Baltimore Sun
Across the country, TV and radio outlets are in the midst of a cost-cutting effort that is reshaping the industry and offering few hints of when–or if–it might end. Locally, TV stations are downsizing anchor desks, cutting overtime and looking at new models of content-sharing as ways of coping with a harsh economy.
The latest Baltimore station to move in that direction is WMAR (Channel 2), Baltimore’s ABC affiliate, where Mary Beth Marsden is now anchoring the flagship 11 p.m. newscast alone, and station mangement says it has no plans to add a co-anchor.
Furthermore, with the recent departure of Rob Carlin, the station no longer has a full-time dedicated sports reporter, and is using free lancers for coverage. And don’t look for any late news at all on Saturday nights on Channel 2 this fall. With ABC football games running late, General Manager Bill Hooper says there is not enough of an audience available to justify the newscasts. More…