JOHN Roland has had a storied career at Ch. 5, dating back to the old WNEW days.

Roland joined what was then WNEW/Ch. 5 in December 1969, fresh from a stint as a reporter for NBC in Los Angeles.

He began co-anchoring the station’s weekend newscast, while he reported at 10 p.m. during the week.

Roland’s long road in New York also included several headline-grabbing events. In 1988, he was suspended after a hostile interview with a homeless woman named Joyce Brown, also known as Billie Boggs, accusing her of defecating on the sidewalk near the Ch. 5 studios. He later apologized.

In May 1983, a brave Roland disarmed and shot one of three robbers who tried to hold up the Racing Club, a watering hole for Ch. 5 staffers on East 67th St.

Roland confronted one of the men, wrestled with him, took his gun and shot him in the right thigh.