Janelle Stelson

Janelle Stelson
Born	(1960-05-27) May 27, 1960 (age 65) Fairbanks, Alaska
Education	University of Puget Sound (BA)
Occupation	Former WGAL news anchor
Years active	1986–present
Employer(s)	WGAL (Lancaster, PA)
Spouse	Dr. Steven Houser (died 2016)
Awards	Recipient of several Associated Press awards

Janelle Stelson is an American former television news anchor, who worked for 26 years as a news anchor at WGAL. Before that, she worked at WHTM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, WPLG in Miami, Florida, then back in Harrisburg, PA, working at WHP and WITF public radio. ^[1]

Career

After graduating from University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in politics and government, she began her broadcast journalism career at WHTM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as a general assignment reporter, weather and climate anchor for three years. ^[2] She then left for Miami, Florida and joined WPLG in 1989 and covered news related to hurricanes, Haitian riots, and one of the biggest drug busts in U.S. history. ^[3]

Returning to Pennsylvania in the Susquehanna Valley, she then joined WHP in Harrisburg, anchoring the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts. ^[4] In addition, she also worked with WITF radio, hosting a statewide public TV broadcast, and anchored "Computer Chronicles" on PBS. ^[5]

She then joined WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1997. ^[6] She worked there as the co-anchor of the "News 8 at 4, 5:30, 10, and 11 pm" newscasts. She covered the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, where she flew over the smoldering twin towers in New York City, New York in an open military helicopter after the attacks happened, whilst delivering supplies to the recovery site, the West Nickel Mines School shooting, ^[7] the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's involvement in the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo, anchored coverage of Governor Josh Shapiro's inauguration, and interviewed British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Senator John McCain, former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Paul McCartney.^{[ citation needed ]}

On September 14, 2023, Stelson announced near the end of "News 8 at 5:30" that she would be leaving WGAL to pursue other interests after nearly 40 years as a journalist, with 26 of those years at WGAL, and that September 15 would be her last newscast. ^[8] WGAL aired a series of montages of her work on her last day.^{[ citation needed ]}

Awards and recognition

Stelson received several Associated Press awards for her reporting.^{[ citation needed ]} During her time at WGAL, an annual reader poll for Senior News of Lancaster and Dauphin County named Stelson "Best News Anchor" many times,^{[ citation needed ]} and she participated in WGAL's town hall meetings. ^[9] She has also been a keynote speaker for various public events. ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "Janelle Stelson". WGAL. 22 November 2011.
2. "WHTM's Janelle Stelson does reporting and weather". The Patriot News. September 27, 1987.
3. "Janelle Stelson joins WPLG as general assignment reporter". Newspapers.com. July 15, 1989. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
4. "Stelson new WHP anchor". York Daily Record. December 28, 1993. 28 December 1993.
5. Fox, Barry (October 13, 1995). "Janelle Stelson is back - sort of". The Evening News.
6. Fox, Barry (September 5, 1997). "Janelle Stelson hired as anchor at WGAL". The Patriot News. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
7. "Janelle Stelson recalls the tragic shooting in an Amish school". WGAL. March 22, 2019.
8. Thompson, Charles (September 14, 2023). "Janelle Stelson leaving WGAL News 8 anchor desk". PennLive.
9. "Town Meeting WGAL 8 in York". York Sunday News. June 6, 2004.
10. "Harley Davidson Fashon Show; A Women's Show Tradition". York Daily Record. September 28, 2008.
11. "Family affair at women's show". York Daily Record. October 2, 2008.