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Ron Martin | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Howard University |
| Occupation(s) | Television journalist, news anchor (formerly) |
| Years active | 1977–2020 |
| Employer(s) | WGAL (Lancaster, PA) |
| Spouse | Millie Martin |
| Children | Jon, Coretta, and Veronica |
| Awards | 6 Emmy Awards; WGAL Hall of Fame (2020) |
Ron Martin is a retired, Emmy Award-winning American journalist. He was known for his 37-year career at WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was a vital member of the team. He co-anchored News 8 at 5, 6, 10, and 11 in the evenings. He was active in many communities around the Susquehanna Valley, participating in local events and initiatives, enhancing his connections to viewers who've watched him until his retirement in 2020 after 37 years with WGAL. [1]
Martin was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania. [2] During his time at Howard University, he worked as a desk assistant at NBC News in Washington D.C.. Additionally, he worked as a copy boy during the Watergate era, when a great deal of news was unfolding, and it was there that Ron got his start in broadcast journalism and professional news gathering. He later graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.
After graduating, Martin returned home to the Susquehanna Valley to work as a reporter and news announcer at WSBA Radio in York, Pennsylvania for 2 years. He then moved into television at WHP as a reporter for another 2 years before he joined WGAL in 1983 (Martin grew up watching WGAL and always wanted to work there; he considered it his dream job).
He first started working out of WGAL's Harrisburg newsroom, covering the daily news in the region surrounding the state capital, before returning to his hometown in York, where he oversaw coverage out of WGAL's newly opened York newsroom in 1984. In 1985, Martin was promoted to weekend news anchor and then in 2000, became the weeknight news anchor, co-anchoring with Kim Lemon.
Ron rose through the ranks of WGAL by covering numerous major stories: the arrival and interview of President Richard Nixon in the Susquehanna Valley in York, the York Fair's fun rides and the people that attended, the Gettysburg train incident that shook Adams County tourism, the Workers' strike at Caterpillar machinery that led to the plant closing down in a series of events, reported on how veterans were honored on Veterans Day in York County, covered the Harley-Davidson workers' strike, the machete attack at York County Elementary School, led WGAL's coverage of the Hanover race riots, the September 11 attacks, interviewed President Barack Obama in the White House as one of the five local news anchors to interview the POTUS, looked back on the incident that sparked the 1969 York race riot, gave a Black History Month report on Barney Ewell who was an Olympic sprinter from Lancaster, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other notable stories he had covered and anchored that shaped history.
On October 29, 2020, near the end of "News 8 at 6," Martin announced his retirement after nearly 50 years in broadcast journalism and 37 years at WGAL, citing his decision to spend time with his family to make up for lost time and that he had reached retirement age. [3] His final broadcast was set on the day before Thanksgiving. Throughout November, WGAL honored Ron for his 37 years at the station, highlighting his most memorable stories and how he set an example for being a hard-working, resilient, and accurate journalist. [4] He retired on November 25, 2020. [5]
In retirement, Martin continues to spend time with family and helps out in the community. In 2022, he began working as a realtor at Inch & Co. Real Estate, serving South Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. [6]
Martin is a 6-time Emmy Award winner and has won many other awards in his long career in broadcast journalism. He was also honored for his many contributions to community service in the Central PA region. In that area, he was recognized by many organizations, including the State of Pennsylvania, the cities of York and Harrisburg, the NAACP Harrisburg and York chapters, the school districts of Harrisburg and York, and the Urban League in Lancaster. In 2002, He was inducted into the William Penn Senior High School Hall of Fame. In 2020, he received an Honorary Doctorate award from Thaddeus Stevens College. A month after his retirement, Ron was inducted into the WGAL Hall of Fame. In May 2023, he was recognized for his contributions to the TV industry and received the 2023 National Association of TV Arts and Sciences Board of Governors Award, and was presented the award at the 41st Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards in October. [7]