Marty Bass To Retire

After nearly five decades on Baltimore television, WJZ-TV personality Marty Bass says he will be moving on when his current contract expires May 31. Bass shared the news in a Facebook post, noting he will turn 73 on April 18 and still feels energized for what comes next. Quoting former WJZ-TV sportscaster Mark Viviano, Bass said he is “not walking away from something, but rather walking toward something new.”

Bass first joined WJZ-TV in 1977 and quickly became known for his feature storytelling that highlighted the lighter side of life around Baltimore. His segments began as “Catchin’ Bass” and later evolved into “Mondobasso.” He also spent more than 30 years alongside Don Scott on the station’s morning programs Rise & Shine and The Morning Edition. At the same time, Bass was also heard on WPOC-FM as part of the Laurie DeYoung morning show for roughly 25 years, giving him the rare distinction of appearing on television and radio simultaneously each morning.

More recently, Bass has been featured in over 700 installments of Where’s Marty? on WJZ-TV’s 9 p.m. newscast. He was also part of early Baltimore Ravens programming, hosting and anchoring several Rave TV shows and postgame coverage during the team’s Super Bowl years. Reflecting on his career, Bass called his time at WJZ-TV “a dream come true,” thanking viewers for letting him into their homes for nearly 50 years. As Jimmy Buffett once sang, Bass wrote, “It’s been a lovely cruise.”