When I think of the years I have listened to Laurie De Young on the way to work, I always knew the times that I didn’t  want to miss.  Those times of the morning were around 7:18 am, 7:48am and (until recently) 8:18 am.  That’s when I knew I would hear conversation from Marty Bass across the bridge in a small studio in between HIS commercial breaks on his own WJZ TV morning show.   I still don’t know how he accomplished that every morning, being done with Laurie and back on TV in time on camera.

  To me, Marty Bass brought to Laurie’s show a unique perspective on whatever she was talking about. Whether it was NASCAR or aluminum siding, Marty could talk about anything.  In addition to his unique sense of humor and  his presence of a “guys” guy, it was how “well read” he was about politics, lifestyle, current events, sports and especially... Baltimore.  THAT is what makes a not only a good broadcaster, but a gifted communicator. It’s why his TV morning show is always number one. Marty knew a little bit about everything, and certainly had his strong opinions not shared by EVERYBODY, but that why we tune in.  What is Laurie going to bring up with Marty? How will he react? How will he add what he knows to the conversation? That is what I listened for, that is how I learned from him. Very few people today on radio can do what Marty does. It’s an art that is almost lost.

   When I used to fill in for Laurie when she was on vacation, I knew that the easiest part of that show would be “The Marty Breaks”.  The reason being, all I had to do is come up with interesting content, sit back and let Marty go. If it was about his beloved Baltimore Ravens, well….we may have had to drop a song from playing in that hour because of his passion for his team.  I became a prime target of his rapier wit, as my hometown happens to be from a certain Black and Gold Western PA town.  All in good fun.

  The Laurie DeYoung show will continue to thrive and succeed, but something will be missing.   A man who IS Baltimore,  who knows everything about it's history, what is currently going on around town and who cares about the people who live here.  He will be missed on WPOC.  Thanks for your insight pal.

  Marty Bass continues his television morning show on WJZ 13 every weekday.