Marcia "Marty" Martin
Radio Broadcasting
The 2000s & Beyond
The Mistress of Rock & Roll
In the late 90s, the Program Director of 96.1 "The Rocket" was JJ (Jef) Funk, who had gained notoriety for his on-air work at WKSJ. JJ brought Marty on full-time in 1998.
This proved to be one of those destiny-moves, and spawned the birth of a legend.
Her work on The Rocket became Marty's most famous role, known to audiences throughout the region as "Marty Martin, The Mistress of Rock & Roll," where she was the voice of night time radio for seven years, until 2005.
Under the Program Direction of Kit Carson (formerly of the Florida Panhandle Clear Channel stations), Marty held high ratings with wildly popular programs like “Get the Led Out,” which featured several Led Zeppelin songs commercial-free each weeknight.
Ladies and Gentlemen...
At Mobile’s “Bayfest” and many other local concert venues and events, she had the pleasure of introducing on-stage a number of nationally-known acts, including Steppenwolf, Dr. Hook, Dr. John, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd, to name a few.
Below: Marty with lead singer of "Cavo" at Mobile's Bayfest music festival.
Marty doing a live remote for a business on 96.1 The Rocket.
Rockin' The Remotes
While holding court as the Mistress of Rock & Roll, Marty was in high demand for "remotes" - live radio broadcasts from area businesses advertising on The Rocket.
Breaking Up is Hard To Do
In the mid-2000's, Marty saw the direction the radio industry was taking toward voice-tracking and satellite programming. So in 2005, Marty left radio to pursue a career as a licensed massage therapist.
When the hard-rock heroine became the hands of healing and physical therapy, Marty assumed she would never have another broadcast run.
Her friends and fans never accepted her departure from the airwaves, however. In 2007, her friend Kris Pierce (of Mobile radio fame as well), asked her to come onboard as a news broadcaster and classical music announcer at the National Public Radio affiliate in Mobile, WHIL 91.5FM, at Spring Hill College.
The Mistress of Bach & Roll (circa 2008)
The Mistress of Bach & Roll
From 2007 until 2011, Marty was a news writer and afternoon drive local news anchor during "All Things Considered" and occasionally "Morning Edition" on the non-profit NPR station. She also announced during classical music programs, so her co-workers, knowing her history, began referring to her (off-air) as "Marty Martin, The Mistress of Bach and Roll."
She did on-air fundraising bi-annually with the Volunteer Coordinator for the Radio Reading Service, Brad Martin. They affectionately referred to their fundraising partnership as "The Martin and Martin Show," where their humor and chemistry proved highly successful for bringing in donations.
During her tenure at WHIL, she interviewed a number of local artists, such as Elyzabeth Wilder, playwright and author of Gee’s Bend. She also interviewed the renowned acoustic jazz guitarist Billy McLaughlin.
In 2011, the station was sold to the University of Alabama and the local affiliate was dissolved. The entire staff was replaced by a satellite signal from Tuscaloosa.