As we near the very end of our three-year CLIR-funded grant project, Broadcasting Baltimore: Digitizing Hidden Histories, we would be remiss if we did not do a whole blog post dedicated to Eyewitness News. The first Eyewitness News format began in 1959 at a local television station in Cleveland (now WKYC-TV), which was a Group W-owned station. It was the United State’s first 90-minute local newscast. It was first named Eyewitness News in 1965, defining the role of the reporter as a “witness” to news events to anchors and viewers. Following its success, the other Group W stations adopted the format and name, including Baltimore’s WJZ-TV.

The series was the largest from which we digitized. It made up 36% (373 hours) of our total hours over 442 tapes. Not only does the news capture regional and national events but more importantly and if not sometimes endearingly, local news about everyday people. Throughout the CLIR Digitizing Hidden Histories grant, Eyewitness News has been critical in finding footage about community festivals and we also uncovered more “Now & Then” segments. Other segments we want to feature include “Neighborhood News,” “13 Salute,” “Years Ahead,” “Maryland by George,” and “Elementary Improv.”

“Neighborhood News” usually highlighted something positive that brought Baltimore communities together. In a 1993 clip, a small business, Rosalie’s Community Store, opened in the Brooklyn neighborhood. In a 1999 clip, the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University hosted the Baltimore City Special Olympics featuring 1100 athletes.

The “13 Salute” involved viewers nominating someone who was making a difference in their community. A gathering was organized and WJZ came to capture their story and pin the honoree with a gold “13.” Examples of 13 Salutees include church volunteer, Georgia Payne (1993); fundraiser, Linda Price (1994); and caretaker, Zelda Rodwell (1999).

“Years Ahead” was a segment by WJZ-TV’s senior citizen correspondent, Leona S. Morris. She was a retired educator who had a second career as a reporter. A 1987 People magazine interview described her as “a gray-haired fireball who believes that ‘you’re only as young as you feel and I feel like I’m in my early 50s.’ ” Her weekly segment included medical, social and financial issues for the elderly. In a 1994 clip, Leona discussed the Share Program which was popular among senior citizens on fixed incomes. In a clip from 1996, she reported on the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) needing more women executives to serve as counselors for small businesses.

George Baumann was a co-anchor and reporter for Eyewitness News at noon from 1960-1991. From 1991 until his retirement in 1998, George hosted the segment, “Maryland By George” (originally “Annapolis by George”). George went all over Maryland showcasing its history and people. In this 1998 clip, he visited the The Carlton Street Stable in southwest Baltimore and talked to individuals from the Arabber Preservation Society.

WJZ visited different schools in the Baltimore area for “Elementary Improv” where they interviewed students and asked them to tell jokes. In this 1998 clip, David and Marshall are featured from Owings Mills Elementary.

There are additional segments and so much more to discover in this series and in the WJZ-13 collection. You can search via our ArchivesSpace and Aviary.

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning. To learn more, visit www.clir.org.

This blog post was written by Joana Stillwell, MARMIA’s AV Archivist.

March 21, 2025: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #7: Now & Then
November 12, 2024: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #6: Prime-time People
October 15, 2024: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #5: Community Festivals
July 3, 2024: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #4: Focal Point
August 15, 2023: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #3: WJZ-TV Collection Featured on Digital Maryland
June 6, 2023: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #2: Shakedown!
February 6, 2023: Broadcasting Baltimore Update #1: City Line Is Digitized
August 28, 2022: Digitizing Hidden Histories Begins
April 28, 2022: MARMIA Receives a CLIR Grant

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