Marty Bass to retire after 48 years on Baltimore TV

Perhaps it is only appropriate that Marty Bass would announce his retirement on a day Baltimoreans were closely following the weather.

Bass, who has guided residents through myriad storms during his nearly five-decade career at WJZ, said Monday that he planned to retire at the end of May.

“My career has been a dream come true,” Bass, 72, wrote in a social media post. “But it is time.”

A Louisville, Kentucky, native, Bass arrived at WJZ in 1977 and spent decades hosting a morning show, reporting on weather and covering slice-of-life features stories in segments called “Catchin’ Bass,” “Mondobasso” and, most recently, “Where’s Marty?”

Tanya Black, WJZ’s vice president of news, praised Bass’ ability to connect with viewers.

“Throughout his career, Marty guided Marylanders through their days with his ability to blend information, humor, and heart helping Marylanders plan their lives with a smile,” Black said in an email. “He went beyond delivering the news to viewers — he connected in a way that was unmistakably Marty, and he will be greatly missed.”

Bass’ initial co-host on WJZ’s morning show was Oprah Winfrey, who spent six years at the station before she became an international star.

But Bass’ most closely associated collaborator was Don Scott. The pair hosted a morning show entitled “Rise & Shine” and later “The Morning Edition” for 30 years. Bass’ zany humor was a counterpoint to Scott’s more strait-laced demeanor, but the two often prompted each other to dissolve into laughter.

Juliet Ames, the creator of the Baltimore salt box art project and a frequent guest on Bass’ segments, said she had been a fan since childhood.

“Marty used to tell me when it was going to be a snow day,” she said, recalling that her mother was a longtime “Don and Marty fan” and continued to watch the duo after moving to Florida.

After Ames launched her project of posting works of art on yellow municipal salt boxes in 2020, Bass conducted several “Where’s Marty?” episodes with her.

Ames recalled walking down The Avenue in Hampden with Bass and seeing passersby — and even firefighters driving a fire truck — stop to greet the longtime weatherman.

“He always makes everyone around him feel like the main character, even though he’s the main character,” Ames said. “He makes you feel like you’re the most interesting person in the room.”

Media critic David Zurawik said TV viewers often feel a sense of community when they see longtime personalities, such as Bass, on air.

“In terms of the media culture in this city, he was an important figure,” Zurawik said. “It’s reassuring for some people when they see him on TV.”

Zurawik, a Goucher College communications and media studies professor, said in the future it will be unusual for TV reporters to remain committed to one station.

As people have shifted away from TV news, and more stations rely on syndicated national stories, there are fewer opportunities for broadcast reporters to develop deep local roots, Zurawik said.

“We are seeing the final days of when television was king or queen of media,” he said. “Those days when local TV had a connection to the heart of the city, that’s going away.”

In his social media post, Bass expressed gratitude to WJZ.

“I have worked at a legendary TV station. And that is a fact, LEGENDARY! Known coast to coast. Any broadcaster wants to be a part of a ‘legacy station.’ And for almost 5 decades I have been,” he wrote.

For 25 years, Bass appeared on WPOC radio’s “The Laurie DeYoung Morning Show” in addition to his TV career. He also worked for the Ravens, anchoring weekly television magazine shows and broadcasting live from the stadiums.

Bass wrote that he is eager to continue filming his “Where’s Marty?” segments until his retirement. He expressed his deep gratitude to his fans.

“In the end, though, my work has always been about YOU. YOU let us into your homes. YOU trust us. YOU laughed, and cried with us,” he wrote. “YOU accepted me.”