Calling it Quits in B-More after 48 Years

A foundational chapter of Charm City broadcasting is coming to a close. Marty Bass, a staple of Baltimore airwaves for nearly half a century, has announced he will retire at the end of May.

Bass’s departure marks the end of a 48-year tenure at WJZ, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Baltimore. Since joining the station in 1977, Bass evolved from a street-smart beat reporter into a morning television pioneer, eventually becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the market.

Bass, who turns 73 this year, spent over three decades co-anchoring the station’s morning juggernauts, Rise & Shine and The Morning Edition, alongside longtime partner Don Scott.

Before becoming a morning fixture, Bass spent the late 70s and early 80s as a feature reporter, a role he credits with giving him a "front-row seat" to the city’s transformation.

As the industry says goodbye to one of the longest-tenured "O&O" personalities in the country, Baltimore prepares to bid farewell to the man who has been waking up the city since the Carter administration.