Detroit’s first Black weather reporter Trudy Haynes dies at 95

Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
Trudy Haynes was a pioneer as a Black TV journalist.
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Trudy Haynes was a pioneer in Black TV journalism.

Not only was Haynes Detroit’s first Black weather reporter for WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) in 1963. She made history two years later by becoming the first Black TV news reporter in Philadelphia for KYW-TV, which now goes by CBS-3.

Haynes, 95 died unknown circumstances on June 7 at her Philadelphia home.

Born Gertrude Daniels in New York City on Nov. 23, 1926, Haynes was the only child of Marjorie and Percy Daniels.

She attended Forest Hills High School in Queens, Long Island. For college, she attended Howard University in 1943, while she was there, she studied sociology and psychology. In 1947, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree.

Her career in broadcast journalism started in 1956, when she was hired at a Black-owned radio station WCHB-FM in Inkster, which is now WMKM. Originally, she was hired to be a receptionist but after asking the owners, who also were her college classmate’s parents, they allowed her to be on a show. She eventually had her own 90-minute segment called, “Women’s Editor,” where she discussed topics geared toward women.

She was in the Detroit area for about nine years and never returned when she went off to Philadelphia.

Haynes retired in 1999, but continued throughout the years to freelance for different stations and also create her own show called the Trudy Haynes Show; episodes can be found on YouTube.

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As part of her legacy, each year CBS-3 and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists award a college student exploring communications or journalism the Trudy Haynes scholarship.

The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists left this touching remark on their Twitter about Haynes.

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Arrangements are incomplete.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trudy Haynes, Detroit’s first Black weather reporter, dies at 95