Jerry Turner

Jerry Turner (August 6, 1929 – December 31, 1987) was an American television news anchorman at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. He was from Meridian, Mississippi and started working at the Baltimore television station in August 1962, starting the 6PM Newscast with Al Sanders in 1977.

Prior to his arrival on Television Hill, WJZ's news was mired in third place in a town that had three major network newscasts. In 1971, WBAL-TV was #1, WMAR-TV was #2; three years later, WJZ with Turner, Sanders, Bob Turk (weather) and Nick Charles (Sports) was a runaway #1 and stayed there through the 70s and into the 80s.

Turner was a co-anchor with Oprah Winfrey when she first moved to Baltimore in 1976.

A resident of Lutherville, Maryland, Turner was first diagnosed esophageal cancer in December 1986. He underwent a series of radiation and chemotherapy treatments and returned to the air in June 1987. He left the newscast in mid-December 1987 when his health deteriorated and died at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on December 31, 1987, at 7:15 PM. His funeral was held at Towson Presbyterian Church.

Each year, the Baltimore Community Foundation awards college scholarships in the name of Jerry Turner for those students who are interested in broadcast journalism. Several memorial discussion programs were broadcast on Channel 13 in the following week examining his legacy and one was repeated several times of a half hour televised review of his life and career.