WMAR-TV
ABC-affiliated television station serving Baltimore, Maryland, and Central Maryland.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WMAR-TV is a commercial television station serving Baltimore, Maryland, and surrounding parts of Central Maryland. It broadcasts on virtual channel 2 and is affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company and operates from studios and offices on York Road in Towson, north of the Baltimore City–Baltimore County boundary. Its transmitter is located on Television Hill in Baltimore’s Woodberry neighborhood, where it uses the historically important three-pronged candelabra tower shared with other Baltimore television stations. WMAR-TV began broadcasting on October 30, 1947, as Maryland’s first television station and one of the earliest commercial television stations in the United States. It was established by the A. S. Abell Company, publisher of The Baltimore Sun and the Evening Sun. Its inaugural broadcast included horse races from Pimlico Race Course, reflecting the station’s early emphasis on locally relevant events. Initially independent, WMAR became a full-time CBS affiliate in 1948 after the Federal Communications Commission formally treated Baltimore as a separate television market. In its early years it also carried selected ABC and DuMont programming. The station developed a substantial local identity through news, public-affairs, sports, and personality-driven programming. Early figures associated with WMAR included sports broadcaster Jim McKay and maritime journalist Helen Delich Bentley. WMAR also became closely linked to Baltimore sports, including coverage of the Baltimore Colts and Orioles. In 1959, it joined WBAL-TV and WJZ-TV in constructing a 730-foot broadcast tower on Television Hill, materially extending the stations’ coverage across the region. The newspaper–television combination remained protected under federal cross-ownership grandfathering provisions for a period after those rules became more restrictive. WMAR’s network history has been unusually varied. CBS moved its Baltimore affiliation to WBAL-TV in 1981, and WMAR responded by becoming an NBC affiliate. In 1995, a wider network realignment involving Scripps and ABC moved WMAR to ABC, WJZ-TV to CBS, and WBAL-TV back to NBC. The change made WMAR one of the relatively few American stations to have served as a primary affiliate of all three traditional major broadcast networks. The ABC transition was strategically important for Scripps, although WMAR entered the arrangement with weaker local ratings than WJZ-TV, the former ABC affiliate. Ownership also changed several times. Following the 1986 acquisition of A. S. Abell by Times Mirror, WMAR-TV was sold to Gillett Communications. After Gillett’s television holdings were reorganized under SCI Television, Scripps acquired WMAR in the early 1990s after a dispute over the proposed transaction was settled. Sinclair Broadcast Group later challenged WMAR’s license renewal and sought the channel 2 allocation, but the challenge did not displace the station. Today, WMAR-TV’s principal output consists of local news, weather, traffic, investigative and public-affairs reporting, syndicated material, and ABC network programming. Its digital subchannels include Ion Television programming supplied through Scripps’ network interests. In 2018, the station adopted the WMAR 2 branding and refreshed a stylized numeral-two logo associated with earlier periods of its history, emphasizing its status as Maryland’s first television station. The station remains a locally focused broadcast brand within the Scripps portfolio.
History
WMAR-TV began operations on October 30, 1947, under the ownership of the A. S. Abell Company, publisher of Baltimore’s Sun newspapers. Its first broadcast, from Baltimore, included horse racing from Pimlico Race Course. The station initially operated as an independent because the regulatory and market relationship between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., had not yet been settled. In 1948, the FCC recognized Baltimore as a separate television market, and WMAR became a full-time CBS affiliate. It also carried some ABC and DuMont programming during its early period. The station’s original facilities were in downtown Baltimore, first at the present-day Bank of America Building and later in expanded adjacent space. WMAR moved to its York Road facility, originally called Television Park, in May 1963. In 1959, WMAR collaborated with WBAL-TV and WJZ-TV on a landmark 730-foot candelabra tower on Television Hill. The structure improved regional signal coverage and became a prominent part of Baltimore’s broadcasting infrastructure. WMAR’s relationship with the Abell newspapers was among the newspaper–broadcast combinations protected by federal grandfathering provisions when cross-ownership rules became more restrictive. WMAR was known for local personalities and sports coverage. Jim McKay participated in the station’s early test broadcasts and called the inaugural horse-racing program before becoming nationally known through ABC sports. Helen Delich Bentley hosted a maritime and transportation program connected to Baltimore’s port economy. The station also carried important local sports, including Baltimore Colts programming and Orioles-related coverage. In 1981, CBS announced that it would move its Baltimore affiliation to WBAL-TV, citing WMAR’s low news ratings and its frequent preemption of network programming. WMAR negotiated an NBC affiliation, and the change took effect on August 30. The transition was followed by a labor dispute: in March 1982, WMAR’s on-air talent went on strike after negotiations with AFTRA failed. Other unions supported the picket, and the dispute ended after Orioles broadcaster Brooks Robinson refused to cross the line. News anchors Tom Sweeney and Curt Anderson were subsequently dismissed. Ownership changed after Times Mirror acquired the A. S. Abell Company in 1986. Because the previous cross-ownership protections no longer applied in the same way, Times Mirror sold WMAR-TV to Gillett Communications. Gillett later reorganized its television assets under SCI Television. Scripps announced an acquisition in 1990; although the transaction was delayed by a dispute concerning financial disclosures, the parties settled and Scripps took control in 1991. Sinclair Broadcast Group subsequently challenged WMAR’s license renewal and sought the channel 2 allocation, arguing that a locally based operator would better serve Baltimore. The challenge failed. A major network realignment followed in 1994–1995. Scripps and ABC reached a long-term affiliation agreement, and WMAR replaced WJZ-TV as Baltimore’s ABC affiliate on January 2, 1995. WJZ moved to CBS and WBAL-TV returned to NBC. The switch gave WMAR the unusual distinction of having been a primary CBS, NBC, and ABC affiliate at different points in its history. The transition also affected programming decisions and audience performance. In 1996, the station declined to renew The Oprah Winfrey Show in favor of The Rosie O’Donnell Show, a decision that was later viewed as commercially unfavorable when Oprah moved to WBAL and Rosie eventually moved to WJZ. WMAR continued to adjust its programming mix. It carried the MDA telethon for many years, lost the program to another Baltimore station, and later aired the ABC version of the event before the program ended. In 2012, it dropped Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune as part of a group-level effort to emphasize less expensive original programming; both programs moved to WBFF. In 2014, a man drove a stolen pickup truck into the station’s Towson building after being refused entry. Employees were evacuated and the facility was temporarily locked down. The station briefly aired automated ABC programming, went off the air, and later used a satellite relay from Scripps-owned KNXV-TV in Phoenix before normal operations resumed. No employees were reported injured. In April 2018, the station rebranded as WMAR 2 and modernized a historic numeral-two logo. The current station combines ABC programming, local news and weather, public-service reporting, and Scripps-related digital network content.
- 2018
WMAR 2 identity introduced
[1]WMAR adopts a refreshed brand identity based on its historic channel-two mark.
- 2014
Broadcast facility security incident
[1]A vehicle crashes into the Towson facility, temporarily disrupting station operations.
- 2012
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune leave WMAR
[1]The station drops the two syndicated game shows as part of a group programming strategy; both move to WBFF.
- 1995
ABC affiliation begins
[1]WMAR becomes Baltimore’s ABC affiliate in a three-station network realignment.
- 1991
Scripps takes control
[1]The E. W. Scripps Company completes its acquisition of WMAR-TV after settling a transaction dispute with SCI Television.
- 1981
NBC affiliation begins
[1]WMAR changes from CBS to NBC on August 30.
- 1963
Move to Television Park
[1]The station moves its studios and offices to the York Road facility in Towson.
- 1959
Television Hill tower completed
[1]WMAR joins WBAL-TV and WJZ-TV in building a major three-antenna broadcast tower.
- 1948
CBS affiliation begins
[1]WMAR becomes a full-time CBS affiliate after Baltimore is established as a separate television market.
- 1947
WMAR-TV signs on
[1]WMAR-TV begins broadcasting on October 30 as Maryland’s first television station.
Products and positioning
A heritage Baltimore television station that combines ABC network programming with locally focused news, weather, sports, and public-service coverage.
Local television news
WMAR 2 News
WMAR-TV’s local news operation provides reporting for Baltimore and Central Maryland, including breaking news, investigations, regional affairs, weather, traffic, and community coverage. It is the principal consumer-facing service associated with the station brand.
Broadcast network affiliation · 1995
ABC programming
As an ABC affiliate, WMAR distributes the network’s entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming to viewers in the Baltimore market, subject to local scheduling and advertising requirements.
Digital multicast television
Ion Television digital subchannel
WMAR’s fifth digital subchannel carries Ion Television programming associated with the Scripps-owned Ion network portfolio, expanding the station’s over-the-air service beyond its primary ABC channel.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018WMAR 2 rebrand
Baltimore · Central Maryland
WMAR introduced the WMAR 2 name and updated its numeral-two logo, presenting the station’s long Maryland history as a central part of its local identity.
Outcome. The station continued operating under the WMAR 2 identity.
Brand decisions
2012
Removal of Jeopardy! and Wheel of FortuneStrategyBackground
Scripps pursued a group-wide effort to emphasize lower-cost original programming.
Action taken
WMAR dropped Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune after carrying them for many years.
Aftermath
Both programs moved immediately to Sinclair-owned Fox affiliate WBFF.
1996
Replacement of The Oprah Winfrey ShowStrategyBackground
WMAR reviewed its syndicated programming lineup after becoming an ABC affiliate.
Action taken
The station chose not to renew The Oprah Winfrey Show and instead carried The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
Aftermath
Oprah moved to WBAL-TV and Rosie later moved to WJZ-TV, while the station’s afternoon performance suffered.
1995
Transition to ABCStrategyBackground
Scripps and ABC reached a broader affiliation agreement involving Scripps stations and major network affiliations in several markets.
Action taken
WMAR replaced WJZ-TV as Baltimore’s ABC affiliate, while WJZ moved to CBS and WBAL-TV returned to NBC.
Aftermath
WMAR became one of the few American stations to have served as a primary affiliate of CBS, NBC, and ABC. The station also faced difficult ratings conditions after the transition.
1981
Pursuit of NBC affiliationStrategyBackground
CBS decided to transfer its Baltimore affiliation to WBAL-TV, leaving WMAR facing the loss of its network relationship.
Action taken
WMAR negotiated an agreement to take NBC programming from WBAL-TV and changed affiliations on August 30, 1981.
Aftermath
WMAR operated as an NBC affiliate until the 1995 Baltimore network realignment.
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