Jim Baldridge
Encyclopedia
Jim Baldridge is a former American newscaster and former co-anchor for WHIO-TV
's Newscenter 7 in Dayton, Ohio
.
. He attended Shawnee High School
, and is a graduate of Wright State University
and Sinclair Community College
.
Baldridge began covering news at WCIT
radio in Lima, Ohio, in 1964 as a senior in high school. He worked for several stations in the Dayton-Springfield area (including WIZE
under the pseudonym "Gregg Baldwin") and served in the Army with the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
in the Pacific.
Baldridge joined WHIO-TV in 1972 as a general assignment reporter. In 1977 Baldridge began anchoring with Dayton broadcast legend Don Wayne, whom he had grown up watching. He later worked alongside Cheryl McHenry and Letitia Perry. During his years at WHIO Jim Baldridge has traveled the world to cover stories important to the Dayton area. Special assignments have taken him to China, Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Japan, Colombia, and throughout Europe, including covering the Fall of the Berlin Wall. He also covered major stories in the USA, such as the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing
, as well as many political events.
Baldridge retired in the fall of 2009 after a career as one of the most durable local news anchors on any station in the United States.
broadcasts for 26 years from 1975. Since the mid-1980s, WHIO-TV's coverage of the air show has been broadcast by hundreds of stations nationwide and in several foreign countries.
, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
(the "Emmy" Award
s), The Aviation and Space Writers Association, the National Association of Television Program Executives, and many local organizations. Sinclair Community College presented him with its Alumni Association Service Award, and Shawnee High School presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1989.
. They have two grown children.
WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Dayton, Ohio, serving that state's Miami Valley area. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from its transmitter on Germantown Street in western Dayton....
's Newscenter 7 in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
Biography
Baldridge was raised in Lima, OhioLima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
. He attended Shawnee High School
Shawnee High School (Lima, Ohio)
Shawnee High School is a public high school located just southwest of Lima, Ohio. It is part of the Shawnee Local School District. They are members of the Western Buckeye League.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:...
, and is a graduate of Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
and Sinclair Community College
Sinclair Community College
Sinclair Community College is an urban community college located in downtown Dayton, Ohio and is the largest community college at a single location in the state of Ohio....
.
Baldridge began covering news at WCIT
WCIT (AM)
WCIT WCIT WCIT (940 AM, is a commercial broadcast radio station in Lima, Ohio, and features a news/talk format. The station, along with FM sister stations WEGE, WWSR and WFGF, share studio facilities on Cable Road in Lima...
radio in Lima, Ohio, in 1964 as a senior in high school. He worked for several stations in the Dayton-Springfield area (including WIZE
WIZE
WIZE — branded WIZE AM 1340 — is a commercial radio station in Springfield, Ohio owned by Clear Channel Communications as part of their Dayton cluster...
under the pseudonym "Gregg Baldwin") and served in the Army with the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
in the Pacific.
Baldridge joined WHIO-TV in 1972 as a general assignment reporter. In 1977 Baldridge began anchoring with Dayton broadcast legend Don Wayne, whom he had grown up watching. He later worked alongside Cheryl McHenry and Letitia Perry. During his years at WHIO Jim Baldridge has traveled the world to cover stories important to the Dayton area. Special assignments have taken him to China, Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Japan, Colombia, and throughout Europe, including covering the Fall of the Berlin Wall. He also covered major stories in the USA, such as the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, as well as many political events.
Baldridge retired in the fall of 2009 after a career as one of the most durable local news anchors on any station in the United States.
Dayton Air Show affiliation
Jim Baldridge has a strong interest in aviation. He anchored Dayton Air ShowDayton Air Show
The Vectren Dayton Air Show is an annual event at the Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio, eight miles north of Dayton, Ohio. The history of flight exhibitions dating back to 1910 by the Wright Company. The city is the home of the Wright Brothers and the true birthplace of aviation, as...
broadcasts for 26 years from 1975. Since the mid-1980s, WHIO-TV's coverage of the air show has been broadcast by hundreds of stations nationwide and in several foreign countries.
Awards
Baldridge has received many awards for his work in broadcast journalism. He has been honored by the Society of Professional JournalistsSociety of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
(the "Emmy" Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s), The Aviation and Space Writers Association, the National Association of Television Program Executives, and many local organizations. Sinclair Community College presented him with its Alumni Association Service Award, and Shawnee High School presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1989.
Personal life
Baldridge and his wife Sue live in CentervilleCenterville, Montgomery County, Ohio
* Centerville City School District, Montgomery County, Ohio* Mad River Road* State Route 48* State Route 725-External links:* *...
. They have two grown children.