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Bob Martin

Bob Martin was born ‘Bliss Ahern Martin’ in Illinois in 1916; however, in 1954, he would find a need to legally change his name. By the time he was three, records show he and his family were living in Pleasant Hill, Illinois. By the time he was a fourteen-year old teenager, according to the 1930 census, he was living in Louisiana City, Missouri. He was still there in 1940, although by that time, the twenty three-year old was married with two children (soon to be three) and working as a sign painter. A few years later, he and his family moved to Florida and settled in Pinellas County. 

Martin divorced his first wife in 1947 and in 1948 married again, but this marriage was annulled a year later. A third marriage followed and at that time, his occupation was president of the Advertising Corporation of Florida. This third time hitched lasted until 1954 when he divorced and legally changed his name (for whatever reason) to ‘Bob Bliss Ahern Martin’. The following year, he married fourth wife Shirley Ann Tygrett. They had one child, a son Michael. 

Bob worked for Tampa’s 1110-AM WALT from about 1950 to 1956 before joining country AM-1050 WHBO. John Boling, president of Gateway Broadcasters, WHBO’s licensee, wanted out of the radio business and in 1962 sold the station to a group of the station’s employees (Floradio, Inc.) The new broadcast group included Bob as president and employees Bill Polk, Bob Ross, Jim Holland, and Bonita ‘Bunny’ Fishback. In the late 1960’s, wife Shirley became vice-president of the company. 

Buccaneer Broadcasting (Robert Barnes, president) acquired WHBO from Floradio in 1979. Following a lengthy illness, Bob Martin passed away in 1987 and was interred in Bowling Green, KY. He was 71.  

Station History