Russ Martin

Russell Dale Martin (born October 4, 1960) is an American radio personality in Dallas, Texas. Martin hosts the "The Russ Martin Show" on KLLI "Live 105.3" in Dallas. Martin has been working in the Dallas radio market for 26 years.

Biography

Martin grew up in Pleasant Grove, a large, working-class neighborhood in southeast Dallas, where he graduated from W.W. Samuell High School. Martin's radio career began in the 1980s at KGVL 1400 AM in Greenville, Texas, working 6 p.m. to midnight running the board for religious programs. [http://www.russmartin.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=97 RussMartin.INFO - Who is Russ Martin? ] ]

In 1982 Martin was hired by KTLR 107.1 FM in Terrell, Texas, to play country music on weekends. A year later in 1983 he was hired by KAAM 1310 AM in Dallas as a part-time weekend disc jockey. In 1986 Martin was hired for another part-time position by the Satellite Music Network for an oldies format, and later worked part-time for Z-Rock while still working at KAAM and KAFM.

In 1987 Martin was hired by top 40 station KEGL, "The Eagle", in Dallas. He also hosted a talk show on Sunday nights at KEGL. He hosted the television shows Hot TV and Hot Tickets which ran from 1988 to 1994 on the then local FOX affiliate KDAF. [Published on December 5, 2004, Page 1D, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)]

Charity Work

Known for his local charity work, Martin founded The Russ Martin Show Listeners Foundation in 2002 which benefits the families of police officers and firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty. The Foundation also coordinates an annual parade called the Heroes Day Parade. In 2006 he formed "The Russ Martin Show Experience", a band made up of RMS cast members, regular guests and local musicians. The band performs rock cover songs at live venues and at an annual "White Trash Party" to raise money for charity. [ [http://www.live1053.com/pages/866909.php Live 105.3] ] The shows benefit The Russ Martin Show Listeners Foundation. [ [http://harderbeat.com/archive/march07/html/feature003.html The Russ Martin Show ] ]

Russ also serves on the advisory board at Operation Kindness, a no-kill animal shelter in Carrollton, Texas. [http://www.operationkindness.org/AnimalSponsor/MercyService_RussMartinSpeech.pdf]

Interests

Russ Martin's interests include 1960s television show character Batman as portrayed by Adam West, as well as his near-obsession with James Garner as the character Jim Rockford. Martin also owns a collection of classic TV show cars such as a "Dukes of Hazzard's" General Lee replica [ [http://www.russmartin.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=96 RussMartin.INFO - 2007-04-03 ] ] , two 1966 Batmobile replica's, a replica of the Mach Five from the cartoon, "Speed Racer", and most recently the 1976 Ford Grand Torino from Starsky and Hutch.

"The Russ Martin Show"

The current incarnation of "The Russ Martin Show" began following the departure of "The Howard Stern Show" from KEGL. In 1997 he was asked to fill morning drive time slot. Within two years, Martin's ratings had surpassed those of Dallas veteran radio personality Ron Chapman's ratings. [The Dallas Morning News10/22/1999]

In 2000, Martin left KEGL following a contract dispute. "The Russ Martin Show" reappeared on KYNG, a station that had previously been country-western music. Martin began his first show at KYNG on April 6, 2000, once again filling the morning drive time slot. When Howard Stern was picked up by KYNG, "The Russ Martin Show" moved from its morning drive slot to 3-7pm. In 2003 KYNG changed its call letters to KLLI and took on the Live 105.3 branding.

"The Russ Martin Show" has had consistently high ratings for KLLI since his show debuted on 105.3. [The Dallas Morning News 1/27/2002] In 2005 D Magazine named Martin best radio talk show host in the DFW area. [D MagazineAugust, 2005]

July 14th Incident

According to "The Dallas Morning News", Martin was arrested on July 18th, 2008 following an incident on July 14th where he allegedly assaulted his fiancee in his Southlake home. Martin was jailed for a short time before posting a $10,000 bail and being released. The Southlake police department released a statement confirming that Russ Martin is being charged with aggravated assault with bodily injury with a deadly weapon (a semi-automatic pistol), but no further details on the case or the identity of the alleged victim have been released.

Southlake police told NBC 5 that Martin dragged his fiancee by her hair, pushed her into a wall and kicked her in the thigh.

The woman told police she threatened to pack her possessions and leave, at which point Martin reportedly pulled a handgun from his waistband. Martin then walked around the woman while making threats and holding the gun, police said.

Southlake police said Martin never pointed the weapon in the woman's direction.

The woman then left the home, as did Martin.

A short time later, Southlake police tracked Martin to a local gym, where he was placed under arrest. Martin was released on $10,000 bond and is expected back on the air Tuesday afternoon.

Martin's lawyer said he is confident his client will be cleared of all charges. [ [http://www.nbc5i.com/news/16941168/detail.html Details Released On Martin's Assault Charge - News Story - KXAS | Dallas ] ]

The arrest warrant affidavit is available online. [http://static.cbslocal.com/station/ktvt/docs/2008/july/martin.pdf]

A Tarrant County grand jury has issued a misdemeanor assault complaint against radio talk show personality Russ Martin. The panel returned a three-count misdemeanor complaint against Martin, choosing to decline more serious charges. [http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/09/radio-talk-show-host-russ-mart.html]

References

See also

* The Russ Martin Show
* List of radio stations in Texas
* KLLI

External links

* [http://www.live1053.com/ Live 105.3 KLLI official site]
* [http://www.russmartin.info/ Russ Martin Show FAQ and Audio Archives]
* [http://www.russmartinautomotive.com/ Russ Martin's Auto Repair]
* [http://www.operationkindness.org/aboutus/aboutus.html Operation Kindness]
* [http://harderbeat.com/archive/march07/html/feature003.html Harder Beat Magazine article]
* [http://www.heroesparade.com/ The Heroes Parade]
* [http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/irving/stories/DN-westbrfs_07wes.ART.West.Edition1.443201c.html Reward Increased In Animal Cruelty Case] from Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA
* [http://www.russmartin.com/ RussMartin.com]
* [http://www.dmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=327D2F719A574639AAA2297B4DC24EBE&nm=&type=ESpotlight&mod=Directories%3A%3AThe+City+Guide&mid=767B7C10F8094FEE90E0BFB2C1390FB8&tier=3&id=FAB3AB4BBDD44C36AE4D748E82C0E19C Best Radio Yakety-Yakker] article from D Magazine