Marty Bass

Marty Bass is the star of WJZ at 9's "Where's Marty?" segment, as well as a fixture of our First Alert Weather team.

Before his role in WJZ at 9, Baltimoreans would rise and shine with the dynamic morning duo of Marty Bass and Linh Bui. Some viewers might even skip their morning cups of java as long as they got their fix of Marty in the morning.

Known for his unique take on everyday events, Marty also preps area residents to handle the day's weather with his noon weather reports.

Marty started in the broadcasting business in high school, working part-time as a disc jockey at a local radio station in the Louisville, Kentucky area - the place where he grew up. His passion for broadcast only accelerated with time. He went on to graduate from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a degree in radio/television, and then entered broadcasting full-time.

His early jobs were in radio, but professional journalists encouraged him to switch to the television side. He took their advice, working in TV markets east of the Mississippi before joining the WJZ family in 1977.

Marty holds the distinction of helping to define early morning news for the broadcast business by anchoring Baltimore's first early morning newscast.

As for his co-anchor at the time? The indomitable Oprah Winfrey, who worked for the station during the early '80s.

Marty also initiated the concept of "Just the fax, Internet and e-mail," inviting viewers to add their comments and opinions during the live morning newscasts. This interaction between viewers only served to cement the audience connection to WJZ's morning show and helped make the "Don and Marty" team a model for other stations to follow.

The morning show remains No. 1 in Baltimore.