October 27, 1947, WMAR was born.
The first broadcast was 2 horse races from Pimlico Race Course, and that would be the first broadcast, ever, for the station, and the first to broadcast in Maryland.
The station was an independent channel until 1948 when it became a CBS affiliate.
Offices were once located at Charles and Redwood Streets, the same space as the old Sunpapers building. WMAR was founded by the A.S. Abell Company who also, at that time, owned the Sunpapers, which included The Baltimore Sun and The Evening Sun.
In May of 1963, WMAR moved to its current building in Television Park off York Road.
Shows you grew up with
People in Baltimore grew up watching programs broadcast by WMAR. Including "Professor Kool's Fun Skool" which was hosted by Stu Kerr.
WMAR also produced shows like Dialing for Dollars, Romper Room, Entertaining Seafood, and Rodricks for Breakfast.
The WMAR studios hosted many MDA telethons and Johns Hopkins Miracle Network Telethons.
The station hosted Black History Month plays and and writers competitions.
Some big names have worked at WMAR over the 75 years.
Helen Delich Bentley, who was first a maritime editor for the Baltimore Sun, hosted "The Port that Built a City" a weekly program on shipping and transportation news. Bentley later ran, and was elected to the US House of Representatives. In June, 2006, then Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. officially renamed the Port as The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.
Susan-White Bowden and Jack Bowden were loved by many. The popular husband and wife anchor team were welcomed into homes across the area.
Berry Levison was once a prop boy at WMAR.
Jim McKay was the first voice heard when the station began its test broadcasts and called the horse race program that inaugurated the station's official launch.
Kevin Clash, creator of Elmo, got his start creating puppets on the WMAR children's show "Caboose", alongside Stu Kerr.
WMAR's mark in sports history
Most notably WMAR is known for its history in Baltimore sports with Orioles baseball, College Lacrosse and the Turkey Bowl, which WMAR still produces to this day.
From 1979 to 1993 WMAR was the station for Orioles games, including the final game at the old Memorial Stadium.
The station was also once home of the Baltimore Colts, including a post-game show with Chuck Thompson called 'Cold Wrap-up'.
Becoming Scripps
In 1991 the E.W. Scripps Company bought WMAR. Shortly after the station switched from CBS to ABC, the 2nd and final network switch for the legacy station.
Scripps got its first FCC license in 1947 and has since grown to over 61 television stations in 41 markets.
Over the course of the last 75 years, WMAR has evolved with the changes in the TV industry. From black and white to color technology. Film to now shooting on SD cards. Manual cameras in the studio to robotic cameras managed by a controller.
Growing in Baltimore
Local TV news, which was once a must-watch, family event, is now at your fingertips any time you need it, and so is WMAR. Between the WMAR-2 News mobile app, the website, and streaming platforms you can get news from WMAR at any time.
You can now find WMAR on your TV, your phone, and your computer. You can also access WMAR on streaming platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android TV.
Stay tuned as the station opens up "The WMAR Vault" a program that will take you back in time, thanks to the rich history and depth of the WMAR archives.
