St. Joseph broadcaster retires after 45 year career

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- A familiar radio voice is calling it a career after 45 years in broadcast journalism.

Brent Martin is one of the voices behind the radio station KFEQ in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Martin began his broadcasting career at the University of Central Missouri's college radio station, where he fell in love with the gig.

"News is my passion, and I love what I do," said Brent Martin.

Martin's professional career started at KOKO in Warrensburg, Missouri, where he became news director while finishing his journalism degree. 

In 1984, Martin found himself at KFEQ as a news reporter and broadcaster, eventually calling St. Joseph "home."

"St. Joseph is special to me. I came here, met my wife here. The church family that I had here at Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church was very important to me. It really helped me in my growth as a Christian and my growth in Christ," said Martin.

In 1993, Martin covered the Missouri flood. The coverage of the flood earned KFEQ awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) and the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

Martin's work opened new doors for his career path, allowing him to move around and leave KFEQ in 1995.

Eventually, Martin found himself as news director at Nebraska Radio Network from 2011 to 2019. The stint ended after the closure of the network, leaving Martin with the choice to come back to a place he called home. 

"When we had the opportunity to bring Brent in, a comparison was made of a big news person, and they said, 'If you can get this person, why wouldn't you go for them?'" KFEQ Operations Manager Travis Dodge said.

On Dec. 31, Martin finished his final broadcast at KFEQ and was surprised by a visit from United States House Representative Sam Graves, who presented him with a congressional record.

"Whether I get into the congressional record or not get into the congressional record matters little. The work was good, and I enjoyed it; it was a fulfilling career," said Martin.

As Martin looks back on his fulfilling broadcast career, he said there is one thing he will miss the most.

"I, you know, everybody talks about people, and the people you do miss, and I think the day-to-day, just come in doing, you know, the newscast. It's kind of ingrained in me," said Martin. "I think I'll miss that. I'll miss the audience and the people I worked with here."

Now, if residents of Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas turn on their radios, Martin's voice won't be there, but his legacy will remain.