Story

Jim Baldridge

News Center 7 Anchor

BIO

I’m a news anchor at News Center 7. You can see me weeknights at 5 and 6, and 11pm. I’ve been covering news in the Dayton area for more than 40 years. I started at WCIT radio in Lima, Ohio, in 1964 as a senior in high school. I’m a graduate of Wright State University and Sinclair Community College.

Before finding my home at WHIO, I worked for several other broadcast stations in the Dayton-Springfield area and served a hitch in the Army with the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in the Pacific.

Joining WHIO-TV in 1972 as a general assignment reporter, I covered everything from the police beat to city hall and regional government. In 1977 I began anchoring with Dayton broadcast legend Don Wayne, whom I had grown-up watching. Today I anchor with Cheryl McHenry and Letitia Perry, rounding out the most accomplished anchor team in the Miami Valley.

During my years at WHIO I’ve traveled the world to cover stories important to the Dayton area. Special assignments have taken me to China, Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Japan, Colombia, and throughout Europe -- including Berlin as the infamous Wall came down. I’ve also covered major stories in the USA such as the San Francisco earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing as well as many presidential nominating conventions and campaign activities.

I have an abiding interest in aviation -- a natural thing for someone who grew up around the homes of the Wright Brothers and Neil Armstrong. I anchored Dayton Air Show broadcasts starting in 1975. WHIO-TV's coverage of the air show was broadcast by hundreds of stations nationwide and in several foreign countries.

I’ve received many awards for my work in broadcast journalism. I’ve been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the "Emmy" Awards), The Aviation and Space Writers Association, the National Association of Television Program Executives, and many local organizations. I received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Wright State University College of Liberal Arts in 2004. Sinclair Community College presented me with its Alumni Association Service Award and Shawnee High School presented me with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1989.

My wife, Sue, and I live in Centerville. We have two grown children.

Q & A

Where were you born?
Ashland, Kentucky

Where did you grow up?
Lima

What was your favorite TV show then?
Sky King, Zorro

What was the first thing you ever wanted to be?
Radio Announcer

How might someone have described you in high school?
Ambitious

What was your first job?
Announcer WCIT, Lima (1964)

What was your first job in television?
Armed Forces Radio TV

What do you like about your job?
The opportunities to investigate, explain, and travel.

What do you not like about your job?
IRoutine time at my desk.

What might people be surprised to know about you?
That I don’t really like public speaking.

What is the hardest thing you ever did?
Dealing with the loss of my father.

What would be a perfect day for you?
A sunny day at the beach with my family.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to go into the business?
Get a college journalism degree and learn how to be a reporter, not a performer. Also study law and sociology.

If you could only keep one 5-minute tape from your career what would be on it?
Almost any five minutes from a special report we once did called “Back to Vietnam”. My close second choice: any five-minute clip from our Dayton Air Show presentations.