Jamie Costello And Wayne Lynch Talk About WMAR’s Anchorless News

Jeff Salkin on MPT’s Direct Connection interviewed former WMAR Anchor Jamie Costello and retired news executive Wayne Lynch about WMAR dropping anchors from its morning, 7, and 11 PM newscasts. The station now plays news stories back-to-back. Salkin asks if this Is where local TV news is headed, and whether local news will eventually be anchored by AI.

Lynch said the TV business is changing and believes other companies are watching this experiment. Costello, who spent decades at WMAR, pushed back on the idea that anchors are simply people reading a teleprompter and argues that they serve as a connection between a station and the community.

The discussion also discussed the shift away from appointment viewing, the growing importance of online viewing, and shrinking sports coverage. Costello said the changes at Channel 2 have been difficult to watch. You can watch it here.