Look under your seat: It’s an Oprah send-off for WJZ’s Marty Bass

Yooouuuuuuu get a shoutout from Oprah, Marty Bass!

In honor of her former WJZ colleague’s retirement, Oprah Winfrey sent a heartfelt video message to Bass, who signed off from the CBS Baltimore affiliate for the final time Thursday morning.

“Marty Bass! Are you kidding me?” the global media mogul said in the video, which was posted to WJZ’s social media accounts. “Forty-eight years? I remember when we were doing the morning show in 1978. OK, well that’s a long time.”

Winfrey, who worked at WJZ from 1976 through 1983, continued: “Well those were some great days, and I know you had a lot of great days, and I’m just here to say congratulations on all of those great days that we spent — a lot of early mornings, Marty Bass, and all the great days that you spent giving people good and bad and great weather forecasts. Congratulations!”

Bass arrived at WJZ in 1977, at age 25, and became a staple in many locals’ mornings thanks to his enthusiastic reporting and storytelling as seen in features such as “Catchin’ Bass” and “Where’s Marty?”

After 48 years, he’s moving with his wife, Sharon, to Birmingham, Alabama, to be closer to family.

The station had a party for the Louisville, Kentucky, native, which included a salute from Mayor Brandon Scott, tributes from colleagues, Smith Island cake, a custom No. 48 Ravens jersey and, of course, the salute from Winfrey.

Bass will remember his time in Charm City, and the people he met, fondly.

“My first impression of Baltimore was as this major, big-time, huge East Coast city,” he told The Banner. “But once you get to know Baltimore, really, it’s a big town.”