MARIA MARTIN

Maria Martin’s voice was heard on radio stations for 50+ years. Born in Mexico City and raised in Northern California, her own voice on radio amplified the voices and perspectives of Latin Americans and Latinos in the United States.

Maria was first heard on the first Latino-owned community radio station in the U.S., at KBBF AM in Santa Rosa, CA. Later, she joined National Public Radio (NPR) and became an editor of their program, Latin File. Maria Martin was the network’s first Latin American Affairs Editor on their national desk. She left NPR in 1993 to launch Latino USA, an English-language radio program that reflected the vies of the experiences of the Latino community.

Her own on-air reporting extensively covered politics, violence, and indigenous communities in Central America.

In addition to her on-air work, Maria Martin was a mentor to many radio journalists in Guatemala, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Kyrgyzstan, and the U.S. She also established the GraciasVida Center for Media to enhance public radio coverage of Central America.   

Martin was also a Fulbright fellow and received induction into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame.

In 2024, Maria Martin received a Legends Induction into the Radio Hall of Fame.