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# Dr. Tim Tooten of WBAL-TV dies at 66
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/dr-tim-tooten-of-wbal-tv-dies/
- Published: 2025-02-10T15:29:45.000Z
- Updated: 2025-02-11T13:28:32.000Z
- Author: Jeffrey Davis
- Tags: People, Media, Maryland News, #wp-top-right-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:55

**Rev. Dr. Timothy Lamar Tooten, Sr.,** a beloved Baltimore television journalist who dedicated over three decades to education reporting and community storytelling, died Feb. 8 at age 66\. He was a trailblazing figure at WBAL-TV 11 News, where he became Baltimore’s first full-time education reporter.

[According to WBAL](https://www.wbaltv.com/article/tim-tooten-dies-wbal-tv-channel-11-news/63718629?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), Tooten began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a high school disc jockey in his native Live Oak, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications. From there, he gained reporting experience in Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. He joined WBAL-TV in 1988 and retired in December 2023.

He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.) from Virginia Seminary in Lynchburg. He also received his Master of Arts degree from St. Mary’s Seminary and University Ecumenical Institute of Theology in Baltimore, the country’s oldest Catholic seminary.

Active in the community, he was an affiliate broadcasting professor at Loyola University Maryland, and as a mentor to African American men at Perry Hall High School. He was also a member of the board for the Maryland Bible Society.

Among the highlights of his reporting assignments includes a half-hour documentary shot in Liberia, West Africa, called “Africa’s Maryland.” The documentary prompted Maryland’s governor to sign an extensive cultural, educational and financial sister city agreement with two counties in the Republic of Liberia.

Beyond his journalism career, Tooten was a dedicated community leader. He served as a pastor at Harvest Christian Ministries and was an adjunct professor of media communications at Loyola University Maryland, continuing to educate and inspire future generations even after his retirement.

The circumstances of his death were not immediately disclosed. Colleagues and community members have begun sharing tributes, remembering Tooten as a compassionate journalist who gave voice to important local stories.

Family and friends are invited to gather at the Central Christian Assembly of God Church, 7411 Rossville Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21237, on Friday, February 14, 2025, from 2-4 P.M. and 6-8 P.M. Further visitation will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025, from 10-11 A.M. in church, followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 11 A.M