The Baltimore Sun reports today that WISN-TV anchorman Jason Newton has taken an anchor position at WBAL in his hometown of Baltimore. The station, like Channel 12 here, is owned by Hearst Television Inc.
According to the report, Newton will anchor three morning newscasts beginning Dec. 16. Newton will debut during the station's live coverage of the holiday lighting of the Mount Vernon Washington Monument on Dec. 5.
"This is a dream come true," Newton told the paper. "I look forward to joining a newsroom known for its award-winning investigative journalism and political coverage. WBAL-TV is the station I grew up watching. Coming home to cover everything that makes this city special is an honor and a privilege."
"It appears that Newton is being groomed to be the WBAL anchorman of the future," the newspaper says.
"Newton will be a great addition to our newsroom," news director Michelle Butt told the Sun. "As a native Baltimorean, he knows how to connect with our viewers and is invested in our community."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
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