BATON ROUGE — Bob Courtney was anchoring news on the radio in Baton Rouge when he learned about a job opportunity in TV news at WBRZ.
He worked at Channel 2 from 1974 to 1990, uncovering corruption and holding the powerful accountable.
"I was hired as a weekend anchor and three-day-a-week reporter. But I loved reporting, so I pushed myself off the anchor desk into the field,” Courtney said, explaining that he was used to covering big stories.
As a radio reporter, he covered an incident in January 1972 when three police officers, including two Muslim officers, were killed on North Boulevard.
“Then, a few months later, at Southern University, two students were killed by police gunfire,” Courtney said. “Those were defining moments and big national stories.”
And these “defining moments” kept coming at WBRZ.
"I was involved with the Investigative Unit. We did the Barry Seal story, we did a story on the insurance commissioner, which ended up with the insurance commissioner going to prison, then there were other stories like the Oakdale prison riot, which took place on the night Buddy Roemer was elected as governor,” Courtney said about his coverage, some of which won him the prestigious duPont-Columbia Award.
Courtney also covered many of the state’s governors. The most memorable? He said John J. McKeithen, who served from 1964 to 1972, was the biggest character.
“He was from North Louisiana, a big man, a giant of a man,” Courtney said. “His campaign sign (said,) ‘Won't you help me?’”
The 16-year reporter also spent five years as the First Assistant Secretary of State, during which he was in charge of renovating the Old State Capitol building.
“I started my own company. I've been doing a motorcycle travel show for 20 years; it's fun in a different way,” he reminisced.
Courtney said that being at WBRZ, the only locally-owned and operated TV station in Baton Rouge, was a special experience.
“Here was exciting. I always felt like we were doing something really important," he said.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - John Spain wore many hats during his tenure at WBRZ, moving from weatherman to reporter and then manager of the station.
In 1973, he started doing the weather on the weekends and reporting three days during the week. He said it was the only job that was open when he applied but it helped him get his foot in the door.
"I said I didn't know anything about weather, [the news director] didn't care. So, it started out and I did weekend weather for Saturday and Sunday and kinda read the script. I really enjoyed the reporting," Spain said.
After about six months, he walked away from the weather maps and became a full-time reporter. He soared to the top and ended up running the entire team as the news director and then as station manager.
"Twenty-plus years. I had a wonderful career, I believe I lived through many of the best days of local television news. It was coming into its own back then."
He says it's because the Manship family invested in the community and built the legacy of WBRZ News. He said that was a very different time for local news stations.
"Many of the first employees were coming out of radio stations where we had done news. We started doing news with pictures. It was a small group, a couple of newscasts a day everybody did everything. You shot film, edited film, wrote the scripts, laid down the sound. It was a complicated process but it worked."
The WBRZ Newsroom grew and more newscasts were added to keep up with the demand.
"We did a 5 o'clock news which was unheard of at the time. Weekend news, then we said, 'Let's do a morning show,' which no one thought anyone would wake up at 6 o'clock to watch what is now 2une-In."
Spain says WBRZ set the standard for covering the big stories, including the Oakdale Prison Riot in 1987.
"It was before live trucks so we were using helicopters to fly reporters and stories back and forth each day. We owned the story because we figured out how to logistically make it happen."
In 1972, tragedy hit home when a WBRZ anchor was beaten while covering a riot on North Boulevard.
"That was where Bob Johnson from Channel 2 was killed. It became very much a part of the Channel 2 legacy and our history."
John Spain's history at WBRZ spans more than 20 years from 1973 to 1995. He was a self-described "news junkie" back then. Fast-forward to now and not much has changed.
"I still watch the news and I still critique it."
Spain still believes in WBRZ and the Manship family's commitment to remaining locally owned.
"These are owners who live here, who go to restaurants, civic meeting and know they are going to hear from the public if that TV station does something wrong. It's very personal to them. They take great pride in it and want to know each and every day that that TV station is doing the best it can do and providing the resources to make sure it happens," Spain said.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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On April 20, 2010, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana a massive fire and explosion happened on the Deepwater Horizon.
More than 100 crew members evacuated into the dark of night and eleven people died in the fire. Over the next 87 days, upwards of 3 million barrels of oil spewed into the gulf. It was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history.
WBRZ covered the impact into the fishing industry, the cleanup process and the lawsuits after.
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BATON ROUGE — Leo Honeycutt had just received a prestigious journalism award in Monroe for an interview he did with President Ronald Reagan when then-WBRZ News Director John Spain recruited him to move to Baton Rouge to cover politics.
He said yes to the offer and was off to a running start.
"When I first got here, I was a one-man band," Honeycutt said about coming to WBRZ.
During his tenure at WBRZ, Honeycutt loved storytelling, taking viewers along with him on his many road trips to unique communities in south Louisiana. He'd then be the capital region's wakeup call, hosting 2une In with co-host Whitney Vann.
"We had a good time if you think you can get up at 3 a.m. after having four to five hours of sleep at night and still smile out in the community," Honeycutt said.
Leaving WBRZ in 1999, Honeycutt's passion for storytelling and writing continued. He is an accomplished author, chosen by late former governor Edwin Edwards as his official biographer.
When asked what his own book about his time at WBRZ would be called, he answered simply: "The Best Time Ever."
"Because you didn't get much sleep, but at that age, you didn't need much sleep. Now, I'm trying to catch up on all that," Honeycutt said. "We had so much fun. So many places we wanted to go, and we did go to. And everything I've done subsequently has all been because of what I've done here."
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE — Chief forecaster Pat Shingleton worked at WBRZ for four decades, covering weather events like Hurricane Katrina and giving back to the community.
Shingleton’s legacy in Baton Rouge is vast, hosting firehouse cookouts, starting a game show and putting his name behind multiple causes he believed in, helping those in need.
"They never told me no… I always had the opportunity for television experimentation. I enjoyed being able to be some assemblage of talent in some capacity,” Shingleton, who started at WBRZ in 1981, said.
Even after retiring in 2021, he’s only slowed down a little bit.
Shingleton still organizes the annual Wearin’ of the Green Parade, which itself entered its 40th year in 2025. He’s still collecting Coats for Kids and helping to Fill a Prescription for the Needy every year.
Since leaving Channel 2, Shingleton’s legacy at WBRZ lives on. His son, Michael, worked as a reporter and now sits at the desk as an evening anchor. Shingleton’s daughter-in-law, Brittany Weiss, helps the capital region community with 2 On Your Side investigations.
“There's no better example of a community relation than WBRZ Channel 2 and this family," Shingleton said.
Shingleton and his daughter in-law sat down for a live interview earlier this week as WBRZ celebrated its 70th anniversary with Retro Week.
At 74, Shingleton said he is spending more time with his family, including his grandchildren.
"I think I'm good for another 26 years by the time I hit 100, it might be a little bit dicey,” he joked.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - Today on WBRZ'S RETRO WEEK celebrating 70 years of Channel 2 going on the air, Sylvia Weatherspoon hosted a veritable reunion in the studio!
With all of the faces gathered there, there was a combined 160 years of journalistic experience in one room, all gathered to share their experiences and memories in the WBRZ newsroom.
You can watch the segment above or on YouTube below.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - Margaret Lawhon started her career in TV news at Shreveport after she could not find her way into a radio production class at LSU and chose television production, leading her to 14 years at WBRZ.
After enrolling in the class, she got a summer internship at KTBS and was hired at the end of the summer, but she landed her next job at WBRZ.
"I was the 2 On Your Side reporter for 10 years," Lawhon said. "I was here 14 years total, then segued into medical reporting for the last years I was here. I loved all of it."
For all those years, she was relentless, compassionate and a problem solver. She was able to make a difference and keep viewers informed on the latest medical news and breakthroughs.
Dedication made Margaret Lawhon a household name and earned her countless awards for both 2 On Your Side and 2 Your Health.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - WBRZ is celebrating its 70th anniversary on the air with Retro Week, a look back at seven decades of covering Baton Rouge and the rest of the capital region.
WBRZ's Chairman of the Board, Richard Manship, discussed the importance of the station being locally owned.
"That is rare because as we know, in this day and age, it's all about the money. The more properties you have, the more profitability you have because you can get rid of people. We've just chosen not to take that route. Community is important to us," Manship said.
Manship said the money made at WBRZ stays in the community, whether it be through the owners or the business donating to non-profits.
Manship also reflected on the station being in operation for its 70th year.
"Growing up, I think as a kid, you think, 'Well, when I get out of school, I'll work in the family business,' that's just what I always thought and that's the way it turned out," Manship said.
He also reflected on his father, Douglas Manship Sr., and his vision for WBRZ.
"He always preached community," Manship said. "This is a privilege we have, this is not just 'we went out and started out a business,' licenses are handed out by the federal government and there are only a couple of them. It is a privilege and you need to serve the community."
Manship also discussed other endeavors the family pursued, including the Manship Theatre, which he, his brothers and his sisters started to honor his father, who he called a "lover of the arts." He also noted that the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU was started to support journalism.
He also discussed his advice to his nephew and current WBRZ CEO, Jake Manship, on how to keep the station successfully running for the future.
"Do your thing," Manship said. "These are different generations. They think differently than we do, and we have to understand that. We can't sit back and say, 'This is the way I did it and it was successful and that's the way it is.' That's not the way it is, we have to understand that generation, how they do things, and offer advice if asked."
He said in the news industry, staying with the times and telling a story are amongst the most important things.
"When you give the news, you have to tell a story. Don't just present the facts out there," Manship said.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE — WBRZ is celebrating its 70th anniversary on the air with Retro Week, a look back at seven decades of covering Baton Rouge and the rest of the capital region.
Andrea Clesi, who anchored at WBRZ from 1977 to 2008, has always wanted to keep her community informed. And for 31 years, she did that.
She remembers covering education in the capital region very fondly. First, she covered the teacher strike of 1979 that shut schools down for two weeks.
“The city just stopped,” she said. “There was a lot of anxiety about what was going to happen with the schools and the teachers."
She also covered a desegregation trial in 1980.
“It involved… a remap of all the public schools in this parish, pairing and clustering the schools, bussing the students all over and it was a huge story for this community,” Clesi said. "I was a young reporter, probably 22, 23 years old. I got to cover the entire trial and I got to cover what happened as a result of the trial, which was a plan the federal judge drew up to redistrict all of the schools. It was a huge story."
WBRZ's John Pastorek sat down with Andrea - Watch their interview here
Clesi said her series “Wednesday’s Child” particularly holds a special place in her heart, which worked to place foster children into loving homes.
The community she covered was also by her side for the most tragic moment of her life. In 1998, Clesi’s 18-year-old son Tony was killed in a car crash.
"Losing my child was the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life and getting back in front of a camera after losing my child after about a four week time off was the second hardest thing,” she said.
Clesi said that the love of family and friends as well as her colleagues at WBRZ helped give her strength to tell the most important story of her life: the tragic consequences of not wearing a seat belt.
"So we started a campaign after my son's death because tragically he was not wearing a seat belt and we did a great campaign called Buckle Up For Tony,” she said. “We kinda let people know how important seat belts were and were very successful with that. I still have people come up to me and say ‘You know, I buckle up for Tony.’"
She was even recognized by President Bill Clinton for her efforts.
Now that she is retired, she said the biggest change at WBRZ is the number of leadership roles women hold at WBRZ and other newsrooms.
“After I retired from here, I went back, got my masters at LSU and I taught a class out there on LSU campus and the (Manship School of Mass Communication) was 70 percent female,” Clesi said. “So there are a lot of women interested in this industry."
Now, nearly two decades removed from WBRZ, she said she would still “like to go out and tell my stories the way I used to do.”
“But you know these days, you can do that without having to be on TV; you can do a podcast, all kinds of things,” Clesi said. “I thought about it, but I've gotten lazy and it takes a lot of work to do those things.”
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - Seventy years ago this week, WBRZ went on the air, and over the last years there have been many men and women who sat at the anchor desk, but one of them was the face of Channel 2 for 20 years.
John Mahaffey anchored at WBRZ for two decades and earned a reputation as the "Walter Cronkite" of Baton Rouge.
"He was a legend," said Margaret Lawhon, another former WBRZ anchor. "He really was. He had that quality that was very special you can't teach. I mean, he lit up when that camera went on. He was all there, 100 percent."
News was in Mahaffey's blood. His father was a longtime newspaper man in Texas and he began his television career in Texarkana where he worked his way up to the anchor desk.
Mahaffey loved people, and people loved him — he cherished relationships with the public and viewers who tuned in to WBRZ each night.
Through his calm leadership and fierce loyalty, Mahaffey helped guide the WBRZ news team to excellence during the period some call the "Golden Age" of Baton Rouge news.
On Wednesday, WBRZ will catch up with Andrea Clesi, someone who anchored with Mahaffey and inspired a new generation of women to go into journalism.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE — Monday, April 14, 2025, is WBRZ’s 70th anniversary and WBRZ is looking back at the past as we move into the future of the capital region’s only locally owned and operated news station.
Part of that history is Whitney Vann, a constant on WBRZ’s morning airways and the capital region community for nearly 20 years. Vann also hosted a segment called Weekends with Whitney.
Being an early riser was tough for Vann at the start of her 17-year tenure at WBRZ, but it wasn’t obvious based on her morning show appearances.
“It was one hour, six to seven; it was a big adjustment when we went to 5:30 to seven. Getting another 30 minutes for some people, that doesn’t seem like much, that’s a lot of wee hours of the morning,” she said.
It’s no wonder the show that she did with Leo Honeycutt was so popular. The pair packed in a lot of information for capital area viewers.
“We would always have three to four interviews every day on 2une In. It's changed a little since then,” Vann said. “We were always connected with the movers, the shakers, the leaders, the newsmakers, governors, politicians. So I felt like I knew everyone. As a news anchor, you also know the needs of the community because you are talking about it.”
At the same time, Vann was juggling her career and her home life with a husband and two young children.
“How were you able to balance work and family?” she asked. “I think that is every parent's struggle…to balance and I will forever be grateful and praise the Manship Family for allowing me to have a flexible schedule.”
Vann said she would go home after her first Good Morning America cut in to “take my kids to school.”
“Sometimes I came back. I did a lot of things with the community, emceeing events being out there and to them that was very important,” she said. Vann would also support local charities and even strap on her dancing shoes for Dancing for Big Buddy, a tradition 2une In anchor Mia Monet has continued.
Vann was also honored with the distinguished Golden Deeds Award
“I just tried to fill voids into organizations of people and services that I thought could make our community stronger,” she said.
She said that WBRZ’s commitment to being locally owned extended to the ethos of making a difference in the community.
"It's a real compliment to them and their dedication to our community, their commitment to news, to shedding a light on our community. Democracy dies in darkness and they have always been the light,” she said.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - As part of WBRZ'S RETRO WEEK celebrating 70 years of Channel 2 being on the air, Brittany Weiss spoke with the man who was there for 40 of those years: Pat Shingleton.
Pat had the opportunity to run a game show and a late-night talk show on the capital's airwaves called We Play Baton Rouge and Hotline After Dark, respectively.
"Just fun like you wouldn't believe," Pat said, recalling those broadcasts.
He went on to start two of his recurring segments, Fill A Prescription for the Needy and Pat's Coats for Kids, and of course the famous Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day parade.
Pat reflected on his time as a weather reporter and his time as Brittany Weiss' co-anchor at the 4 p.m. news desk in this fun-filled, sit-down interview.
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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BATON ROUGE - Did you know? 2une In dates back to 1978, and as we celebrate 70 years of WBRZ being on the air this week, John Pastorek sat down with a man who was here when the beloved morning show broadcast for the first time: John Spain.
"It's about information delivery in a timely manner," Spain said of the morning show. "It's such a critical time."
Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below:
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