Joan Martin, whose career in radio spanned more than 40 years, died Nov. 3, 2022 at St. Francis Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina.
Martin got her start at WOBM FM in Toms River, New Jersey, shortly after the station signed on in 1968. She was an award-winning copywriter and commercial voiceover artist before conceptualizing her own groundbreaking twice-daily segments focused on women. “Women’s World,” as the segment was called, aired twice weekdays, and offered information for “today’s woman.”
In 1978 she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked in radio sales for WSNY. In 1979, she became a newscaster at WRQK, a “rock ’n’ gold” formatted station in Greensboro, North Carolina. She then was named news director for urban-formatted WQMG in Greensboro. In 1980, she became afternoon news anchor at WFBC AM/FM in Greenville, South Carolina. She remained at the station for several years, eventually being named news director. After working in programming for a local TV station in the late 1980s, she returned to radio in the early 1990s, working for a number of Greenville stations, including WBBO The Breeze, 107.3 JAMZ WJMZ, and alt-rock 103X WXWX. Later in life, she hosted various community service shows. She retired in the late 2000s.
During her tenure in news, Martin covered the Greensboro Massacre in 1979 and the Susan Smith story in 1994.
A native of Englewood, New Jersey, Martin was 90.
Martin got her start at WOBM FM in Toms River, New Jersey, shortly after the station signed on in 1968. She was an award-winning copywriter and commercial voiceover artist before conceptualizing her own groundbreaking twice-daily segments focused on women. “Women’s World,” as the segment was called, aired twice weekdays, and offered information for “today’s woman.”
In 1978 she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked in radio sales for WSNY. In 1979, she became a newscaster at WRQK, a “rock ’n’ gold” formatted station in Greensboro, North Carolina. She then was named news director for urban-formatted WQMG in Greensboro. In 1980, she became afternoon news anchor at WFBC AM/FM in Greenville, South Carolina. She remained at the station for several years, eventually being named news director. After working in programming for a local TV station in the late 1980s, she returned to radio in the early 1990s, working for a number of Greenville stations, including WBBO The Breeze, 107.3 JAMZ WJMZ, and alt-rock 103X WXWX. Later in life, she hosted various community service shows. She retired in the late 2000s.
During her tenure in news, Martin covered the Greensboro Massacre in 1979 and the Susan Smith story in 1994.
A native of Englewood, New Jersey, Martin was 90.