"It's time for me to go for today. But, good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise, I'll be back with you in the morning after the seven o'clock news." - Martin Karant.
November 10, 1917 - August 14, 2004
Martin Karant Tribute Page
|
|
"It's time for me to go for today. But, good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise, I'll be back with you in the morning after the seven o'clock news." - Martin Karant. November 10, 1917 - August 14, 2004 |
Martin Karant Radio Tribute produced by George DeVault.
| First day on the job for a young Martin Karant in January of 1942. |
|
|
|
1947 - Martin interviews one of the greatest baseball players in history, Ted Williams at the J. Fred Johnson Stadium in Kingsport, Tennessee. |
|
From 78s to CDs, Martin Karant was "The Voice" of WKPT-AM 1400. It's a seat he occupied since 1942 until his retirement in 1997. Martin spun 78 rpm records here in the days before Glenn Miller's plane crashed during WWII, and when both Dorsey brothers were on the road with their Big Bands. He was on the air when Elvis swiveled his hips, when the Beatles swept America, and when President Reagan said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Martin was behind the microphone reporting it all. Martin met and interviewed dozens of his musical heroes along the way, like Tommy Dorsey and Sammy Kaye. He followed Dobyns-Bennett high school sports, reported the famous explosion at Eastman Chemical Company - which was carried around the world on NBC radio affiliates. Martin Karant's style was conversational, old-school method. It worked... everyone loved listening to "Marty". In addition to his work in the WKPT studios, Martin was always broadcasting from remote locations. Below is a photograph of Martin (on right) during his long running "Housewife Serenade" series from the Oakwood Market on Eastman Road in Kingsport - circa mid-1960s. |
Martin was always eager to help young broadcasters from area high schools:
|
Two Broadcasting Giants! Martin Karant and Charlie Deming in 1971. |
|
|
|
Martin's 80th birthday party. November 1997 |
|
|
President of HVBC Group, George DeVault (left) awarded Martin an engraved plaque on Oct. 31, 1997 - recognizing his many years of service to Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation. |
That's me on the left along with Martin Karant at a live broadcast from Cobblestone Place - July 1997.
|
On a personal note -- Martin was a father figure to me (my father died in 1966) and he made a real difference in my life. I started at WKPT in 1986 as an advertising sales representative and I sold commercials on Martin's morning show. I also wrote some of his commercials and I remember the first :60 second script I penned for Mr. Karant. He handed it back to me with grammar and spelling corrections -- in red ink. Truth is, he showed me "the right way to do it" and I'll always be grateful that he took the time to help me. Charlie Aesque, Sales Manager / Webmaster |
Rare autographed photo of Martin. This is the last picture taken of Martin inside the WKPT-AM studios.
WKPT Radio Network 222 Commerce Street Kingsport, Tennessee 37660
(423) 246-9578 office (423) 247-9836 fax
Copyright 2007 Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved
