Thera Martin first came to the SCOOP USA Community Newspaper in 1980 after having just graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was seeking to write articles for the SCOOP. After being urged by Bruce Webb, longtime friend and confidant of Sonny Driver, the owner and founder of the SCOOP, and the lead photographer for the SCOOP, Bruce Webb is to be credited with insisting that Thera come meet this man, “Sonny Driver.” It was an introduction that Thera says she will never forget, and from that day, until Sonny Driver passed in 2018, Thera considered herself a diehard part of the SCOOP USA Community Newspaper Family. She often says she considered Sonny Driver as if “He were a sometimes father figure, big brother, uncle, and boss to her”.
Thera began her radio broadcast career at WDAS AM/FM radio stations where she started in 1979, as a non-paid intern. She worked her way up, over a 26 year period, to Special Assistant to the General Manager, and Director of Community Relations. She loves covering news stories and sharing that news with the world. After working 26 years at WDAS AM/FM, Thera spread her wings and moved on to work for U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah for a few years, but at the same time, continued broadcasting at WDAS on the weekends. She was then called to work at 1340/AM WHAT radio station as program director, which she did for three years, not only being a senior manager at the station, but a 5 day a week, on the air talk show host.
Her next stop along the way of her career in communications landed her in the John F. Street Administration as a part of the Mayors’ Office of Community Services, (MOCS) public Affairs/Community Outreach team. There for one year, when 911 struck, and terrorist flew planes into the World Trade Center, Thera followed her heart and went back into radio broadcasting full time, back at WDAS. Opportunity struck again about three years later and Thera was called back to 1340/AM WHAT as a full time talk show host. She answered that call.
Loving her gig at WHAT as a talk show host, minus the pressures of being in management, Thera said her plan was to stay at WHAT as long as she could. Once again however, God had another plan and she suddenly found herself in corporate America, working for Dr. Walter P. Lomax at his company called Healthcare Management Alternatives, (HMA).
Working at HMA Health plan was exciting. It was fun. It was hard work. But it wasn’t broadcast radio. So when another call came, and an offer, to become the Program Director at WURD Radio station, (also owned by Dr. Walter P. Lomax), Thera accepted and walked away from her “corporate America” job.
Through all her moves and opportunities in broadcast communications over the years, The SCOOP USA Community Newspaper has always a constant. No matter what else was going on, no matter where else she may have worked, Thera hung in there with the SCOOP and with its publisher, Sonny Driver, until the day he made transition.
Now under the leadership of the new owner and publisher of the SCOOP, Thera has made a commitment to stick and stay, as long as Sherri Darden will have her. Her motto is, “Long live the SCOOP USA Community Newspaper.”