Carl G. Zimmermann (March 26, 1918 â April 11, 2014), nicknamed the "Dean of Milwaukee News," was an American television journalist, news anchor and World War II (WW2) war correspondent. Zimmermann had the longest on-air broadcasting career in the history of the Milwaukee media market, having spent more than 50 years at television and radio stations in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, most notably at WITI.
Zimmerman showed a passion for news broadcasting even as a young boy. When he was 12, he staged a broadcast for his family from the living room. After each show, his father would provide feedback and criticism. A year later, Zimmerman's father died, and he attempted to find a job as a radio announcer but was rejected. In order to provide for his family, he worked any that would hire a 13-year old. His reporting career officially began when he took a part-time job at the radio station WEMP, which eventually became a full-time position. He says he got the job at WEMP by being persistent and refusing to take "no" for an answer — "I stood out in the office for a long, long time [...] I wanted this job and I said 'I'm staying here until you hire me.' So I was there every day after school, and in the morning."
Zimmerman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. Due to his broadcasting experience, he became a U.S. Army combat war correspondent, where he worked alongside Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevareid. He was a regular correspondent on NBC's "Army Hour", filing reports from North Africa, Sicily, Italy (including the liberation of Rome), France and Germany during WW2. In 1944, he organized the first live broadcast of an army landing.
In 1945, Zimmerman's contract with the army ended and he returned to work at WEMP. However, his work there was interrupted a second time when the army recalled him to serve in the Korean War as a war correspondent. During that time he co-created and produced the war documentary television series The Big Picture, appearing in several episodes as a narrator or presenter. In a 1989 interview, he described the process of making The Big Picture:
After the war, Zimmerman again returned to WEMP, then worked brief stints at WFOX and WRAC before WITI hired him as news director in 1959. WITI was preparing to switch from being an independent television station to the local CBS affiliate, and Zimmerman established the station's news room with the help of Lil Kleiman. While working at WITI, Zimmerman held many job titles, including news anchor, reporter, news director, and director of communications. He remained at WITI until his retirement in 1986, although he still occasionally served as a reporter emeritus and as a mentor to some of the younger staff at the station.
According to Zimmerman's son Jack, Zimmerman briefly considered running for Congress, but decided against it.
Over his career, Zimmerman won many awards and honors. In 1945, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his reporting during WW2. In 1984, he won the Abe Lincoln Award "for exceptional programming on radio and TV." He was inducted into The Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame and The Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1988 and 1989, respectively. In 2011, he took part in the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. He also won the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation award for creative editorial writing.