Longtime WBAL Anchor Donna Hamilton Retiring

Hearst Television’s NBC affiliate WBAL Baltimore (DMA 26) said today that following a career spanning more than 22 years at the station, longtime news anchor Donna Hamilton will retire on Wednesday, May 23.

Hamilton, a graduate of The University of Alabama-Birmingham, worked on Evening Magazine from 1981 to 1990, helping establish the show as one of Baltimore’s top-rated prime access programs. She joined the WBAL news team in 1995 as anchor of 11 News at 5:00, which quickly became the top-rated 5 p.m. newscast in the city. The station later expanded Hamilton’s anchoring duties to include 11 News at 6:00 and 11 News Tonight at 11:00.

Hamilton has won numerous national and regional awards for her journalism. Her contributions have been instrumental in several honors for health reporting, including “Outstanding Specialty Reporting” from the Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association, “Best TV Segment” from Baltimore Magazine and “First Place Specialty Reporting” from the Society of Professional Journalists.

“Donna has been a key contributor to our collective success for over 20 years,” said WBAL President-GM Dan Joerres. “She has made significant contributions to both our station and to the city of Baltimore during her time here at WBAL-TV. We are excited to celebrate Donna’s career over the next few months.”

“It has been a privilege and an honor to be able to bring the news of the day to people in Maryland for 22 years. I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Hamilton commented. “And to be able to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people over the years I’ve been here at WBAL-TV has truly been a pleasure.”

WBAL will announce a new evening anchor lineup in the coming months.