Go to the WJXT homepage

1992....the year Bill Clinton was elected president, the Olympic games were held in Barcelona, Jay Leno debuted on the Tonight Show and John Gaughan and Mary Baer joined the team at WJXT-TV, Channel 4 in Jacksonville.

In an official proclamation, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has declared May 31, 2023, as Mary and John Day! Today is Mary and John's last day at News4JAX.

We are celebrating Mary and John, who have spent the last three decades on your TV. 30 years of telling your stories, sharing what's going on in your neighborhood and more. Now it's time for us to hear their stories.

The News4JAX Creative Services Department put together some special ads spreading the news of John and Mary’s retirements on May 31.

If you haven’t heard, lead anchor Mary Baer and I are both retiring after 30 years at Channel 4. Today is our last day, but you can see us again in a one-hour special at 7 p.m. June 8 on Channel 4, News4JAX.com and News4JAX+.

I'd like to share with you a couple of my John and Mary memories. I want to start with some of the very first comments that former news anchor Deborah Gianoulis and I made about Mary 30 years ago--and we stand by them today. "Mary Baer has fit into our newsroom from the first day she got here. It seems like she's been here all along."

Mary Baer and John Gaughan have belonged to this community for 30 years, and it's a big sacrifice to work until 11:30 at night -- or, come into work -- when you're telling everyone else to shelter in place during a storm. Also, to share, in the joy and the sadness in the stories you tell. They have served you so well. But Mary and John also belong to us here at News4JAX, as colleagues and friends. The conversations that happen OFF AIR -- have created relationships that will last a lifetime.

By now you may have heard that both Mary Baer and John Gaughan are retiring from Channel 4 after 30 years. John and Mary started within months of each other in 1992. Now, there's a podcast where Mary and John answer your questions.

My wife Laurie warned me “not to ramble on about my life.” My response? “YOLO!" So, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s go!

It feels like the blink of an eye; 30 years at Channel 4! It’s been a whirlwind of emotions, reflecting on the countless stories I’ve had the honor to bring to our viewers.

1992....the year Bill Clinton was elected president, the Olympic games were held in Barcelona, Jay Leno debuted on the Tonight Show and John Gaughan and Mary Baer joined the team at WJXT-TV, Channel 4 in Jacksonville.