.
Katie was also the recipient of the SPJ Mark of Excellence Award, the Jerry Dunphy Memorial Scholarship during the 61st Annual Golden Mike Awards in Los Angeles, and is a member of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society.