Johnny Rowlands Biography
Johnny Rowlands is an American Reporter and Pilot working for KMBC 9 News as a weekday morning traffic reporter. Also, he is the chief pilot for KMBC NewsChopper 9.
Johnny Rowlands Education
Rowlands joined Baker University after finishing his high school education. He later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Journalism.
Johnny Rowlands Career
Rowlands works for KMBC 9 News as a weekday morning traffic reporter. He is on the air on “FirstNews” from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and on “KMBC 9 FirstNews” from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KCWE. He served as a radio disc jockey in the mid-1970s before kick-starting his television career on Channel 9 in the late ’70s as a co-host of the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.
Rowlands was a member of the original “FirstNews” team in the late ’80s as a Kansas City Television Airborne Traffic Reporter. There, he was piloting his Cessna over the Kansas City morning rush hour. In addition, he was a Special Instructor in the Broadcasting Department in the early 1980s.
Rowlands has captured amazing videos of some of Kansas City’s biggest stories. For instance, news outlets around the world featured his airborne video of the house that exploded on the South side during a police shootout, and a still frame was included in a Reader’s Digest story explaining the incident.
Rowlands was awarded for his coverage of the 4th of May 2003 tornado that ravaged Wyandotte County, Liberty, and Gladstone. In this capacity, he delivered unprecedented warnings and was credited by meteorologists and emergency personnel for saving many lives. In less than a week, his repeat performance and 30-minute warning again played a part in helping people avoid injury from a tornado that struck Lawrence, Kansas, on the 8th of May 2003.
Rowlands tracked the 29th May 2004 tornado, which he caught up with a supercell near Dearborn, MO. For the first time in history, he videotaped the entire life cycle of a tornado, from the initial wall cloud to the “roping out” as the tornado dissipated. Aside from this, his coverage represented another first: The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for the Dearborn area based on the live video Johnny was sending back to Channel 9 as part of the station’s storm coverage.
Johnny Rowlands KMBC
Rowlands works for KMBC 9 News as a weekday morning traffic reporter. He is on the air on “FirstNews” from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and on “KMBC 9 FirstNews” from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KCWE. Additionally, he covers breaking news in the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts on Channel 9. Also, he is the chief pilot for KMBC NewsChopper 9. He has been honored to be a member of the KMBC News Team and is especially proud to be a part of KMBC’s award-winning severe weather coverage.
Rowlands took over the controls of NewsChopper 9 in 2003, and since then, he has delivered up-to-the-minute traffic information so that commuters get around the traffic trouble spots and drive-time delays. He is one of the few TV helicopter pilots who is also an on-camera reporter, bringing a unique perspective to Channel 9’s coverage.
Rowlands not only covers breaking news stories but also aids law enforcement and firefighters in various emergencies. His most notable story is the one in which he guided Merriam, Kansas, firefighters to two teenagers trapped on the roof of a burning apartment building. He also assisted police officers in the rescue of an elderly couple trapped in the home from the rising waters of Lake Annette in Cass County.
Rowlands states that his most compelling story, however, is when severe weather strikes. This is when he can be found in the air tracking storms as they approach the Kansas City metro. Being an avid weather enthusiast, he has also pioneered cutting-edge tracking of supercells and tornadoes from NewsChopper 9.
He is now covering traffic, news, and weather throughout. Every spring, he takes the show on the road and lands NewsChopper 9 at dozens of elementary schools, showing highlights of his tornado coverage and giving safety tips on how to survive a tornado. For the past three years, he has delivered his safety message to nearly 30,000 schoolchildren in the greater Channel 9 viewing area.
Johnny Rowlands Age
Rowlands was born in Prairie Valley, Kansas, United States. He likes to keep his personal life private and hence has not yet disclosed the year and month he was born. It is therefore not known when he celebrates her birthday. However, he might be in his 70s.
Johnny Rowlands Height
He stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 7 inches.
Johnny Rowlands Family
Rowlands was born and raised in Prairie Valley, Kansas, United States. His father died in the year 1999 due to a cardiovascular breakdown. His mother passed away in late September 1988. He, however, manages to keep information regarding whether he has any siblings away from the limelight. We will update this information once more information is available to the public.
Johnny Rowlands Wife
Rowlands married Angela Engle on November 11, 2011. They have a daughter named Harriette “Hattie” Rose. Harriette was born on October 8, 2018, weighing 6 pounds, and is 7 years old as of 2025. His daughter was named after his late mother.
On October 10, 2018, KMBC congratulated them for the birth of their daughter via a Facebook post, captioned, “Welcome to the KMBC 9 family Hattie! 💖🍼👶 Johnny Rowlands and his wife, Angee, welcomed Harriette Rose into the world at 1:24 a.m. Monday morning. Hattie, weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, is named after Johnny’s mom…” Before Harriette, he had a son named Blake from his first marriage. Blake is an airline captain flying CRJ900 twin-engine jets for American Eagle, the commuter provider for American Airlines.
Away from work, he enjoys cycling, flying, scuba diving, and hitting the gym. He has a Mooney TLS single-engine airplane that he and his family use for weekend trips to various Midwest getaways and distance flying across the country.
Johnny Rowlands Net Worth
Rowlands has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $5 Million which he/she has earned from his successful career as a Reporter/Pilot.
Johnny Rowlands Salary
Rowlands earns an annual salary ranging between $40,000 – $ 110,500.
Johnny Rowlands KMBC 9 News
Rowlands works at KMBC 9 News where he works alongside other famous KMBC 9 News anchors, reporters, meteorologists, and sports anchors including;
- Danielle Grant
- Pete Grigsby
- Neville Miller
- Bryan Busby
- Katie Horner
- Nick Bender
- Karen Kornacki
- Len Jennings
- Len Dawson
- Donna Pitman
- Kris Ketz
- Emily Holwick
- Kelly Eckerman
- Cody Holyoke
- Larry Moore
- Brian Johnson
- Martin Augustine
- Rob Hughes