Baltimore TV icon Marty Bass to retire after nearly five decades at WJZ

Veteran Baltimore broadcaster Marty Bass will retire at the end of May, concluding a 48-year career with WJZ-TV that helped shape the city’s morning news landscape.

Bass, a familiar presence to generations of Channel 13 viewers, announced his plans ahead of his 73rd birthday in April. His final day is scheduled for May 31, when his current contract expires.

“I am not walking away from something, but rather walking toward something new,” Bass wrote in a Facebook post announcing his retirement.

Bass began his television career in Baltimore in 1977, initially working as a feature reporter covering what he described as “the lighter side of the news.” His segments, first known as “Catchin’ Bass,” then in the mid 80’s rebranded as “Mondobasso,” became a signature element of WJZ’s evening broadcasts, offering viewers a more personal and community-focused perspective.

He went on to spend more than three decades in morning television, co-anchoring “Rise & Shine” and “The Morning Edition” alongside Don Scott. Reflecting on that era, Bass credited the broader production team with helping pioneer the format.

“Working with a team of behind-the-scenes superstars, we basically invented local morning TV news,” Bass shared on Facebook. “That was a wild ride.”

In addition to his television work, Bass maintained a parallel presence in radio, appearing for 25 years on the “Laurie DeYoung Show” on WPOC-FM. The station earned multiple Country Music Association honors during that time, and Bass described the experience as instrumental to his development as a broadcaster.

Image via CBS Baltimore