I met Martha Zoller in a way similar to thousands of others.
In my early days at WSB Radio, Scott Slade, the broadcast icon and longtime host of “Atlanta’s Morning News with Scott Slade,” launched a Sunday morning edition of his weekday program.
Through his voice, I was introduced to a radio colleague and a friend of his, Martha Zoller, who was a dozen years into her radio career. As the host of “The Martha Zoller Show” on WDUN-AM 550, she was then, and remains today, a North Georgia and Gainesville-based counterpart to WSB and part of the Jacobs Media Group.
Scott assembled a roundtable of journalists and pundits who would gather each Friday to record a roughly 7.5- to 15-minute segment that aired during the final portion of his Sunday morning show.
The group varied, but regular participants included the AJC’s Jim Galloway and Greg Bluestein, Lori Geary (then of WSB Action News and now host of The Georgia Gang on Fox 5), and more often than most guests, Martha Zoller. The banter was quick, witty, and always civil. Martha was the most conservative voice in the group, but always cheerful in making her case.
I knew of Martha because of her influence in Georgia GOP and campaign circles. Republican and Democratic candidates, nominees, and incumbents alike had her number on speed dial, as she had theirs. Few would pass through Gainesville during a campaign season without stopping to speak with her.
Martha later spent several years doing radio in Athens alongside friend and colleague Tim Bryant. Both are conservatives, with Martha additionally identifying as a Christian conservative. On many issues, we did not always agree, but even when disagreements were substantive—and she always did her homework—the tone remained upbeat, respectful, and kind.
For the past four years, every Wednesday morning from 10 to 10:30, I joined Martha for “Crane’s Corner,” a weekly segment on her show. It was live radio that, I hoped, sounded like two friends having coffee and catching up—because, in part, that is what it was, though for me it was also much more than that.
I lost my mother near the beginning of those weekly conversations. Martha’s husband, Lynn, faced and overcame two battles with cancer. My twin grandsons, the Mighty Mites, became social media favorites, and later, a third, the Tiny Tyke, joined the family. Martha always noticed, commented, and celebrated each milestone.
Within days of my going public about a year ago with a serious cancer diagnosis and prognosis, Martha was among the first to call, check on me, and ask if I needed to step away from her show. I chose the opposite. Her program often coincided with my twice-monthly chemotherapy visits, and many Wednesdays were spent in her “Crane’s Corner” while I was literally in the chemo chair at my oncologist’s office.
In February, Martha suffered a cardiac episode. The heart attack got her attention. Very active and engaged, she said her cardiologist was concerned about stress and warned that continuing a daily multi-hour radio show could start to make decisions for her.
Martha called to share her plan to retire from her daily program at the end of June. Last Friday was to be her final regular show, meaning Wednesday, June 24, would have been our last scheduled “corner” together. Instead, I visited with her most frequent guest host, the Rev. Dr. Tom Smiley.
Martha’s family held a visitation in Gainesville on Monday, followed by what was surely a packed service in celebration of her life.
Martha was a loving mother and wife, a business partner in Lynn’s medical practice and staffing ventures, a loyal UGA graduate and Grady College alum, a member of the State Board of Education, a longtime GOP grassroots activist, and, above all, a mentor and friend.
Wednesdays will not be the same for me. Along with many others across North Georgia, I will miss the chance to hear from my dear friend, Martha Zoller.