T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS Kyle Martin has been broadcasting at Marshalltown radio station KFJB since 2004 and began his radio career in the late 1980s in Des Moines. Now an Iowa Rock N’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame inductee, he said he’s loved working in radio for three decades.

“I see radio as theater of the mind.”

KFJB Operations Manager and morning personality Kyle Martin has been inducted into the 2017 Iowa Rock ‘N Roll Music Association Hall of Fame, a selection that’s been three decades in the making.

“I’m beyond honored,” Martin said of being inducted as the sole “DJ” selection of this year’s class. “I’ve just been really lucky.”

Beginning in the late 1980s, while still going to Drake University full time, the Marshalltown Community College adjunct professor said he started his radio career at KIOA in Des Moines.

“That’s where I started (broadcasting) full-time, playing the oldies at KIOA,” Martin said.

He gave a lot of the credit for his interest in radio to his father, who spent several decades in the radio business.

“I’m kind of a radio brat,” Martin said, adding his father’s job as a radio personality gave him a window into what the job entails.

After getting his broadcasting start at KIOA, Martin moved on to work in the Ames and Ottumwa radio markets, building experience along the way, before finally landing at news and talk radio station KFJB in 2004.

“I’ve really enjoyed working here,” he said.

Despite not working at a music-oriented radio station anymore, Martin said he’s been able to record interviews with classic rock artists.

“Since I’ve been (at KFJB)… it’s allowed me to interview a lot of rock artists,” he said. “There’s a really lengthy list of classic artists I’ve been able to interview.”

That list includes members of The Eagles, The Guess Who, Bobby Vee, David Crosby, Steve Howe and Roger McGuinn, among many others.

Martin said he’s found a sense of reward at all the stations he’s worked at and has gained experience by taking on several roles in his three-decade career.

Along with learning how to properly use recording and editing equipment and programs, Martin said it’s important for radio personalities to be able to communicate to a broad audience.

He also said it’s important to maintain a connection to listeners at all times, despite the fact that a radio personality and their audience often don’t actually see each other during a broadcast.

“You’re talking to nobody, yet you’re talking to everybody,” he said with a laugh. “You want people to like you and care about you and listen to you.”

The 2017 IRRMA Hall of Fame Induction Spectacular is set for Sept. 1-3 in the town of Arnolds Park. It will be the association’s 21st induction year.

For more information, go to www.iowarocknroll.com