Radio Times ends after 35 years

A note from Marty

In 1987, when Radio Times made its on-air debut, I had no idea that the program would last for more than 35 years. Early on, I was thinking mostly about my own day-to-day survival and how to become a confident and competent interviewer. After some serious soul-searching, I decided it was time to end the program that I still love. Friday was the final show.

Hosting and producing Radio Times has been the most fulfilling job, talking with such a wide variety of guests about every topic under the sun and being able to mix it up with our listeners. Your calls, comments, criticisms, complaints, texts, posts and tweets made it a better show.

No program, especially one that is long-form and live like Radio Times, can last that long if there isn’t a talented, resourceful, creative, hardworking and caring staff of producers. There have been 23 of them and each left their unique mark. They made Radio Times a much better program. The same goes for the WHYY engineers who kept us on the air despite glitches, inclement weather, technically-challenged guests and a technically-challenged host.

Speaking of hosts, I want to recognize the work of Mary Cummings-Jordan, who hosted Monday’s Radio Times Regional Roundup. Mary is a radio veteran who can handle any topic, which she did every week, shedding light on the news and newsmakers in our region and underscoring the importance of local journalism.

I met Tracey Matisak years ago when she was working for the local FOX affiliate and we did election night coverage together for WHYY. She was unflappable, which isn’t easy when so much is in flux and so much is at stake. That’s why I asked her to be my fill-in host when I was off. I never worried about Radio Times when she was sitting in the host chair.

I will miss hosting Radio Times but I also know that I need to get off the daily grind while I still have some energy and brain cells left. I want to pursue interests outside of the station and something new at WHYY.

Starting in January I’ll be hosting a new show, The Connection, which will feature long-form weekly interviews with a variety of different guests to encourage us to take a deeper look at ourselves and help us find a more grounded, meaningful, connected way to live our lives.

Until then, thank you for being such an important part of Radio Times.

All the best,
Marty

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The Radio Times Finale: Marty reflects on 35 years  In Radio Times final episode, Davie Davies interviewed Marty about her childhood, her start in public radio, the challenges of hosting a live daily show, her hate mail and her new show, The Connection.