Vale Martin Whittle: WA media mourns the loss of true industry legend

The Western Australian advertising and media industry is remembering one of its great legends today. Martin Whittle (pictured above left) – one of the industry’s genuinely great guys and among the finest media professionals ever to work in Australia – passed away on Wednesday night after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

In 2013, he retired from Southern Cross Austereo after being diagnosed, as it became increasingly difficult for him to work. He had been Sales Director at Austereo/Southern Cross Austereo for 22 years and worked in the advertising and media business for 40 years.

Martin was affectionately known as “Party Marty” by his station colleagues and “Digger” by his industry friends. Over his career, he was an incredible contributor to the Perth industry. He instigated and championed the long-running $20,000 Radio Writers’ Award, and helped many people start and grow their careers and businesses in Western Australia.

Media industry stalwart Debra Neve (Neve Media) penned this tribute to her great friend:

I’ve known Martin Whittle for about 40 years – could be more. It’s been about 12 years since he retired from the radio industry. That was a very sad day, especially as his departure was dictated by the fact that he was in the early stages of that insidious disease – Alzheimers. He was still a youngish man – funny and vibrant – in his laid back way.

Today is even sadder as we won’t be seeing him again.

I will remember him though through the memories I have. As well as being a total professional who knew radio backwards, he cherished his agency/client relationships. He developed friendships with many in the business and was a starter in the Advertising cricket team The Perth Royal Blazers. I’m not sure whether it was his cricket prowess or his drinking prowess that qualified him here, although I suspect the latter. There are many stories those boys can share!

We had such a good time at the radio ratings parties which were legendary in the day. The results came out and we went to lunch and then dinner (we didn’t bother eating) and then after dinner drinks. Martin and I lived south of the river and relatively close to each other and more often than not, we shared a cab home – talking rubbish or resolving the problems of the world.

The way he got his nickname (Digger) was hilarious. A radio station on-air promotion gone wrong. For those of you who weren’t around at the time, in a nutshell, two listeners were involved in a race to see who could shovel loads of cash from point A to B. The winner got to keep the cash. It had been a rainy evening and the air was still and humid. For some reason, Martin thought that the race distance was too long. So, he shortened it. He also gave the contestants a shovel instead of a spade. Long story short – the cash stuck together therefore the winner won more than the station had insured against. Martin was the scapegoat and lost his job.

Industry friends had a drink catchup to commiserate and presented him with a shovel with a plaque on it which said “Digger”. He appreciated the humour in the situation. Interestingly, he ended up back at Austereo a few years later anyway where he stayed until his retirement.

I will celebrate his life with a glass or two of chardonnay today (I know Martin, you loved beer and red wine but chardonnay the best I can do). RIP great friend.

Linda Wayman General Manager at SCA Perth from 2002-2017 provided this tribute:

Martin Whittle was a radio industry legend in Perth and beyond. He was the cornerstone of Austereo Perth and later Southern Cross Austereo Perth’s financial success leading a team who often generated market shares above 50%. But it is his personal qualities – not just his professional qualities – that the SCA Perth radio family and colleagues across Australia reflect on as word spreads of his death from Alzheimer’s.

We missed Marty the minute he walked out the SCA building some 12 years ago after his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. I missed his ability to cut to the heart of the matter and his quiet determination to win which matched my own less-quiet determination. I missed his sense of humour and his chuckle. I missed having a colleague who could finish my sentences and vice versa.

Marty’s team missed his kindness, his compassion, his shrewdness and his ability to party – hence the sobriquet “Party Marty”. His advertising industry colleagues missed his creativity and his ability to find an outcome that was a win-win for everyone. Many missed his companionship and his insightful analysis of the market.

I lost a friend and colleague who I trusted on so many levels. I trusted his intelligence, his loyalty and his advice. It has been a long journey of decline for Martin and his family. Some of us had the pleasure to continuing to enjoy Marty’s sense of humour – that chuckle at the end of the table – and his interest in what was going on in the industry but the nature of this cruel disease is that we lost him a while ago. I and all my former colleagues are so grateful to have had the joy of working with someone of Marty’s calibre and humour. We still miss him. He was simply the best.

Longtime workmate Frederic Bauwens told CB:

Marty was the best boss you could ever hope for. Working with Marty was always a lot of fun. He always had your back even in tough times. I can recall so many radio ratings parties and lunches that turned into dinners and he was always the last one to leave. He worked hard. He spent many Saturdays in the office working on budgets, and those never-ending reports. His wife Deb was his rock till the end and he always spoke about his son Matt and he was very proud of him.

One of his famous quotes when media buyers would ask how the ratings would go the next day: “Well tomorrow we’ll either go up or down or stay the same.” RIP Marty.