Francis D. Cronin, a retired news cameraman for WMAR-TV, died Saturday at Union Memorial Hospital of heart failure. He was 80 and lived on Woodbourne Avenue.

Services for Mr. Cronin will be held at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Mitchell-Wiedefeld funeral establishment, 6500 York Road.

He retired in 1975 after filming news stories for WMAR since 1960.

A former manager of movie and live theaters in Boston, he came to Baltimore in 1949 and held several jobs, including one as a draftsman for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, before joining the television station.

A native of Boston whose family had been active in the theater, he served in the Navy during World War II.

He is survived by his wife, the former Nancy Hiss; two sons, George Francis Cronin of Baltimore and John Joseph Cronin of Alexandria, Va.; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.