Bob Turk is leaving WJZ after five decades
BALTIMORE -- Weatherman Bob Turk, the "Sunshine Kid" and a presence in Baltimore homes for years, is leaving WJZ after five decades with the station.
In a message shared on his Twitter account, Turk said his long career allowed him to combine two of his loves: weather and the city of Baltimore.
"When I look back, it wasn't just my passion for weather, it was the love I have for the people of Baltimore," he wrote. "This is the city where I was born and raised. This is where I raised my family. There is no other city in the world like Baltimore! It's you, the people, who make Baltimore so charming. It's you that made me love coming into work everyday! When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life!"
He went on to say: "The people of Baltimore have shown immense love and support throughout my entire career. It has been absolute privilege to be a part of your life."
As anchor Denise Koch recounted on the air Monday, Turk got the job in the early 1970s after answering an ad in the newspaper.
According to his staff bio, Turk took an interest in the weather as a boy, rigging up a device to measure precipitation.
Gov. Larry Hogan in a social media post on Monday evening thanked Turk for his decades-long stretch as WJZ weatherman.
The Baltimore native earned a B.S. degree in geography from what was then known as Towson State College and a master's degree in the same subject from the graduate school of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
In between his degrees, Turk worked as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore City, and prior to his broadcasting career, he served as an assistant planner for Howard County.
After joining the station, Turk pushed for WJZ to acquire the Doppler radar weather system, making the station one of the first in the market to have the forecasting technology.
And who can forget the classic promos?
All this week WJZ will be taking a look back at some of Bob's most memorable moments, and you will hear from him on Friday, when Denise talks with Bob about his five decades here on TV Hill.
