Radio host Martha Zoller, on verge of retirement, has died at age 67
Martha Zoller, a longtime conservative talk show host out of Gainesville, has died at age 67 five days before she had planned to retire from her morning radio show on 102.9/550 WDUN-FM.
“I’m just stunned,” said Bill Maine, vice president and general manager at WDUN who worked with her for many years at the station. “I can’t think of another word for it. I thought she was doing better. I spoke with her on Friday between our shows. We were just joking back and forth about something like we always do.”
He said Zoller texted him Saturday saying she had to go to the hospital for chest pain but expected to be back midweek for her final shows. She had planned her final day to be Friday, June 26.
Maine found out about her death Monday morning. He said pastor and former Hall County Board of Elections Chair Tom Smiley will cover her shows the rest of the week and the show will keep the “Martha Zoller Show” name to honor her.
Next Monday, former state Sen. Butch Miller will do a full-fledged show to honor Zoller.
Earlier this month, Zoller told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a stress-related heart attack in February compelled her to leave her daily radio show.
“I’m leaving on my own terms,” she said. “I can now do what I want to do when I want to do it. I feel good about it.”
Zoller had planned to have a reduced role on the station as a political contributor while continuing to appear on Fox 5’s weekly political talk show “The Georgia Gang,” rotating in every other week.
Political strategist and “Georgia Gang” regular Tharon Johnson called her a “dear friend” who worked with him on healthcare and education initiatives around the state.
“I always respected her compassion for people,” Johnson said. “And more importantly, she called balls and strikes and called out both Republicans and Democrats. She dealt with everybody with grace and respect.”
Bill Crane, a political strategist and pundit who appeared on Zoller’s show every Wednesday, said Zoller had no problem talking to Republicans or Democrats.
“She frequently invited (Democratic Sens.) Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock on her show,” Craine said. “She was always civil and cordial even when her guests weren’t. And in a very male-dominated world of talk radio, she always felt like she had to somehow demonstrate her value and her connections, which were very real.”
Ossoff released a statement offering his condolences: “Martha dedicated her life to service, family and faith, and will be deeply missed by all her life touched.”
House Speaker Jon Burns, on the floor Monday, honored her as well: “I know many of you have had an opportunity to sit with Martha, be interviewed by Martha. She’s always direct. She was always looking for a good story, but she was always looking for the truth. And she was also always a kind interviewer, straightforward, someone you could trust on and off the record.”
Zoller first worked for 15 years at WDUN from 1994 to 2009, then left to work at a station in Athens. She spent several years working with Sen. David Perdue and Gov. Brian Kemp before returning to WDUN in 2019.
She also ran for the 9th District Congressional House seat in 2012, losing to Doug Collins in the Republican primary, and spent several years on the State Board of Education.
She said she could have pursued more prominent radio and TV roles in bigger cities but was dedicated to her hometown of Gainesville.
Zoller is survived by her husband Lin, four children — Suzanne, Chip, Mark and Ricky — and several grandchildren.